Sony NEX-F3 The world of cameras used to be fairly simple if you wanted something affordable and portable you'd buy a point-and-shoot compact camera, and if you wanted something flexible that cost a fortune and weighed a ton you'd buy a digital SLR. Not any more. Compact system cameras, also known as hybrid cameras, promise the best of both worlds: the portability and affordability of compacts and the power and performance of SLRs.
Do these smart snappers deliver? We think they do. Cameras like Sony's NEX-F3 have much bigger sensors than traditional compacts, so they can capture much more detail, and their swappable lenses give you SLR-style flexibility. You can currently choose ( from over 30 prime, zoom, telephoto, wide angle and macro lenses to use with the NEX-F3.
You don't need to invest in lots of lenses to take great pictures, though. Thanks to that bigger sensor and Sony s wonderfully named BIONZ processor, the standard 18-55mm lens is an excellent all-rounder that's surprisingly good even in low light, and with a 16.1-megapixel resolution the level of detail is stunning. Sony says the NEX-F3 delivers "professional quality" images, and reviewets agree that while the results aren't quite SLR-quality, they're not far oft The Sony camera even delivers decent depth of field effects - something compact cameras are traditionally very bad at.
In addition to straightforward shooting, the Sony can also record HD video, and its tilting LCD screen makes awkward shots considerably less uncomfortable. It shoots in both JPEG and RAW format, and the camera includes built-in filters called Picture Effects to give your shots a retro sheen or soften skin tones in portraits. Intelligent Auto mode does a good Job of choosing the best parameters for each photo you take, and if you want to get stuck in you can change the individual settings manually.
Sony NEX-F3K/B 16.1 MP Compact System Camera with 18-55mm Lens (Black)
16.1 MP Exmor APS HD CMOS image sensor
Full HD movie shooting 60i/24p
LCD tilts down 13°, up 180° for low-angle and self-portrait shots
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