Sony NEX 5n vs Sony NEX 3n

A few months back I advised my father in law to buy a Sony NEX 3n, which we found for, at the time, an amazing deal of $299 with the 16-50mm power zoom lens.  He loved it, but it unfortunately was dropped lens first onto something hard, and the lens wasn't fixable.  It turned out that it was cheaper to buy a whole new kit than buy the lens, which is what he did, so I ended up with the Sony NEX 3n body.

 

It has though given me a chance to try them both out side by side, an interesting comparison given that they have the same sensor.  However, the do differ; the 5n has the 900k dot touchscreen, while the NEX 5n has a 460k dot non touch screen, and it is significantly better. It also has a double hinge, unlike the 3n, which makes overhead shots much easier.  The NEX3n has a built in flash and is over all a bit larger.  Unfortunately the NEX 3n subscribes to the Nikon theory of haphazard fill in flash, rather than the brilliance of the Fujis.

Control wise, the cameras are very similar, both lacking the wheel controls of the NEX 5t and NEX 6, though the touch screen makes it easier to navigate screens.

All in all they are pretty similar, and I think you would be hard pressed to find a better deal than a NEX 3n out there right now.

My father in law and the Sony NEX 3n

A few days ago my father in law wanted my help buying a camera.  He wanted something smallish that would take great photos.  Henry's Outlet Centre had the very nice (and very stylish) Fuji XF-1 for just $225, which seemed like a great deal, given MSRP is $499, and I thought this would suit him perfectly.  So in we went, expecting to buy it, but we were in for a surprise....

We found that the Sony NEX 3n with the extra compact 16-50mm power zoom lens was on sale for $299.  This seemed like a screaming deal, given that they are normally an already cheap $499 and have only just been launched a couple months ago.  Alone the lens retails for $330.

Sony NEX 5n with Sigma 19mm f2.8

While the Fuji XF-1 is a good camera, the Sony NEX 3n is a big step up in terms of image quality and especially low light performance.  The 16mp APS-C sensor is truly excellent in low light, and can capture tons of detail, if the lens you're using can resolve that far. So I talked him into spending the extra $75, and he's come away with an amazing camera for not a lot of money.

Compared to my NEX 5n, it is slightly bigger and has a built in flash, but misses out on the high resolution touch screen and a few other features.

Sony NEX 5n with Minolta 135mm f4 LTM

 While I don't think my father in law will stray far from auto mode, the NEX 3n allows him to take his photography a long way if he so chooses.  All in all, a great purchase.