Sony NEX-F3 review

The NEX-F3 essentially looks like Sony glued a lens onto a point-and-shoot camera. The 4.6 x 2.6-inch body isn’t pocket friendly (and it becomes even less so when you attach a lens onto the front), but it’ll slide into a bag or backpack without weighing you down. There’s a reason for the extra girth, though: Sony beefed up the NEX-F3’s grip a lot, so it’s really easy to hold and use in one hand. Cameras this small are often harder to hold than bigger, heavier DSLRs because they don’t have much of a grip, so I’ll take a little more weight for the extra security in my hand.

One look around the camera is enough to make clear that the NEX-F3 isn’t designed to be a DSLR-like shooter, no matter how big its sensor. There aren’t many buttons or controls, and even some of the common point-and-shoot decorations (like a Mode dial) aren’t here. There’s a power switch on the top, along with an accessory port (hidden underneath a plastic flap) and a pop-up flash plus the flash release. The flash is the same one as the NEX-7, and is similarly great: you can point it up or down and bounce it at almost any angle, meaning you’re not left choosing between blasting flash at your subjects or shooting overly dark photos. Down on a small ledge below the top of the camera is the shutter button, nestled comfortably where your right index finger can access it.

The lack of buttons will either be refreshing or frustrating

The back of the NEX-F3 has a playback button next to an awkwardly difficult-to-press one for quickly starting a video recording, plus two function buttons, and a scroll wheel. That’s really it. It’s among the most sparing set of controls I’ve ever seen on a camera over about $200, and it means you’ll be hugely reliant on the screen and menu system as you use the NEX-F3.

This may sound odd, but my favorite new feature of the NEX-F3 might be its charger. Rather, the fact that it doesn’t need one — the camera charges via its micro USB port. You don’t need to lug around a giant charger, or take the battery out to charge it and then have to remember to grab it before you go to use the camera again.