The NX F3: A Camera That Packs a Punch Despite Its Size

One of the main advantages of NX cameras is that they put DSLR-sized APS-C sensors into smaller, more affordable bodies. The NX F3 is no exception, with its compact size and weight making it easy to carry around. Although it's not as small as some other models, such as the NX C3, it's still a much more portable option than larger DSLRs. In fact, it feels more like the NX 7 than the NX C3, with a bigger, more usable grip that makes it possible to hold the camera in one hand.

The NX F3 also comes with some nice additions due to its larger size. One of the standout features is the pop-up flash, which can be bounced or moved down for more flexibility. This is a much more useful flash than many others on the market. However, there aren't as many dials or buttons on the camera itself, and most settings are accessed through the on-screen menu. While this may take some getting used to, especially for those who have experience with DSLRs, it ultimately makes the camera easier to use.

The camera's LCD screen is one of its standout features, with a sharp 3-inch resolution and 921,000 dots. The screen is very accurate in terms of color reproduction, but it can be a bit dim by default and may struggle to be seen outdoors without adjustment. However, this can be easily fixed by turning up the brightness manually. The screen also tilts, making it possible to shoot above your head or below your waist while still seeing what you're doing. Unfortunately, it doesn't rotate quite enough down to make it easy to use at very low angles.

One of the biggest weaknesses of the NX F3 is its autofocus performance. It can be slow and not particularly precise, taking half a second or more to find a focus point even on still images. This means that the camera may often go past the point of focus before trying to come back to it, resulting in jarring and out-of-focus moments. However, the camera is generally fast in terms of burst mode, shooting about 5.5 photos per second.

Overall, the NX F3 is a great option for those looking to upgrade from a point-and-shoot camera. With its big sensor, F processor, and manual controls, it offers a significant step up in image quality and capabilities. However, whether or not it's the right choice will depend on individual needs and budgets.

Images Shot with the NX F3

Images shot with the NX F3 generally look really good, with sharp details and accurate color reproduction. The camera is able to capture a wide range of tones and colors, making it well-suited for a variety of applications. However, one of the biggest challenges is managing dynamic range. When you have areas in the image that are particularly dark or bright, they can easily become overexposed, resulting in blown-out highlights and lost detail.

Low-light performance is also worth noting, with an ISO range up to 16,000. While this allows for some flexibility in terms of exposure, it also means that noise will start to become a problem once you go beyond around ISO 3200. However, the camera still produces great-looking images at lower ISOs.

Video Capabilities

The NX F3 also has improved video capabilities compared to its predecessor. It can shoot 1080p video at 24 frames per second or 1080i video at 60 frames per second. While this is a significant upgrade over the previous model, which couldn't even shoot 1080p, it's worth noting that video quality isn't perfect.

The camera struggles to capture true blacks and can sometimes produce overly saturated colors. Additionally, darks in the image can be a bit too dark, making them lose detail. However, these issues are largely minor and don't detract from the overall quality of the video.

One area where the NX F3 really shines is in its autofocus performance during recording. While it's not perfect, it's at least faster than some other cameras on the market, allowing for smoother and more precise focus transitions. However, the camera can be slow to find a focus point initially, and the autofocus may often go past the point of focus before trying to come back.

Overall, the NX F3 is a solid choice for those looking to upgrade from a point-and-shoot camera. While it has its limitations, particularly in terms of autofocus performance, it offers a lot of value and capabilities that make it an attractive option. Whether or not it's the right choice will depend on individual needs and budgets, but it's definitely worth considering.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enthis is David with the Virgin this is the Sony Alpha NX F3 it's a brand new camera it's an update to last year's NX C3 and the NX cameras are generally great because they put DSLR sized apsc sensor into a much smaller more inexpensive body the F3 is not a huge physical change from the C3 it's actually a little larger it weighs about a pound with the kit lens on and it's almost 2 in thick it kind of feels more like the nx7 than the NX C3 it's still small for a digital camera but this is definitely not something you can just drop into your pocket and carry around with you there are some additions that come with the big size though you get a much bigger more usable grip that actually makes the camera possible to hold just in one hand and you get the awesome pop-up Flash from the nx7 you can bounce it or move it down so it's a much more useful flash than most there aren't very many dials or buttons to speak of on the camera you do almost everything using the onscreen menu all the menus help you get used to the camera or tweak settings in ways that make sense uh and it's just really simple but if you've used a DSLR before it's going to feel really clunky and hard to change settings the camera has a super Sharp 3-in LCD and it's filled with 921,000 dots the screen is great it's really accurate with really good colors uh it's not necessarily very bright by default and can be hard to see Outdoors but fortunately you can make it brighter manually the screen also tilts so you can shoot above your head or below your waist while still being able to see the screen which is cool but it doesn't rotate quite enough down so if you're holding the camera above your head it's still a little hard to see uh unfortunately the screen is not a touchscreen like the NX 5n but it's still pretty easy to navigate with the scroll wheel on the back and there are few menus and they're really icon based so it's pretty easy to navigate navate anyway we get lots of art filters and scene modes on the camera and a lot of really wide ranging and Powerful Auto modes the camera also charges via micro USB instead of needing a separate charger which is again just designed to make it easier to use and less cumbersome to carry which is pretty great images shot with the nxf3 generally look really good and they're certainly a huge step up from a point shoot camera uh images are really sharp details are pretty good and there's really accurate colors uh the biggest problem is dynamic range anytime you have spots in the image that are particularly dark or particular really bright whatever ends up being the brightest spot in the image is going to get totally blown out often to the point where pictures look Overexposed and just bad anytime you have relatively uniform or controlled brightness you'll get photos that look great but outdoor photos almost always look Overexposed which is a problem with a camera like this low light performance is pretty solid too uh that has ISO range up to 16,000 and you can shoot up to about ISO 3200 and you'll still get greatl looking photos but things drop off way after that uh you definitely get some noise once you start cranking up the iso levels the nxf3 can also now shoot 1080p video at 24 frames per second or 1080i video at 60 frames per second uh the C3 couldn't shoot 1080p video at all so it's a nice upgrade video looks pretty good it's a little oversaturated and darks can be a little too dark at some points but the video still looks good the camera will autofocus and zoom while recording video but autofocus in particular isn't particularly great it searches a lot and focuses and refocus is really fast so you get this kind of jarring experience as you go in and out of focus and it switches as you record video autofocus in general is actually one of the biggest weaknesses with the nxf3 it's just slow and not particularly precise it takes a half second or more to find a focus Point even on still images and we'll often go past the point of focus and then try to come back otherwise the camera is actually pretty fast uh it's a bit slower than the NX 5n but it'll shoot about 5 and a half photos per second in Burst Mode there's very little shutter lag and it can turn on and start shooting photos in just over 2 seconds in general if you're coming from a point and shoot camera the nxf3 is a great option especially at 599 you get a big sensor and a f processor and a lot of manual controls even though the interface helps them feel more accessible and less complicated anyone looking to upgrade from a point shoot camera should definitely consider one of the nexx models but which one you buy will depend on which features you really think you need and how much you're willing to spendthis is David with the Virgin this is the Sony Alpha NX F3 it's a brand new camera it's an update to last year's NX C3 and the NX cameras are generally great because they put DSLR sized apsc sensor into a much smaller more inexpensive body the F3 is not a huge physical change from the C3 it's actually a little larger it weighs about a pound with the kit lens on and it's almost 2 in thick it kind of feels more like the nx7 than the NX C3 it's still small for a digital camera but this is definitely not something you can just drop into your pocket and carry around with you there are some additions that come with the big size though you get a much bigger more usable grip that actually makes the camera possible to hold just in one hand and you get the awesome pop-up Flash from the nx7 you can bounce it or move it down so it's a much more useful flash than most there aren't very many dials or buttons to speak of on the camera you do almost everything using the onscreen menu all the menus help you get used to the camera or tweak settings in ways that make sense uh and it's just really simple but if you've used a DSLR before it's going to feel really clunky and hard to change settings the camera has a super Sharp 3-in LCD and it's filled with 921,000 dots the screen is great it's really accurate with really good colors uh it's not necessarily very bright by default and can be hard to see Outdoors but fortunately you can make it brighter manually the screen also tilts so you can shoot above your head or below your waist while still being able to see the screen which is cool but it doesn't rotate quite enough down so if you're holding the camera above your head it's still a little hard to see uh unfortunately the screen is not a touchscreen like the NX 5n but it's still pretty easy to navigate with the scroll wheel on the back and there are few menus and they're really icon based so it's pretty easy to navigate navate anyway we get lots of art filters and scene modes on the camera and a lot of really wide ranging and Powerful Auto modes the camera also charges via micro USB instead of needing a separate charger which is again just designed to make it easier to use and less cumbersome to carry which is pretty great images shot with the nxf3 generally look really good and they're certainly a huge step up from a point shoot camera uh images are really sharp details are pretty good and there's really accurate colors uh the biggest problem is dynamic range anytime you have spots in the image that are particularly dark or particular really bright whatever ends up being the brightest spot in the image is going to get totally blown out often to the point where pictures look Overexposed and just bad anytime you have relatively uniform or controlled brightness you'll get photos that look great but outdoor photos almost always look Overexposed which is a problem with a camera like this low light performance is pretty solid too uh that has ISO range up to 16,000 and you can shoot up to about ISO 3200 and you'll still get greatl looking photos but things drop off way after that uh you definitely get some noise once you start cranking up the iso levels the nxf3 can also now shoot 1080p video at 24 frames per second or 1080i video at 60 frames per second uh the C3 couldn't shoot 1080p video at all so it's a nice upgrade video looks pretty good it's a little oversaturated and darks can be a little too dark at some points but the video still looks good the camera will autofocus and zoom while recording video but autofocus in particular isn't particularly great it searches a lot and focuses and refocus is really fast so you get this kind of jarring experience as you go in and out of focus and it switches as you record video autofocus in general is actually one of the biggest weaknesses with the nxf3 it's just slow and not particularly precise it takes a half second or more to find a focus Point even on still images and we'll often go past the point of focus and then try to come back otherwise the camera is actually pretty fast uh it's a bit slower than the NX 5n but it'll shoot about 5 and a half photos per second in Burst Mode there's very little shutter lag and it can turn on and start shooting photos in just over 2 seconds in general if you're coming from a point and shoot camera the nxf3 is a great option especially at 599 you get a big sensor and a f processor and a lot of manual controls even though the interface helps them feel more accessible and less complicated anyone looking to upgrade from a point shoot camera should definitely consider one of the nexx models but which one you buy will depend on which features you really think you need and how much you're willing to spend\n"