The 14.6Mp Samsung NX11 is an interchangeable-lens camera that resembles a small digital SLR (DSLR) at roughly half the depth. As with rival products, such as the Olympus PEN, Panasonic GF and Sony NEX series, the NX11 omits the standard mirror mechanism. It updates the NX10 as Samsung’s second-generation compact system camera (CSC), but the pitch is the same: DSLR-like image quality (thanks to an APS-C sized CMOS sensor), but a smaller form-factor, plus the facility to swap lenses.
Sony’s follow-up to the Editors’ Choice Alpha NEX-3 is the smaller and lighter, 16-megapixel NEX-C3. Boasting better resolution and low-light performance, the NEX-C3 is able to deliver D-SLR-quality images in a compact body. It’s even smaller than the Olympus PEN E-P3 or the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF2, but packs a larger sensor than any Micro Four Thirds camera.
This is the smallest and lightest APS-C interchangeable-lens digital camera in the world. It weighs just 225g, making it almost identical in weight to some of the compact cameras we’ve reviewed in this issue’s group test.
The NEX-C3 can capture 720p HD video and l6Mp stills. A 3in tillable LCD screen is used for composition. The camera has no built-in flash, but Sony offers one as an accessory. A multi-frame feature lets you take several photos at once and have the camera create a panoramic composite of them, giving the effect of 3D. Other useful effects include automatic HDR, Handheld Twilight and an Anti-Motion blur setting. Soft skin, retro, pop colour, high-contrast monochrome, pasteurization and toy effects can also be added to your snaps.
