Is NEX3 a good camera to learn on?

I am a beginner wanting to learn more about photography and I just ordered the NEX3, waiting for it to arrive. It won me over due to its portability.

However, is this actually a good camera to learn on? Does it have much of the similar functions that entry-level DSLR's have? It's starting to bug me more that it doesn't have as many buttons and dials as the DSLR's, but I don't know the implications since I had only used point and shoots before. Don't know if I made the right choice or if I should have gotten something like the Pana G1 instead. Appreciate your coments, thx!

I'm a recent first-time upgrader from point-and-shoot, and I'm very happy with NEX so far, and I've learned a ton in just the past 2 weeks.

Yes it is a good camera to learn on and the only thing lacking is a hotshoe or external speedlight but that is coming...

The things you'll want in a new camera are spot meter, good high ISO, PSAM Modes, RAW and Manual White Balance... Yes you'll want a hotshoe or a PC SYNC Socket later on but to start with it is actually a very good camera and it has top of the line image quality.

The most important things in a good photo are composition and light. This can be learned with every camera....

I know, when you want to make creative pictures you need control over several important things, like DOF (apperture control) motion freezing (or not) by exposure time control.
And then you want control over ISO,WB etc.

All the important controls are avaailable in the NEX cameras, but some of them are more "hidden"in the menus. With FW v3 you can place the most important functions under the function buttons.
So the Nex is a great camera to learn photography in every expect.

There is one place where the Nex will fail, that is a studio enviroment as it misses the control interface for studio light...

As long as you use normal lights and not strobes the NEX can do well in the Studio as well.

gfrensen said:

The most important things in a good photo are composition and light. This can be learned with every camera....

I know, when you want to make creative pictures you need control over several important things, like DOF (apperture control) motion freezing (or not) by exposure time control.
And then you want control over ISO,WB etc.

All the important controls are avaailable in the NEX cameras, but some of them are more "hidden"in the menus. With FW v3 you can place the most important functions under the function buttons.
So the Nex is a great camera to learn photography in every expect.

There is one place where the Nex will fail, that is a studio enviroment as it misses the control interface for studio light...

Click to expand...

I'm a point and shoot upgrader too. Previously used the Canon Ixus S430, the Finepix f31fd and the Canon A650IS (in that order). I read Bryan Peterson's Understanding Exposure book (highly recommended) even at that stage, and tried to learn as much as I could with what my point-and-shoot cameras were capable of, experimenting with all the manual settings and so on.

Then I got the Nex-3 a couple of months ago - and my knowledge of photography has skyrocketed!

Of course I'm still a noob compared to many here, but my point is that I really think the Nex will give any point-and-shoot upgrader AMPLE room to learn and grow. Plus, unlike a bulky DSLR, you'll want to carry the Nex around with you everywhere, which is obviously going to give you lots of opportunities to learn and practice.

More buttons does not make a better camera...ever. In many ways it can make it more complicated to use, more cumbersome, but better??? No.

Everything you need to learn and grow as a photographer is present in the Nex, save a decent flash system. The form factor will likely encourage you to carry it more than a larger camera, which is good; much of photography is learned by "doing"...if you don't carry the camera with you, you can't shoot. If you don't shoot, you don't learn.

I'm not suggesting even for a second that the other cameras you mention are better or worse than the Nex for a learning camera; they are different user interfaces, that's all.

I wouldn't spend a lot of time worrying about whether it has enough buttons, too many buttons, or any buttons at all for that matter; it takes very good pics, it lets you advance your skills at whatever rate is most comfortable for you, and lets you become a better photographer as a result.

Be happy with your choice, take lots of photos and when you're ready to upgrade, they'll be tens of thousands of people still on the internet, all waiting to tell you what you should buy next.

In order to learn the only thing you need is will.

Tools come second. Even a webcam, in the right hands can produce amazing shots (!). For example the most impressive planet shots I've seen (taken from a telescope) come from stacking hundreds of images taken from a humble webcam...

NEX is a system with tons of horsepower well concealed by its P&S looks.

Don't get me wrong.....the NEX 3 and 5 are GREAT cameras. Don't own either (bought a GF1 instead) but have used a good friend's NEX 5 a bit and have been very impressed. Having said all that, if just starting out post point+shoot, I'd own a G11 or G12.....the amount of control you have with both cameras are amazing and an excellent way for a person to learn how/when to use manual controls. Yes, there are drawbacks (IQ, ISO sensitivity) but your point is to find the best camera for learning....and I don't think it's a dSLR, NEX, u4/3...it's the G11/G12...AMAZING camera design for those wanting the ultimate in manual control.

Geekapoo

Geekapoo said:

Don't get me wrong.....the NEX 3 and 5 are GREAT cameras. Don't own either (bought a GF1 instead) but have used a good friend's NEX 5 a bit and have been very impressed. Having said all that, if just starting out post point+shoot, I'd own a G11 or G12.....the amount of control you have with both cameras are amazing and an excellent way for a person to learn how/when to use manual controls. Yes, there are drawbacks (IQ, ISO sensitivity) but your point is to find the best camera for learning....and I don't think it's a dSLR, NEX, u4/3...it's the G11/G12...AMAZING camera design for those wanting the ultimate in manual control.

Geekapoo

Click to expand...

This is a fair point. I don't regret the camera progression I had before owning the Nex-3, and I agree that the Canon point-and-shoot user interface is great.

With the Ixus I learned what ISO changes meant. With the Fuji f31fd I learned how to use Aperture Priority and Shutter Priority. With the Canon A650IS I learned how to use full manual controls. I still love many of the photos I took with all of those cameras, and I think they all prepared me for the Nex, where I can now explore a deeper understanding of everything I learned before.

If the Nex had not been released my next camera would probably have been a G11, G12 or S95 - I'd researched the micro four thirds cameras and was not willing to pay their rather high prices for that particular combination of size and photo quality.

agree. I still have a G11, and love the camera. It spends most of it's time these days mounted on the gigpan mount, since it really excels in that role, but it was my carr around camera until quite recently.

They are an excellent manual control camera. The limitation imposed by the fixed lens, and the less than stellar low light pushed me to the nex

Thx for all the useful comments and for removing any buyer's remorse I had
It definitely seems like a great starting pt for me!
Excited for its arrival and looking fwd to take lotsa pix!