Sony was one of the first manufacturers to enter into the compact system camera (CSC) arena, and as such it has a reasonable heritage with its NEX series. Although it doesn't quite have the lens range of its Micro Four Thirds competitors, it is still streets ahead of the competition from Nikon and Canon, with each of the cameras in its range now in its third or fourth generation.The Sony NEX-3N is the company's new introduction to its cheapest and most basic entry-level CSC range. It replaces the Sony NEX-F3 and has a redesigned chassis, which makes it the smallest and lightest CSC to feature an APS-C sized sensor. Aiming pretty squarely at compact camera "step-up" users, the camera has a 16.1 million pixel sensor, the same device that can be found in the Sony NEX-5R, which was introduced towards the end of 2012. It also features a 180-degree tilting LCD screen, which is ideal for framing self-portraits. Unlike the Sony NEX-5R, the Sony NEX-3N doesn't feature a touchscreen. This seems like a bit of a shame, especially considering the target audience is likely to be used to the convenience of smartphones, but it's likely that it would have added a premium to the camera's price, which Sony is trying to avoid. It comes bundled as standard with an 18-55mm power zoom lens, which is also very small, and helps contribute to the overall small size. One feature which is new for the camera is area-specific noise reduction, which was developed for the top-of-the-line Sony
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