NEX-3 with 2.8/16 kit lens

iangreenhalgh1 · Expire: 2014-01-07

Hi folks

Just got my NEX with the 16mm lens with it and I think it's not bad, sharp enough and doesn't appear to have much distortion. I used the deafult settings on the camera in full auto mode, just using it as a point n shoot to see what the lens was like.

Attila · Expire: 2021-11-18

Hey nice series! What kind of car is this ?Looks very cool!

56 DIN · Expire: 2021-11-18

Rover P5 6 cyl - what a nice car

and good shots

the lucky owners drove you on the backseat on sundays ?

iangreenhalgh1 · Expire: 2014-01-07

Well spotted einrahmer, it is indeed a Rover, but it is a P4, the P5 is the more famous one that replaced it.

It is a P4 105 with a straight-6 engine (2.5 litres I think) and twin SU carbs (1.5 inch ones I think) that make it have an awesome engine noise when you rev it up.

Some of the body is made from aluminium, the car was made in 1955 and Britain was bankrupt, they recycled anything they could and all the surplus Spitfires, Hurricanes, Lancasters etc were melted down and the aluminium re-used, this is why the Land Rover had an aluminium body.

It was a non-runner in need of a lot of work when my dad got it, he's completely rebuilt the engine and carbs, had all the chrome redone, he partially resprayed it and has restored the interior fully too, had to rewire all the electrical system a hell of a lot of hard work, my dad bought it as a retirement present to himself when he retired 3 years ago.

I have been a passenger a few times and you feel like royalty driving round in it, everyone smiles and waves, you sit up in a high position and feel like the king of the road. He hasn't let me drive it yet, but one day I might talk him into letting me have a go. It's not an easy car to drive though, no synchromesh on the gears so you have to match the engine rpms when changing gear and the brakes are drums at both front and back so you have to brake a long time before you would in a modern car and remember that you will get brake fade once they get hot. Steering it is more like helming a battleship that driving a modern car!

Hi James, I can already tell I am going to love my NEX too. How do you like the Jupiter-8? I have bought a collapsible Industar-50 3.5/50 to use with mine, but I am also thinking of adding a Jupiter-8 and an Industar-61.

iangreenhalgh1 · Expire: 2014-01-07

Cheers James, A Jupiter-8 it is for me then! I have heard others say the J-8 performs a bit better than the I-61. Shame the J-3 is hard to find, an f1.5 version would be very handy.

iangreenhalgh1 · Expire: 2014-01-07

Yeah, a J-8 or I-61 is actually cheaper if bought with a Fed or Zorki than on it's own, the prices of the lenses alone have been inflated due to their popularity with the mirrorless users, couple of years ago they were a fraction of the price. I was lucky to find a mint Industar-50 collapsible version for 11ukp.

pat donnelly · Posted: Mon Aug 22, 2011 7:45 am Post subject:

Well done, Ian, I may be following you soon as the prices are rock bottom.

Like the car, and the P4 badge, and your parents, too. The weather in Oz is far kinder to old cars.

James and Ian,

Is this the first mirror-less camera you have used? I intend to select my best lenses to use on a Sony, APS; Oly m4/3 and 1/2 inch sensor camera. Is that feasible?

iangreenhalgh1 · Expire: 2014-01-07

The NEX is my first mirrorless camera too and I don't like it much. It's alright as a point n shoot but for serious photography it is going to take some getting used to. I really miss the controls of my EOS, in manual mode I find the NEX a real pain to use, fiddly little buttons and everything has to be done via onscreen controls, oh how I long for a shutter speed dial! The screen is good but it's no substitute for a good SLR viewfinder, the magnify to focus feature will take a lot of getting used to.

As soon as I can afford it I'm going to get another EOS, the NEX can then become the camera I take everywhere with me in my pocket with a small M39 lens like the collapsible Industar-50 or a Konica Hexanon 1.8/40mm. Problem is, with the combined size of an adapter and a lens mounted on it it doesn't really fit in your pocket anymore.

Great sensor, takes great pics but the controls are not good at all and the lack of viewfinder is a serious omission, give me an EOS any day, maybe I should have bought an Olympus Pen and EVF for it? Anyways, I like the NEX for what it is - a very small, very well made and very capable camera but it will never replace the SLR for me, I see it as the modern equivalent of an Olympus Trip, Konica C35 or Yashica Electro - a very good second camera to carry alongside your SLR or when you can't take a proper SLR setup with you.

philslizzy · Joined: 07 Aug 2012 Posts: 4713 Location: Cheshire, England

I read this post after following a link from another of Ian's posts. Lovely photos of the car, and a nice story to tell too.

It was interesting reading your impressions of your NEX two years ago, how do you feel about it now?