Sony Question on NEX3

Hi SC members haven't really been able to post how i want as of late, but i do have a question. I bought a used NEX off of evilbay 2 weeks ago and the camera only came with the body and a memory card just my luck but i wanted to know if i'd be able to check if the camera functions without physically having the lens and if so what should i get first thanks.
 
Jason,

There isn't a wide choice in the E-series lenses right now although the choices increase if you purchase an adapter for use with some of the compatible legacy lenses. Add a comment about what you are most likely going to shoot and I am sure some of the NEX owners here will add some comments. I personally would choose the 18-55mm first due to its versatility and wider range than the 16mm pancake. You will read in some quarters that it is a bit soft but I found that the version I had with a NEX 5 took excellent images for me. On the other hand, the 16mm might be a better choice depending on your style and what you want to capture.
 
Jason,

There isn't a wide choice in the E-series lenses right now although the choices increase if you purchase an adapter for use with some of the compatible legacy lenses. Add a comment about what you are most likely going to shoot and I am sure some of the NEX owners here will add some comments. I personally would choose the 18-55mm first due to its versatility and wider range than the 16mm pancake. You will read in some quarters that it is a bit soft but I found that the version I had with a NEX 5 took excellent images for me. On the other hand, the 16mm might be a better choice depending on your style and what you want to capture.

What I'm trying to find out is if the camera works so i'm wondering if i need the lens in order to go through any of the menus or such or would i get a error message as soon as it turns on.
 
I did this with a DSLR to see if the sensor was clean so i think it can be done but you won't get an image without a lens. The only error message you may get is one saying that there is no lens attached which is fine. If you turn the Nex3 on, point it to the sky and take a shot. If the sky is blue you should get a blue image that is just blue. If it's cloudy you will probably get a white, off white or grey image. If this is the case then all should be fine.
 
I would suggest taking it to a shop and test it with the NEX lenses. Tell them you dropped the camera and broke the lens. So you're looking at buying another one, but you need to check to see if the camera works first.
 
You should be able to test it without a lens. When I stick a legacy lens in the camera, it doesn't know there's anything there because there's no electrical connection - it could just as well be a body cap as far as the camera knows. And everything turns on and works fine. If you want to actually click the shutter, there's a menu item on the 'setup' menu called "release w/o lens" that you'd need to set to "enable" and you should be good to go. Mine is a Nex 5, but I'm sure they're the same. I also don't know if the old firmware does this the same way, but I can't imagine it would be very different.

-Ray
 
As Ray says you can go into the menus and change it so that it releases w/o lens.

As a long time EBayer, I would ask, did the listing state the body only? If the listing indicates a lens is included contact the buyer and Ebay's fraud/dispute department. Ebay has really put a lot of effort into making sure people don't get screwed and will fight for you if the seller is less than honest.

If you did buy a camera without a lens, you can find additional lenses for sale. Only the E mounts will work the Automatic functions though. Everything else requires an adapter and then will be in manual focusing mode.
 
Thanks for all the swift replies i will give it a shot ....as per the description of the item it did say body only but i was kind of suspicious as to if the camer would work.
 
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