I need help deciding! Nikon D3200 vs. Sony NEX-5N

As a beginner, I think the most important rule of photography is to ALWAYS HAVE YOUR CAMERA WITH YOU- which will be much easier with the smaller form factor of the NEX series.  When you get more serious and want to build a lens collection, then you can trade in your NEX for a semipro or pro series DSLR - but if you are just a beginning photographer, the NEX should better suit your needs.

The primary bonus of the D3200 (or any nikon camera) is the quality and quantity of the available nikkor lenses.  Lenses specific for the NEX are fairly limited and the reviews seem to suggest they are not of the highest quality - but probably more than adequate for a beginner or someone who is not interested in selling stock or as a professional photographer.

I actually just went through a similar quandary and decided to to with the Sony NEX 5N. Here is my rough pros/cons list but the size ended up being the biggest factor for me.

NEX 5N

Pros:

Smaller size (this was a HUGE pro for me)

Panorama sweep

Shooting video in 24fps

HDR built-in

Touchscreen ease of use

Cons:

Lens price/selection

Touchscreen lack of buttons (it's easy to learn on the touchscreen but after shooting on my wife's Nikon D90 I would love a few more buttons)

Most accessories (bags mostly) seem geared towards full-sized DSLRs

Unsure about build quality

Nikon D3200

Pros:

More room to "grow" shooting skills (this may not actually be true, but it was a factor to me)

Tons of lenses

Trusted Nikon brand

Cons:

Big and bulky for what I wanted to use it for

Seemed like a steeper learning curve

i am a proud owner of the Nikon D7000, but as much as i like all the features, quality and ergonomics of it, the bad things are - weight and size. It's heavy and big. If i would get all those features i need and used to, quality and good ergonomics in other, smaller camera, i think i'd switch.

i use the sony NEX-5N very good camera with good movie quality and interchangeble lens.1080p 60p HD movies in AVCHD format,easy to use touch screen display.take good photos without a sweat!!it may not be famous like Canon or nikon but sony corp has put up a good work in the 5N...you wont regret this i tell you!!

Depends on what you want to do with the camera.

The NEX-5N is a great mirrorless camera, takes beautiful pictures and decent video and has some nice in-camera functions.

The Nikon D3200 is a great DSLR, takes beautiful pictures and decent video and has no in-camera functions similar to the NEX-5N.

I'd suggest the D3200 because:

1) Most of your friends have Nikons. This means your lenses will be interchangeable and there will be a smaller learning curve as your friends can help you with it.

2) The 3D photos and panoramic options in the 5N are nice little extras but can be recreated on your computer in post processing (and the 3D photos are worthless on normal screens). Panos are easy to make in Photoshop and other software.

3) The 10 fps of the Sony vs the 4 fps for the Nikon debate isn't something to really consider unless you're going to be taking a lot of fast action/sport related photography. If you're just going to be using the camera normally, you won't notice have less fps with the Nikon.

With all this said (and I still vote Nikon), if you're looking for something more along the lines of a smaller, kind of Point and Shoot style camera, get the NEX-5N. Otherwise, grab the Nikon and buy a nice prime lens then borrow your friends' lenses, finding out which ones you like.

IMHO, DSLR isn't all day shoot camera. You will love to carry NEX better than any DSLR wherever you go. Except if you want so many button to control every aspect of your camera all the time.. . In fact, i love auto exposure and autofocus in 80% of my shot. Snap, sport, family, travel, and many more. I just shoot manual at few moments. So, why should i buy a DSLR with 8 more buttons that i only use in only 20% of my shoot. i prefer camera that fit my majority shot but still perform my minority shot. And NEX-5N is still excellent for manual shooting or even manual focus non "e-mount" lenses by the peeking mode. +Hint: don't buy nex if you need ligthning fast autofocus. Else case, forget DSLR. Except a full frame DSLR. :-D

I bought a d5100 because I needed an optical viewfinder and built-in flash. But I still lust the NEX5N because it is so much more portable than the d5100. So I say if those two features are not a high priority, buy the NEX5N. 

p.s. There was some issue with clicking sounds while shooting videos, make sure there are no issues like that anymore.

be enlightened that a mirror less camera translate the images that it sees electronically in the view finder while a dslr camera translates the images through its optics via light curvature. the latter has the tendency to differ your images when its battery is fluctuating while the former is steady even if its low bat. this means you get more accurate interpretation of your eye when you are viewing through the viewfinder while composing your photos.

though mirror less cameras are great because they are less space consuming and lighter if you travel most of the time.

but since most of your friends are nikon, then you should think on leaning towards nikon. after all if you find your current lens has limitations, you can easily borrow from your friends and try what other lenses can do that they have ...

This small camera is very good for beginner and experience photographer

ok.....you will see that you don't need 10fps ( i have 10fps in my sony a55 and i haven't been a used this feature a lot  ) 

remember that there aren't many lenses available fot the E Mount. If you want to start photography you should consider this aspect

i recomand to you the sony nex 5n because you don't need 24mp and sony have features that you will love (pictures effects, scenes, 1080i ...etc ).

It really depends what your personaly like is, 

If you like light weight and don't care about image quality then go for the Sony nex.

If you care more about image quality go for the Nikon, Dept of field is going to be a lot larger than the Sony but if that really doesn't matter go for the Sony

The thing about mirror-less cameras (like Sony nex) is that it is light weight for people who hate holding big cameras and better than your point-and shoot

Personally i recommend a DSLR because i like better Image quality. Your choice on what you like ! :)  

D3200 hands down! D3200 is very light and the display is well visible in every angle. The pre-processing option insight the camera like D-lighting are excellent. Its high-definition sensor is a strength on the D3200 The auto white balance is quite goo. The standard kit-lens quality is good however,70-300 tele-lens the camera produces brilliant quality imagesa it would be best if you go for the 10.5mm fish eye could make a great package. The menu has a good context help and together with some help messages during the shooting the camera is an excellent choice both for beginners and advanced amateurs. Bang for the buck! Go for it....forget Nex.