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Canon M3 vs Sony NEX-5

Portability
85
Imaging
65
Features
76
Overall
69
Canon EOS M3 front
 
Sony Alpha NEX-5 front
Portability
89
Imaging
54
Features
58
Overall
55

Canon M3 vs Sony NEX-5 Key Specs

Canon M3
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 100 - 12800 (Boost to 25600)
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Canon EF-M Mount
  • 366g - 111 x 68 x 44mm
  • Revealed February 2015
  • Newer Model is Canon M6
Sony NEX-5
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 200 - 12800
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 287g - 111 x 59 x 38mm
  • Introduced June 2010
  • Replacement is Sony NEX-5N
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Canon M3 vs Sony NEX-5 Overview

Below is a in depth comparison of the Canon M3 and Sony NEX-5, both Entry-Level Mirrorless cameras by brands Canon and Sony. There is a sizeable difference among the sensor resolutions of the M3 (24MP) and NEX-5 (14MP) but they use the same exact sensor sizing (APS-C).

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The M3 was brought out 4 years later than the NEX-5 and that is a fairly large gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Both the cameras offer the identical body type (Rangefinder-style mirrorless).

Before going in to a more detailed comparison, below is a brief overview of how the M3 matches up versus the NEX-5 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Canon M3 over the Sony NEX-5

 M3 NEX-5 
IntroducedFebruary 2015June 2010More recent by 57 months
Screen resolution1040k920kCrisper screen (+120k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Sony NEX-5 over the Canon M3

 NEX-5 M3 

Common features in the Canon M3 and Sony NEX-5

 M3 NEX-5 
Manual focus Very exact focusing
Screen typeTiltingTiltingTilting screen
Screen sizing3"3"Equivalent screen measurement

Canon M3 vs Sony NEX-5 Physical Comparison

When you are planning to lug around your camera often, you are going to need to factor its weight and dimensions. The Canon M3 has outer dimensions of 111mm x 68mm x 44mm (4.4" x 2.7" x 1.7") accompanied by a weight of 366 grams (0.81 lbs) and the Sony NEX-5 has dimensions of 111mm x 59mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.3" x 1.5") having a weight of 287 grams (0.63 lbs).

Check the Canon M3 and Sony NEX-5 in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into account, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ based on the lens you are utilising during that time. Here is the front view sizing comparison of the M3 vs the NEX-5.

Canon M3 vs Sony NEX-5 size comparison

Using size and weight, the portability score of the M3 and NEX-5 is 85 and 89 respectively.

Canon M3 vs Sony NEX-5 top view buttons comparison

Canon M3 vs Sony NEX-5 Sensor Comparison

In many cases, its difficult to visualise the gap in sensor measurements merely by looking through specs. The visual here will offer you a better sense of the sensor sizes in the M3 and NEX-5.

All in all, both of these cameras enjoy the same exact sensor sizing albeit not the same resolution. You should expect the Canon M3 to provide you with greater detail having its extra 10 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also help you crop pictures far more aggressively. The fresher M3 will have an advantage when it comes to sensor tech.

Canon M3 vs Sony NEX-5 sensor size comparison

Canon M3 vs Sony NEX-5 Screen and ViewFinder

Canon M3 vs Sony NEX-5 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Canon M3 Portrait photography highlights
Sony NEX-5 Portrait photography highlights
79
has manual focus
megapixel count good (24 megapixels)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
offers face detection autofocus
exports RAW formats
72
you can focus manually
good megapixels (14MP)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Canon M3
Street photography with Sony NEX-5
79
screen tilts up and down
sensor size is good (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
has touch to focus
lack of image stabilization
76
screen tilts up and down
nice sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
does not have image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Canon M3 Sports photography highlights
Sony NEX-5 Sports photography highlights
61
megapixel count good (24MP)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
offers tracking autofocus
has phase detect autofocus
max fps very slow (4.2 frames/s)
lack of image stabilization
terrible battery power (250 shots)
52
good megapixels (14MP)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
does not have image stabilization
lack of phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Canon M3 Travel photography info
Sony NEX-5 Travel photography info
73
has touch to focus
megapixel count good (24MP)
has built in flash
screen is selfie friendly
does not have Time Lapse recording
terrible battery power (250 shots)
59
good megapixels (14 megapixels)
lack of Time Lapse mode
doesn't have a selfie friendly display
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Landscape Comparison

Canon M3 Landscape photography information
Sony NEX-5 Landscape photography information
67
has manual focus
switch lenses (Canon EF-M mount)
screen size is good (3 inch)
megapixel count good (24 megapixels)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
lack of image stabilization
terrible battery power (250 per charge)
does not have Time Lapse recording
68
you can focus manually
switch lenses (Sony E mount)
good sized screen (3 inch)
good megapixels (14 megapixels)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
does not have image stabilization
lack of Time Lapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Canon M3
Vlogging with Sony NEX-5
80
screen is selfie friendly
touchscreen enabled
offers face detection autofocus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
has external mic support
lack of image stabilization
28
video res high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
doesn't have a selfie friendly display
does not have image stabilization
lack of mic support
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Canon M3 vs Sony NEX-5 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Canon M3 and Sony NEX-5
 Canon EOS M3Sony Alpha NEX-5
General Information
Manufacturer Canon Sony
Model type Canon EOS M3 Sony Alpha NEX-5
Category Entry-Level Mirrorless Entry-Level Mirrorless
Revealed 2015-02-06 2010-06-07
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Processor Chip DIGIC 6 Bionz
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size APS-C APS-C
Sensor dimensions 22.3 x 14.9mm 23.4 x 15.6mm
Sensor area 332.3mm² 365.0mm²
Sensor resolution 24MP 14MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 6000 x 4000 4592 x 3056
Max native ISO 12800 12800
Max boosted ISO 25600 -
Min native ISO 100 200
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch to focus
Continuous AF
Single AF
AF tracking
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Total focus points 49 25
Lens
Lens mount type Canon EF-M Sony E
Total lenses 23 121
Focal length multiplier 1.6 1.5
Screen
Type of display Tilting Tilting
Display sizing 3 inches 3 inches
Display resolution 1,040 thousand dots 920 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic (optional) None
Features
Lowest shutter speed 30 seconds 30 seconds
Highest shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Continuous shooting rate 4.2 frames/s 7.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 5.00 m (at ISO 100) 12.00 m
Flash settings Auto, on, off, slow synchro Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in
External flash
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Highest flash synchronize - 1/160 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30p, 25p, 24p), 1280 x 720 (60p, 50p), 640 x 480 (30p, 25p) 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Max video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video file format H.264 AVCHD
Mic support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 366g (0.81 lb) 287g (0.63 lb)
Dimensions 111 x 68 x 44mm (4.4" x 2.7" x 1.7") 111 x 59 x 38mm (4.4" x 2.3" x 1.5")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 72 69
DXO Color Depth rating 22.8 22.2
DXO Dynamic range rating 11.8 12.2
DXO Low light rating 1169 796
Other
Battery life 250 images 330 images
Battery style Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID LP-E17 NPFW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10sec (3 images))
Time lapse feature
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Card slots 1 1
Retail cost $481 $599