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Canon M50 vs Sony NEX-3

Portability
79
Imaging
68
Features
88
Overall
76
Canon EOS M50 front
 
Sony Alpha NEX-3 front
Portability
89
Imaging
54
Features
55
Overall
54

Canon M50 vs Sony NEX-3 Key Specs

Canon M50
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Display
  • ISO 100 - 25600 (Increase to 51200)
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Canon EF-M Mount
  • 390g - 116 x 88 x 59mm
  • Introduced February 2018
  • Successor is Canon M50 II
Sony NEX-3
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 200 - 12800
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 297g - 117 x 62 x 33mm
  • Launched June 2010
  • Refreshed by Sony NEX-C3
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Canon M50 vs Sony NEX-3 Overview

On this page, we will be looking at the Canon M50 vs Sony NEX-3, both Entry-Level Mirrorless cameras by brands Canon and Sony. There exists a huge gap among the sensor resolutions of the M50 (24MP) and NEX-3 (14MP) but both cameras offer the same sensor measurements (APS-C).

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The M50 was introduced 7 years after the NEX-3 which is a fairly significant gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of these cameras have different body design with the Canon M50 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Sony NEX-3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before delving right into a in-depth comparison, here is a short highlight of how the M50 scores versus the NEX-3 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Canon M50 over the Sony NEX-3

 M50 NEX-3 
LaunchedFebruary 2018June 2010Newer by 95 months
Screen typeFully ArticulatedTiltingFully Articulating screen
Screen resolution1040k920kCrisper screen (+120k dot)
Selfie screen Take selfies
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Sony NEX-3 over the Canon M50

 NEX-3 M50 

Common features in the Canon M50 and Sony NEX-3

 M50 NEX-3 
Manual focus More exact focus
Screen dimensions3"3"Equal screen measurements

Canon M50 vs Sony NEX-3 Physical Comparison

For anyone who is intending to travel with your camera frequently, you will have to think about its weight and measurements. The Canon M50 comes with exterior dimensions of 116mm x 88mm x 59mm (4.6" x 3.5" x 2.3") having a weight of 390 grams (0.86 lbs) whilst the Sony NEX-3 has proportions of 117mm x 62mm x 33mm (4.6" x 2.4" x 1.3") along with a weight of 297 grams (0.65 lbs).

Check the Canon M50 vs Sony NEX-3 in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Keep in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ based on the lens you have during that time. The following is a front view scale comparison of the M50 vs the NEX-3.

Canon M50 vs Sony NEX-3 size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability score of the M50 and NEX-3 is 79 and 89 respectively.

Canon M50 vs Sony NEX-3 top view buttons comparison

Canon M50 vs Sony NEX-3 Sensor Comparison

Quite often, it is very tough to imagine the difference in sensor dimensions only by seeing a spec sheet. The picture here should offer you a more clear sense of the sensor sizes in the M50 and NEX-3.

As you can see, both of those cameras have the same sensor dimensions albeit different MP. You should count on the Canon M50 to show extra detail using its extra 10 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also let you crop photographs a bit more aggressively. The younger M50 should have an advantage in sensor tech.

Canon M50 vs Sony NEX-3 sensor size comparison

Canon M50 vs Sony NEX-3 Screen and ViewFinder

Canon M50 vs Sony NEX-3 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Canon M50 Portrait photography details
Sony NEX-3 Portrait photography details
80
has manual focus
good MP (24MP)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
features face detection focusing
delivers RAW formats
72
you can focus manually
good megapixels (14 megapixels)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
has face detect autofocus
exports RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Canon M50 as a Street photography camera
Sony NEX-3 as a Street photography camera
84
screen can move to multiple angles
has image stabilization
sensor size is good (APS-C)
delivers RAW formats
features touch to focus
above average ISO range (25,600)
76
tilting screen
decent sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
does not have image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Canon M50 as a Sports photography camera
Sony NEX-3 as a Sports photography camera
75
has image stabilization
good MP (24 megapixels)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
features tracking autofocus
supports phase detect AF
not so great battery life (235 per charge)
52
good megapixels (14 megapixels)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
does not have image stabilization
has no phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Canon M50 as a Travel photography camera
Sony NEX-3 as a Travel photography camera
78
has bluetooth
features touch to focus
good MP (24 megapixels)
flash built-in
selfie friendly display
not so great battery life (235 shots)
59
good megapixels (14MP)
missing Time Lapse recording
display is not selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Canon M50 Landscape photography information
Sony NEX-3 Landscape photography information
79
has manual focus
switch lenses (Canon EF-M mount)
nice screen size (3 inches)
has image stabilization
good MP (24 megapixels)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
above average ISO range (25,600)
delivers RAW formats
not so great battery life (235 shots)
68
you can focus manually
interchangeable lenses (Sony E mount)
nice screen size (3 inches)
good megapixels (14 megapixels)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
does not have image stabilization
missing Time Lapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Canon M50 as a Vlogging camera
Sony NEX-3 as a Vlogging camera
85
selfie friendly display
built-in touchscreen
has image stabilization
features face detection focusing
high quality video (3840 x 2160 pxls)
comes with external microphone socket
27
has face detect autofocus
display is not selfie friendly
does not have image stabilization
low res video (1280 x 720 resolution)
missing mic jack
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Canon M50 vs Sony NEX-3 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Canon M50 and Sony NEX-3
 Canon EOS M50Sony Alpha NEX-3
General Information
Brand Name Canon Sony
Model type Canon EOS M50 Sony Alpha NEX-3
Type Entry-Level Mirrorless Entry-Level Mirrorless
Introduced 2018-02-26 2010-06-07
Body design SLR-style mirrorless Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Processor Chip Digic 8 Bionz
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size APS-C APS-C
Sensor dimensions 22.3 x 14.9mm 23.4 x 15.6mm
Sensor surface area 332.3mm² 365.0mm²
Sensor resolution 24 megapixels 14 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Highest resolution 6000 x 4000 4592 x 3056
Highest native ISO 25600 12800
Highest boosted ISO 51200 -
Min native ISO 100 200
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
Continuous AF
Single AF
Tracking AF
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Total focus points 143 25
Lens
Lens support Canon EF-M Sony E
Total lenses 23 121
Crop factor 1.6 1.5
Screen
Range of display Fully Articulated Tilting
Display sizing 3 inches 3 inches
Display resolution 1,040k dot 920k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Display technology - TFT Xtra Fine LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic None
Viewfinder resolution 2,360k dot -
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent -
Features
Lowest shutter speed 30s 30s
Highest shutter speed 1/4000s 1/4000s
Continuous shooting speed 10.0 frames per sec 7.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 5.00 m (at ISO 100) 12.00 m
Flash options - Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in
External flash
AEB
White balance bracketing
Highest flash sync - 1/160s
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions 3840 x 2160 @ 23.98p / 120 Mbps, MOV, H.264, AAC 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution 3840x2160 1280x720
Video data format MPEG-4, H.264 MPEG-4
Mic input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB No USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 390 gr (0.86 pounds) 297 gr (0.65 pounds)
Physical dimensions 116 x 88 x 59mm (4.6" x 3.5" x 2.3") 117 x 62 x 33mm (4.6" x 2.4" x 1.3")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating not tested 68
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 22.1
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 12.0
DXO Low light rating not tested 830
Other
Battery life 235 shots 330 shots
Battery format Built-in Battery Pack
Battery ID - NPFW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 secs, custom) Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10sec (3 images))
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC slot (UHS-I compatible) SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots One One
Retail pricing $779 $0