Canon A495 vs Sony NEX-3

Below, we will be looking at the Canon A495 vs Sony NEX-3, former being a Small Sensor Compact while the latter is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by rivals Canon and Sony. There is a sizable difference among the sensor resolutions of the A495 (10MP) and NEX-3 (14MP) and the A495 (1/2.3") and NEX-3 (APS-C) enjoy totally different sensor dimensions.

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The A495 was announced 5 months earlier than the NEX-3 so they are both of a similar age. Both of these cameras come with different body type with the Canon A495 being a Compact camera and the Sony NEX-3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before delving straight into a detailed comparison, below is a concise synopsis of how the A495 scores versus the NEX-3 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Following is a preview of the gallery images for Canon PowerShot A495 & Sony Alpha NEX-3. The whole galleries are viewable at Canon A495 Gallery & Sony NEX-3 Gallery.

For anybody who is planning to carry your camera often, you'll have to think about its weight and dimensions. The Canon A495 has physical dimensions of 94mm x 62mm x 31mm (3.7" x 2.4" x 1.2") and a weight of 175 grams (0.39 lbs) and the Sony NEX-3 has dimensions of 117mm x 62mm x 33mm (4.6" x 2.4" x 1.3") accompanied by a weight of 297 grams (0.65 lbs).

Contrast the Canon A495 vs Sony NEX-3 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Always remember, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you are utilising at that time. Below is the front view overall size comparison of the A495 and the NEX-3.

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability rating of the A495 and NEX-3 is 93 and 89 respectively.

Often, it is very hard to visualise the contrast in sensor sizing purely by seeing specifications. The photograph underneath might offer you a far better sense of the sensor sizes in the A495 and NEX-3.

To sum up, each of these cameras have got different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The A495 using its smaller sensor will make achieving shallower DOF tougher and the Sony NEX-3 will show extra detail with its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also make it easier to crop pictures much more aggressively.