Casio EX-S12 vs Sony NEX-3

On this page, we will be evaluating the Casio EX-S12 and Sony NEX-3, former is a Small Sensor Compact while the latter is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by competitors Casio and Sony. The sensor resolution of the EX-S12 (12MP) and the NEX-3 (14MP) is pretty similar but the EX-S12 (1/2.3") and NEX-3 (APS-C) posses totally different sensor measurements.

Meta to Introduce 'AI-Generated' Labels for Media starting next month

The EX-S12 was unveiled 17 months before the NEX-3 which makes them a generation away from one another. The two cameras have different body design with the Casio EX-S12 being a Compact camera and the Sony NEX-3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before we go into a comprehensive comparison, here is a brief introduction of how the EX-S12 scores against the NEX-3 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Here is a preview of the gallery images for Casio Exilim EX-S12 & Sony Alpha NEX-3. The full galleries are viewable at Casio EX-S12 Gallery & Sony NEX-3 Gallery.

If you're going to travel with your camera, you'll have to think about its weight and size. The Casio EX-S12 comes with external measurements of 95mm x 60mm x 23mm (3.7" x 2.4" x 0.9") along with a weight of 111 grams (0.24 lbs) whilst the Sony NEX-3 has specifications of 117mm x 62mm x 33mm (4.6" x 2.4" x 1.3") having a weight of 297 grams (0.65 lbs).

Examine the Casio EX-S12 and Sony NEX-3 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Always remember, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you are working with at that time. Following is a front view measurement comparison of the EX-S12 compared to the NEX-3.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the EX-S12 and NEX-3 is 96 and 89 respectively.

Quite often, it is very hard to envision the gap between sensor dimensions merely by reading specs. The picture here might provide you a far better sense of the sensor measurements in the EX-S12 and NEX-3.

As you can plainly see, both the cameras provide different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The EX-S12 with its tinier sensor will make achieving shallow depth of field trickier and the Sony NEX-3 will offer you more detail having an extra 2 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also allow you to crop shots more aggressively. The more aged EX-S12 is going to be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor tech.