Leica M8 vs Sony NEX-C3
79 Imaging
49 Features
31 Overall
41
91 Imaging
56 Features
57 Overall
56
Leica M8 vs Sony NEX-C3 Key Specs
(Full Review)
- 10MP - APS-H Sensor
- 2.5" Fixed Screen
- ISO 160 - 2500
- No Anti-Alias Filter
- 1/8000s Max Shutter
- No Video
- Leica M Mount
- 591g - 139 x 80 x 37mm
- Introduced July 2007
(Full Review)
- 16MP - APS-C Sensor
- 3" Tilting Screen
- ISO 100 - 12800
- 1280 x 720 video
- Sony E Mount
- 225g - 110 x 60 x 33mm
- Announced August 2011
- Superseded the Sony NEX-3
- Refreshed by Sony NEX-F3
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Lets look closer at the Leica M8 vs Sony NEX-C3, one is a Pro Mirrorless and the latter is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by brands Leica and Sony. There is a sizeable difference among the image resolutions of the M8 (10MP) and NEX-C3 (16MP) and the M8 (APS-H) and NEX-C3 (APS-C) have different sensor size.
Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music videoThe M8 was introduced 5 years earlier than the NEX-C3 which is a fairly large gap as far as camera tech is concerned. The two cameras feature the same body design (Rangefinder-style mirrorless).
Before going right into a in depth comparison, here is a quick view of how the M8 grades vs the NEX-C3 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.
Photography Glossary Leica M8 vs Sony NEX-C3 Gallery
Below is a preview of the gallery photos for Leica M8 and Sony Alpha NEX-C3. The whole galleries are viewable at Leica M8 Gallery and Sony NEX-C3 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Leica M8 over the Sony NEX-C3
| M8 | NEX-C3 |
|---|
Reasons to pick Sony NEX-C3 over the Leica M8
| NEX-C3 | M8 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Announced | August 2011 | July 2007 | Newer by 49 months | |
| Screen type | Tilting | Fixed | Tilting screen | |
| Screen size | 3" | 2.5" | Bigger screen (+0.5") | |
| Screen resolution | 920k | 230k | Clearer screen (+690k dot) |
Common features in the Leica M8 and Sony NEX-C3
| M8 | NEX-C3 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manually focus | Dial precise focus | |||
| Selfie screen | No selfie screen | |||
| Touch friendly screen | No Touch friendly screen |
Leica M8 vs Sony NEX-C3 Physical Comparison
In case you're looking to travel with your camera often, you're going to have to factor its weight and proportions. The Leica M8 offers physical measurements of 139mm x 80mm x 37mm (5.5" x 3.1" x 1.5") with a weight of 591 grams (1.30 lbs) while the Sony NEX-C3 has measurements of 110mm x 60mm x 33mm (4.3" x 2.4" x 1.3") accompanied by a weight of 225 grams (0.50 lbs).
Contrast the Leica M8 vs Sony NEX-C3 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary depending on the lens you are using at that time. Here is a front view measurement comparison of the M8 versus the NEX-C3.

Looking at size and weight, the portability rating of the M8 and NEX-C3 is 79 and 91 respectively.
Leica M8 vs Sony NEX-C3 Sensor Comparison
Generally, its tough to visualize the contrast in sensor dimensions just by viewing a spec sheet. The pic here will help give you a much better sense of the sensor sizing in the M8 and NEX-C3.
Clearly, both of the cameras feature different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The M8 having a bigger sensor is going to make getting bokeh simpler and the Sony NEX-C3 will render more detail using its extra 6 Megapixels. Higher resolution will make it easier to crop pictures way more aggressively. The more aged M8 will be disadvantaged with regard to sensor innovation.
Leica M8 vs Sony NEX-C3 Screen and ViewFinder
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Leica M8 vs Sony NEX-C3 Specifications
| Leica M8 | Sony Alpha NEX-C3 | |
|---|---|---|
| General Information | ||
| Company | Leica | Sony |
| Model type | Leica M8 | Sony Alpha NEX-C3 |
| Category | Pro Mirrorless | Entry-Level Mirrorless |
| Introduced | 2007-07-31 | 2011-08-22 |
| Body design | Rangefinder-style mirrorless | Rangefinder-style mirrorless |
| Sensor Information | ||
| Processor Chip | - | Bionz |
| Sensor type | CCD | CMOS |
| Sensor size | APS-H | APS-C |
| Sensor measurements | 27 x 18mm | 23.4 x 15.6mm |
| Sensor area | 486.0mm² | 365.0mm² |
| Sensor resolution | 10 megapixel | 16 megapixel |
| Anti alias filter | ||
| Aspect ratio | 3:2 | 3:2 and 16:9 |
| Highest resolution | 3936 x 2630 | 4912 x 3264 |
| Highest native ISO | 2500 | 12800 |
| Minimum native ISO | 160 | 100 |
| RAW format | ||
| Autofocusing | ||
| Manual focusing | ||
| AF touch | ||
| AF continuous | ||
| Single AF | ||
| Tracking AF | ||
| Selective AF | ||
| Center weighted AF | ||
| Multi area AF | ||
| AF live view | ||
| Face detection focusing | ||
| Contract detection focusing | ||
| Phase detection focusing | ||
| Total focus points | - | 25 |
| Lens | ||
| Lens mount type | Leica M | Sony E |
| Total lenses | 59 | 121 |
| Crop factor | 1.3 | 1.5 |
| Screen | ||
| Range of screen | Fixed Type | Tilting |
| Screen diagonal | 2.5" | 3" |
| Resolution of screen | 230k dot | 920k dot |
| Selfie friendly | ||
| Liveview | ||
| Touch screen | ||
| Screen tech | - | TFT Xtra Fine LCD |
| Viewfinder Information | ||
| Viewfinder type | Optical (rangefinder) | None |
| Features | ||
| Lowest shutter speed | 8 secs | 30 secs |
| Highest shutter speed | 1/8000 secs | 1/4000 secs |
| Continuous shooting speed | - | 6.0fps |
| Shutter priority | ||
| Aperture priority | ||
| Manually set exposure | ||
| Exposure compensation | Yes | Yes |
| Change WB | ||
| Image stabilization | ||
| Inbuilt flash | ||
| Flash distance | no built-in flash | no built-in flash |
| Flash options | Front Curtain, Rear Curtain, Slow sync | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in |
| Hot shoe | ||
| Auto exposure bracketing | ||
| WB bracketing | ||
| Highest flash sync | 1/250 secs | 1/160 secs |
| Exposure | ||
| Multisegment exposure | ||
| Average exposure | ||
| Spot exposure | ||
| Partial exposure | ||
| AF area exposure | ||
| Center weighted exposure | ||
| Video features | ||
| Supported video resolutions | - | 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) |
| Highest video resolution | None | 1280x720 |
| Video format | - | MPEG-4 |
| Microphone input | ||
| Headphone input | ||
| Connectivity | ||
| Wireless | None | Eye-Fi Connected |
| Bluetooth | ||
| NFC | ||
| HDMI | ||
| USB | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) |
| GPS | None | None |
| Physical | ||
| Environment seal | ||
| Water proofing | ||
| Dust proofing | ||
| Shock proofing | ||
| Crush proofing | ||
| Freeze proofing | ||
| Weight | 591 gr (1.30 pounds) | 225 gr (0.50 pounds) |
| Physical dimensions | 139 x 80 x 37mm (5.5" x 3.1" x 1.5") | 110 x 60 x 33mm (4.3" x 2.4" x 1.3") |
| DXO scores | ||
| DXO All around rating | 59 | 73 |
| DXO Color Depth rating | 21.1 | 22.7 |
| DXO Dynamic range rating | 11.3 | 12.2 |
| DXO Low light rating | 663 | 1083 |
| Other | ||
| Battery life | 550 shots | 400 shots |
| Form of battery | Battery Pack | Battery Pack |
| Battery ID | - | NPFW50 |
| Self timer | Yes (2 or 12 sec) | Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10 sec 3 or 5 images) |
| Time lapse recording | ||
| Storage media | SD/SDHC card | SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo |
| Storage slots | Single | Single |
| Cost at launch | $4,400 | $343 |