Nikon 1 J3 vs Sony A3000
92 Imaging
44 Features
63 Overall
51


69 Imaging
62 Features
54 Overall
58
Nikon 1 J3 vs Sony A3000 Key Specs
(Full Review)
- 14MP - 1" Sensor
- 3" Fixed Screen
- ISO 160 - 6400
- 1920 x 1080 video
- Nikon 1 Mount
- 201g - 101 x 61 x 29mm
- Launched November 2013
- Previous Model is Nikon 1 J2
- Replacement is Nikon 1 J4
(Full Review)
- 20MP - APS-C Sensor
- 3" Fixed Display
- ISO 100 - 16000
- 1920 x 1080 video
- Sony E Mount
- 411g - 128 x 91 x 85mm
- Released August 2013
- New Model is Sony a3500

Nikon 1 J3 vs Sony A3000 Overview
Its time to look more in depth at the Nikon 1 J3 and Sony A3000, both Entry-Level Mirrorless cameras by competitors Nikon and Sony. There exists a considerable gap among the image resolutions of the 1 J3 (14MP) and A3000 (20MP) and the 1 J3 (1") and A3000 (APS-C) offer different sensor size.

The 1 J3 was revealed 4 months later than the A3000 and they are both of a similar age. Both of these cameras have different body design with the Nikon 1 J3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony A3000 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.
Before going right into a comprehensive comparison, here is a concise overview of how the 1 J3 scores vs the A3000 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Nikon 1 J3 vs Sony A3000 Gallery
Following is a sample of the gallery pics for Nikon 1 J3 & Sony Alpha A3000. The full galleries are viewable at Nikon 1 J3 Gallery & Sony A3000 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Nikon 1 J3 over the Sony A3000
1 J3 | A3000 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Display resolution | 921k | ![]() | 230k | Clearer display (+691k dot) |
Reasons to pick Sony A3000 over the Nikon 1 J3
A3000 | 1 J3 |
---|
Common features in the Nikon 1 J3 and Sony A3000
1 J3 | A3000 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Released | November 2013 | ![]() | August 2013 | Same age |
Manually focus | ![]() | More precise focus | ||
Display type | Fixed | ![]() | Fixed | Fixed display |
Display dimensions | 3" | ![]() | 3" | Equal display size |
Selfie screen | ![]() | Lack of selfie screen | ||
Touch friendly display | ![]() | Lack of Touch friendly display |
Nikon 1 J3 vs Sony A3000 Physical Comparison
When you are looking to lug around your camera frequently, you have to take into account its weight and volume. The Nikon 1 J3 has outer dimensions of 101mm x 61mm x 29mm (4.0" x 2.4" x 1.1") accompanied by a weight of 201 grams (0.44 lbs) whilst the Sony A3000 has sizing of 128mm x 91mm x 85mm (5.0" x 3.6" x 3.3") and a weight of 411 grams (0.91 lbs).
Analyze the Nikon 1 J3 and Sony A3000 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Remember that, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you have chosen at that moment. The following is a front view over all size comparison of the 1 J3 and the A3000.

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the 1 J3 and A3000 is 92 and 69 respectively.

Nikon 1 J3 vs Sony A3000 Sensor Comparison
More often than not, it's tough to visualize the gap in sensor measurements only by viewing specs. The graphic here may provide you a much better sense of the sensor dimensions in the 1 J3 and A3000.
As you can plainly see, the two cameras provide different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The 1 J3 having a smaller sensor is going to make achieving shallow DOF tougher and the Sony A3000 will render more detail because of its extra 6 Megapixels. Greater resolution will help you crop photos more aggressively.

Nikon 1 J3 vs Sony A3000 Screen and ViewFinder


Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison

Street Comparison

Sports Comparison

Travel Comparison

Landscape Comparison

Vlogging Comparison

Nikon 1 J3 vs Sony A3000 Specifications
Nikon 1 J3 | Sony Alpha A3000 | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Manufacturer | Nikon | Sony |
Model | Nikon 1 J3 | Sony Alpha A3000 |
Type | Entry-Level Mirrorless | Entry-Level Mirrorless |
Launched | 2013-11-30 | 2013-08-27 |
Body design | Rangefinder-style mirrorless | SLR-style mirrorless |
Sensor Information | ||
Chip | - | BIONZ image |
Sensor type | CMOS | CMOS |
Sensor size | 1" | APS-C |
Sensor dimensions | 13.2 x 8.8mm | 23.5 x 15.6mm |
Sensor area | 116.2mm² | 366.6mm² |
Sensor resolution | 14 megapixels | 20 megapixels |
Anti aliasing filter | ||
Aspect ratio | 3:2 and 16:9 | 3:2 and 16:9 |
Max resolution | 4608 x 3072 | 5456 x 3632 |
Max native ISO | 6400 | 16000 |
Lowest native ISO | 160 | 100 |
RAW photos | ||
Autofocusing | ||
Manual focus | ||
Autofocus touch | ||
Autofocus continuous | ||
Single autofocus | ||
Autofocus tracking | ||
Autofocus selectice | ||
Center weighted autofocus | ||
Multi area autofocus | ||
Live view autofocus | ||
Face detection autofocus | ||
Contract detection autofocus | ||
Phase detection autofocus | ||
Number of focus points | 135 | 25 |
Cross focus points | 41 | - |
Lens | ||
Lens mount | Nikon 1 | Sony E |
Amount of lenses | 13 | 121 |
Focal length multiplier | 2.7 | 1.5 |
Screen | ||
Screen type | Fixed Type | Fixed Type |
Screen sizing | 3 inches | 3 inches |
Resolution of screen | 921 thousand dot | 230 thousand dot |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch capability | ||
Screen technology | TFT LCD | TFT LCD |
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder type | None | Electronic |
Viewfinder coverage | - | 100% |
Viewfinder magnification | - | 0.47x |
Features | ||
Minimum shutter speed | 30 seconds | 30 seconds |
Fastest shutter speed | 1/4000 seconds | 1/4000 seconds |
Fastest silent shutter speed | 1/16000 seconds | - |
Continuous shutter speed | 15.0fps | 3.0fps |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Expose Manually | ||
Exposure compensation | Yes | Yes |
Custom white balance | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Integrated flash | ||
Flash range | 5.00 m | 6.00 m (at ISO200 / 4m at ISO100) |
Flash options | Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow sync, Rear curtain | Flash off, Auto flash, Fill-flash, Slow Sync., Rear Sync. |
Hot shoe | ||
AE bracketing | ||
WB bracketing | ||
Fastest flash sync | 1/60 seconds | 1/160 seconds |
Exposure | ||
Multisegment metering | ||
Average metering | ||
Spot metering | ||
Partial metering | ||
AF area metering | ||
Center weighted metering | ||
Video features | ||
Video resolutions | 1920 x 1080 (60, 30 fps), 1280 x 720 (60 fps), 1072 x 720 (60 fps) 640 x 240 (400), 320 x 120 (1200) | 1920 x 1080 |
Max video resolution | 1920x1080 | 1920x1080 |
Video format | MPEG-4, H.264 | AVCHD, H.264, MP4 |
Mic input | ||
Headphone input | ||
Connectivity | ||
Wireless | Optional | None |
Bluetooth | ||
NFC | ||
HDMI | ||
USB | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) |
GPS | None | None |
Physical | ||
Environmental seal | ||
Water proof | ||
Dust proof | ||
Shock proof | ||
Crush proof | ||
Freeze proof | ||
Weight | 201 grams (0.44 lb) | 411 grams (0.91 lb) |
Physical dimensions | 101 x 61 x 29mm (4.0" x 2.4" x 1.1") | 128 x 91 x 85mm (5.0" x 3.6" x 3.3") |
DXO scores | ||
DXO Overall score | 52 | 78 |
DXO Color Depth score | 20.4 | 23.7 |
DXO Dynamic range score | 11.0 | 12.8 |
DXO Low light score | 420 | 1068 |
Other | ||
Battery life | 220 photos | 470 photos |
Type of battery | Battery Pack | Battery Pack |
Battery model | EN-EL20 | NP-FW50 |
Self timer | Yes | Yes (2-sec. or 10-sec. delay) |
Time lapse recording | ||
Type of storage | SD/SDHC/SDXC card | - |
Storage slots | 1 | 1 |
Cost at release | $170 | $398 |