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Nikon 1 J3 vs Sony NEX-3

Portability
92
Imaging
44
Features
63
Overall
51
Nikon 1 J3 front
 
Sony Alpha NEX-3 front
Portability
89
Imaging
53
Features
55
Overall
53

Nikon 1 J3 vs Sony NEX-3 Key Specs

Nikon 1 J3
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 160 - 6400
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Nikon 1 Mount
  • 201g - 101 x 61 x 29mm
  • Released November 2013
  • Superseded the Nikon 1 J2
  • New Model is Nikon 1 J4
Sony NEX-3
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 200 - 12800
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 297g - 117 x 62 x 33mm
  • Revealed June 2010
  • Updated by Sony NEX-C3
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Nikon 1 J3 vs Sony NEX-3 Overview

Lets take a more detailed look at the Nikon 1 J3 and Sony NEX-3, both Entry-Level Mirrorless digital cameras by companies Nikon and Sony. The resolution of the 1 J3 (14MP) and the NEX-3 (14MP) is very similar but the 1 J3 (1") and NEX-3 (APS-C) have different sensor dimensions.

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The 1 J3 was brought out 3 years after the NEX-3 which is quite a significant difference as far as tech is concerned. Both cameras have the same body design (Rangefinder-style mirrorless).

Before diving right into a step-by-step comparison, here is a short introduction of how the 1 J3 grades vs the NEX-3 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Nikon 1 J3 over the Sony NEX-3

 1 J3 NEX-3 
RevealedNovember 2013June 2010Newer by 43 months
Display resolution921k920kClearer display (+1k dot)

Reasons to pick Sony NEX-3 over the Nikon 1 J3

 NEX-3 1 J3 
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display

Common features in the Nikon 1 J3 and Sony NEX-3

 1 J3 NEX-3 
Manually focus Very exact focusing
Display dimensions3"3"Equal display sizing
Selfie screen Neither provides selfie screen
Touch friendly display No Touch friendly display

Nikon 1 J3 vs Sony NEX-3 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is intending to travel with your camera often, you will want to factor its weight and volume. The Nikon 1 J3 provides outside dimensions of 101mm x 61mm x 29mm (4.0" x 2.4" x 1.1") and a weight of 201 grams (0.44 lbs) whilst the Sony NEX-3 has sizing of 117mm x 62mm x 33mm (4.6" x 2.4" x 1.3") accompanied by a weight of 297 grams (0.65 lbs).

Analyze the Nikon 1 J3 and Sony NEX-3 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you use at that time. The following is a front view proportions comparison of the 1 J3 against the NEX-3.

Nikon 1 J3 vs Sony NEX-3 size comparison

Taking into account size and weight, the portability score of the 1 J3 and NEX-3 is 92 and 89 respectively.

Nikon 1 J3 vs Sony NEX-3 top view buttons comparison

Nikon 1 J3 vs Sony NEX-3 Sensor Comparison

Generally, it is very difficult to imagine the gap between sensor dimensions purely by going over specs. The image below will provide you a far better sense of the sensor sizes in the 1 J3 and NEX-3.

All in all, the 2 cameras have the same resolution but different sensor dimensions. The 1 J3 features the tinier sensor which will make getting bokeh more difficult. The fresher 1 J3 should have an edge when it comes to sensor technology.

Nikon 1 J3 vs Sony NEX-3 sensor size comparison

Nikon 1 J3 vs Sony NEX-3 Screen and ViewFinder

Nikon 1 J3 vs Sony NEX-3 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Nikon 1 J3
Portrait photography with Sony NEX-3
58
manual focus
good MP (14 megapixels)
decent sensor size (1")
exports RAW formats
cannot use external flash
71
focusing manually
MP count good (14 megapixels)
good sensor size (APS-C)
has face detect focus
exports RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Nikon 1 J3 as a Street photography camera
Sony NEX-3 as a Street photography camera
70
decent sensor size (1")
exports RAW formats
lighter than competition (201 grams)
no articulating screen
does not have image stabilization
76
tilting screen
good sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
lack of image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Nikon 1 J3 Sports photography info
Sony NEX-3 Sports photography info
57
quiet shooting (1/16,000 seconds)
good MP (14 megapixels)
decent sensor size (1")
has tracking focus
comes with phase detect auto focus
does not have image stabilization
terrible battery power (220 CIPA)
51
MP count good (14 megapixels)
good sensor size (APS-C)
lack of image stabilization
does not have phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Nikon 1 J3 Travel photography highlights
Sony NEX-3 Travel photography highlights
69
lighter than competition (201g)
good MP (14MP)
built-in flash
terrible battery power (220 CIPA)
doesn't feature selfie friendly display
59
MP count good (14MP)
doesn't have Timelapse function
display is not selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Nikon 1 J3 Landscape photography details
Sony NEX-3 Landscape photography details
64
manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Nikon 1 mount)
screen is a good size (3 inches)
good MP (14 megapixels)
decent sensor size (1")
exports RAW formats
does not have image stabilization
terrible battery power (220 shots)
67
focusing manually
interchangeable lenses (Sony E mount)
screen size is good (3 inch)
MP count good (14MP)
good sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
lack of image stabilization
doesn't have Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Nikon 1 J3 Vlogging features
Sony NEX-3 Vlogging features
30
video res high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
lighter than competition (201g)
doesn't feature selfie friendly display
does not have image stabilization
doesn't have microphone jack
27
has face detect focus
display is not selfie friendly
lack of image stabilization
low video resolution (1280 x 720 pixels)
doesn't have microphone socket
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Nikon 1 J3 vs Sony NEX-3 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Nikon 1 J3 and Sony NEX-3
 Nikon 1 J3Sony Alpha NEX-3
General Information
Brand Name Nikon Sony
Model type Nikon 1 J3 Sony Alpha NEX-3
Type Entry-Level Mirrorless Entry-Level Mirrorless
Released 2013-11-30 2010-06-07
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Processor - Bionz
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size 1" APS-C
Sensor measurements 13.2 x 8.8mm 23.4 x 15.6mm
Sensor area 116.2mm² 365.0mm²
Sensor resolution 14MP 14MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 4608 x 3072 4592 x 3056
Max native ISO 6400 12800
Lowest native ISO 160 200
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch to focus
Continuous autofocus
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Autofocus center weighted
Autofocus multi area
Live view autofocus
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Total focus points 135 25
Cross type focus points 41 -
Lens
Lens mount type Nikon 1 Sony E
Available lenses 13 121
Crop factor 2.7 1.5
Screen
Type of display Fixed Type Tilting
Display sizing 3 inches 3 inches
Resolution of display 921k dots 920k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Display tech TFT LCD TFT Xtra Fine LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None None
Features
Lowest shutter speed 30s 30s
Highest shutter speed 1/4000s 1/4000s
Highest quiet shutter speed 1/16000s -
Continuous shooting rate 15.0fps 7.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 5.00 m 12.00 m
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow sync, Rear curtain Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in
External flash
AEB
White balance bracketing
Highest flash synchronize 1/60s 1/160s
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported 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) 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Max video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video file format MPEG-4, H.264 MPEG-4
Microphone port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless Optional Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 201g (0.44 pounds) 297g (0.65 pounds)
Physical dimensions 101 x 61 x 29mm (4.0" x 2.4" x 1.1") 117 x 62 x 33mm (4.6" x 2.4" x 1.3")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 52 68
DXO Color Depth rating 20.4 22.1
DXO Dynamic range rating 11.0 12.0
DXO Low light rating 420 830
Other
Battery life 220 photographs 330 photographs
Battery type Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID EN-EL20 NPFW50
Self timer Yes Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10sec (3 images))
Time lapse recording
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC card SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Card slots 1 1
Retail price $170 $0