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Nikon 1 V3 vs Sony A580

Portability
87
Imaging
49
Features
79
Overall
61
Nikon 1 V3 front
 
Sony Alpha DSLR-A580 front
Portability
64
Imaging
57
Features
82
Overall
67

Nikon 1 V3 vs Sony A580 Key Specs

Nikon 1 V3
(Full Review)
  • 18MP - 1" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 160 - 12800
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Nikon 1 Mount
  • 381g - 111 x 65 x 33mm
  • Announced March 2014
  • Old Model is Nikon 1 V2
Sony A580
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 100 - 12800 (Bump to 25600)
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 599g - 137 x 104 x 84mm
  • Released May 2011
  • Previous Model is Sony A100
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Nikon 1 V3 vs Sony A580 Overview

The following is a in-depth comparison of the Nikon 1 V3 and Sony A580, former is a Advanced Mirrorless while the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by competitors Nikon and Sony. The sensor resolution of the 1 V3 (18MP) and the A580 (16MP) is fairly close but the 1 V3 (1") and A580 (APS-C) offer totally different sensor measurements.

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The 1 V3 was introduced 2 years after the A580 which is a fairly serious difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both of these cameras have different body design with the Nikon 1 V3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony A580 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before getting right into a in-depth comparison, here is a quick summation of how the 1 V3 matches up against the A580 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Nikon 1 V3 over the Sony A580

 1 V3 A580 
ReleasedMarch 2014May 2011Newer by 35 months
Display resolution1037k922kCrisper display (+115k dot)
Touch display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Sony A580 over the Nikon 1 V3

 A580 1 V3 

Common features in the Nikon 1 V3 and Sony A580

 1 V3 A580 
Manual focus Dial exact focus
Display typeTiltingTiltingTilting display
Display dimensions3"3"Equal display measurements
Selfie screen Missing selfie screen

Nikon 1 V3 vs Sony A580 Physical Comparison

For anyone who is going to travel with your camera, you should consider its weight and proportions. The Nikon 1 V3 features outside dimensions of 111mm x 65mm x 33mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.3") with a weight of 381 grams (0.84 lbs) and the Sony A580 has measurements of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") having a weight of 599 grams (1.32 lbs).

See the Nikon 1 V3 and Sony A580 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you choose at that time. Below is a front view over all size comparison of the 1 V3 versus the A580.

Nikon 1 V3 vs Sony A580 size comparison

Using dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the 1 V3 and A580 is 87 and 64 respectively.

Nikon 1 V3 vs Sony A580 top view buttons comparison

Nikon 1 V3 vs Sony A580 Sensor Comparison

Normally, it is very difficult to envision the gap in sensor dimensions just by researching technical specs. The picture underneath will give you a much better sense of the sensor dimensions in the 1 V3 and A580.

As you can tell, both of those cameras have different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The 1 V3 using its smaller sensor will make achieving shallow depth of field harder and the Nikon 1 V3 will result in more detail using its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also let you crop pics a bit more aggressively. The newer 1 V3 is going to have an edge with regard to sensor tech.

Nikon 1 V3 vs Sony A580 sensor size comparison

Nikon 1 V3 vs Sony A580 Screen and ViewFinder

Nikon 1 V3 vs Sony A580 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Nikon 1 V3 Portrait photography info
Sony A580 Portrait photography info
69
manual focus
megapixel count good (18 megapixels)
sensor size is good (1")
comes with face detect autofocus
exports RAW formats
74
you can focus manually
MP count good (16MP)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
features face detect focusing
delivers RAW files
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Street Comparison

Nikon 1 V3 Street photography information
Sony A580 Street photography information
76
has a tilting screen
sensor size is good (1")
exports RAW formats
offers touch focus
lack of image stabilization
75
screen tilts up and down
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
delivers RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Nikon 1 V3 Sports photography factors
Sony A580 Sports photography factors
62
quiet mode (1/16,000 seconds)
high max frames per second (60.0 frames/s)
megapixel count good (18MP)
sensor size is good (1")
comes with tracking focus
sensor has phase detect autofocus
lack of image stabilization
bad battery power (310 CIPA)
78
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
MP count good (16MP)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
features tracking focus
better than average battery life (1,050 shots)
comes with phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Nikon 1 V3
Travel photography with Sony A580
68
offers touch focus
megapixel count good (18MP)
built-in flash
bad battery power (310 per charge)
display is not selfie friendly
61
better than average battery life (1,050 per charge)
MP count good (16MP)
built-in flash
lack of Time Lapse recording
does not have selfie friendly display
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Nikon 1 V3
Landscape photography with Sony A580
65
manual focus
switch lenses (Nikon 1 mount)
nice screen size (3 inch)
megapixel count good (18 megapixels)
sensor size is good (1")
exports RAW formats
lack of image stabilization
bad battery power (310 per charge)
74
you can focus manually
switch lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
screen size is good (3")
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
MP count good (16MP)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
delivers RAW files
better than average battery life (1,050 CIPA)
has dual storage slots
lack of Time Lapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Nikon 1 V3 Vlogging advice
Sony A580 Vlogging advice
35
touchscreen enabled
comes with face detect autofocus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
includes mic jack
display is not selfie friendly
lack of image stabilization
34
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
features face detect focusing
video res high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
does have mic jack
does not have selfie friendly display
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Nikon 1 V3 vs Sony A580 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Nikon 1 V3 and Sony A580
 Nikon 1 V3Sony Alpha DSLR-A580
General Information
Manufacturer Nikon Sony
Model Nikon 1 V3 Sony Alpha DSLR-A580
Category Advanced Mirrorless Entry-Level DSLR
Announced 2014-03-13 2011-05-26
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Processor Expeed 4A Bionz
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 18MP 16MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 5232 x 3488 4912 x 3264
Highest native ISO 12800 12800
Highest enhanced ISO - 25600
Minimum native ISO 160 100
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch to focus
Continuous autofocus
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Live view autofocus
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Number of focus points 171 15
Cross focus points - 3
Lens
Lens mounting type Nikon 1 Sony/Minolta Alpha
Available lenses 13 143
Focal length multiplier 2.7 1.5
Screen
Range of display Tilting Tilting
Display size 3 inches 3 inches
Resolution of display 1,037 thousand dot 922 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Display technology TFT-LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic (optional) Optical (pentamirror)
Viewfinder resolution 2,359 thousand dot -
Viewfinder coverage 100% 95%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.53x
Features
Minimum shutter speed 30 secs 30 secs
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/4000 secs
Fastest quiet shutter speed 1/16000 secs -
Continuous shutter speed 60.0 frames/s 7.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range 5.00 m (ISO 100) 12.00 m
Flash settings Fill-flash, fill-flash w/slow sync, rear curtain sync, rear curtain w/slow sync, redeye reduction, redeye reduction w/slow sync, off Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless
External flash
AEB
WB bracketing
Fastest flash sync 1/250 secs 1/160 secs
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60p, 30p), 1280 x 720 (60p, 30p) 1920 x 1080 (60, 29.97 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30fps), 640 x 424 (29.97 fps)
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video data format MPEG-4, H.264 MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264
Mic input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In Eye-Fi Connected
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 381 grams (0.84 pounds) 599 grams (1.32 pounds)
Physical dimensions 111 x 65 x 33mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.3") 137 x 104 x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score 52 80
DXO Color Depth score 20.8 23.8
DXO Dynamic range score 10.7 13.3
DXO Low light score 384 1121
Other
Battery life 310 pictures 1050 pictures
Battery format Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model EN-EL20a NP-FM500H
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 secs) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Storage media microSD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots One 2
Retail cost $997 $848