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Panasonic 3D1 vs Sony NEX-C3

Portability
93
Imaging
36
Features
36
Overall
36
Panasonic Lumix DMC-3D1 front
 
Sony Alpha NEX-C3 front
Portability
91
Imaging
57
Features
57
Overall
57

Panasonic 3D1 vs Sony NEX-C3 Key Specs

Panasonic 3D1
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3.5" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 25-100mm (F3.9-5.7) lens
  • 193g - 108 x 58 x 24mm
  • Revealed November 2011
Sony NEX-C3
(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
  • Previous Model is Sony NEX-3
  • Replacement is Sony NEX-F3
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Panasonic 3D1 vs Sony NEX-C3 Overview

The following is a in depth overview of the Panasonic 3D1 versus Sony NEX-C3, one is a Small Sensor Compact and the latter is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by rivals Panasonic and Sony. There exists a big gap between the resolutions of the 3D1 (12MP) and NEX-C3 (16MP) and the 3D1 (1/2.3") and NEX-C3 (APS-C) come with totally different sensor dimensions.

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The 3D1 was announced 3 months after the NEX-C3 which means that they are of a similar generation. The two cameras come with different body type with the Panasonic 3D1 being a Compact camera and the Sony NEX-C3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before getting straight into a full comparison, below is a simple highlight of how the 3D1 scores against the NEX-C3 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic 3D1 over the Sony NEX-C3

 3D1 NEX-C3 
Screen dimension3.5"3"Bigger screen (+0.5")
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Sony NEX-C3 over the Panasonic 3D1

 NEX-C3 3D1 
Manually focus More exact focus
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen resolution920k460kCrisper screen (+460k dot)

Common features in the Panasonic 3D1 and Sony NEX-C3

 3D1 NEX-C3 
AnnouncedNovember 2011August 2011Similar generation
Selfie screen Missing selfie screen

Panasonic 3D1 vs Sony NEX-C3 Physical Comparison

When you are planning to travel with your camera often, you will have to consider its weight and volume. The Panasonic 3D1 has got exterior dimensions of 108mm x 58mm x 24mm (4.3" x 2.3" x 0.9") along with a weight of 193 grams (0.43 lbs) whilst the Sony NEX-C3 has sizing of 110mm x 60mm x 33mm (4.3" x 2.4" x 1.3") accompanied by a weight of 225 grams (0.50 lbs).

Look at the Panasonic 3D1 versus Sony NEX-C3 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary depending on the lens you are using at the time. Underneath is the front view measurements comparison of the 3D1 vs the NEX-C3.

Panasonic 3D1 vs Sony NEX-C3 size comparison

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the 3D1 and NEX-C3 is 93 and 91 respectively.

Panasonic 3D1 vs Sony NEX-C3 top view buttons comparison

Panasonic 3D1 vs Sony NEX-C3 Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, it is tough to visualise the difference between sensor dimensions purely by reading specifications. The pic underneath may give you a stronger sense of the sensor sizes in the 3D1 and NEX-C3.

To sum up, both the cameras have got different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The 3D1 with its tinier sensor will make shooting shallow depth of field harder and the Sony NEX-C3 will offer you greater detail with its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also allow you to crop photographs much more aggressively.

Panasonic 3D1 vs Sony NEX-C3 sensor size comparison

Panasonic 3D1 vs Sony NEX-C3 Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic 3D1 vs Sony NEX-C3 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic 3D1 as a Portrait photography camera
Sony NEX-C3 as a Portrait photography camera
27
comes with face detection autofocus
lack of manual focus
no manual mode
can't use external flash
low MP (12 megapixels)
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
74
has manual focus
resolution is good (16MP)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW files
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Street Comparison

Panasonic 3D1 Street photography information
Sony NEX-C3 Street photography information
61
has image stabilization (Optical)
offers touch to focus
no moving screen
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
80
screen tilts
decent sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW files
lighter than competition (225 grams)
lack of image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Panasonic 3D1 as a Sports photography camera
Sony NEX-C3 as a Sports photography camera
30
has image stabilization (Optical)
comes with tracking autofocus
low max shutter speed (1/1,300s)
lack of shutter priority mode
low MP (12 megapixels)
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
bad battery life (200 per charge)
does not have phase detect autofocus
53
resolution is good (16MP)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
great battery power (400 shots)
slow continuous shooting (6.0 frames/s)
lack of image stabilization
lack of phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Panasonic 3D1 Travel photography features
Sony NEX-C3 Travel photography features
59
offers touch to focus
built-in flash
really wide (25mm)
no Time Lapse mode
bad battery life (200 shots)
low MP (12 megapixels)
screen isn't selfie friendly
slow max aperture (f3.9)
71
great battery power (400 CIPA)
lighter than competition (225g)
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
no Time Lapse mode
doesn't posses selfie friendly display
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Landscape Comparison

Panasonic 3D1 as a Landscape photography camera
Sony NEX-C3 as a Landscape photography camera
36
really wide (25mm)
bigger than average screen (3.5 inch)
has image stabilization (Optical)
lack of manual focus
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
slow max aperture (f3.9)
no manual mode
low MP (12MP)
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
bad battery life (200 per charge)
no Time Lapse mode
70
has manual focus
switch lenses (Sony E mount)
nice screen size (3 inches)
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW files
great battery power (400 CIPA)
lack of image stabilization
no Time Lapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Panasonic 3D1
Vlogging with Sony NEX-C3
34
really wide (25mm)
touchscreen functionality
has image stabilization (Optical)
comes with face detection autofocus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
slow max aperture (f3.9)
screen isn't selfie friendly
no external mic support
27
lighter than competition (225g)
doesn't posses selfie friendly display
lack of image stabilization
low res video (1280 x 720 resolution)
no mic support
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Panasonic 3D1 vs Sony NEX-C3 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic 3D1 and Sony NEX-C3
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-3D1Sony Alpha NEX-C3
General Information
Manufacturer Panasonic Sony
Model Panasonic Lumix DMC-3D1 Sony Alpha NEX-C3
Category Small Sensor Compact Entry-Level Mirrorless
Revealed 2011-11-07 2011-08-22
Physical type Compact Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Processor Chip - Bionz
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" APS-C
Sensor dimensions 6.17 x 4.55mm 23.4 x 15.6mm
Sensor surface area 28.1mm² 365.0mm²
Sensor resolution 12MP 16MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Highest resolution 4000 x 3000 4912 x 3264
Highest native ISO 6400 12800
Minimum native ISO 100 100
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
Continuous AF
Single AF
Tracking AF
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Number of focus points 23 25
Lens
Lens mounting type fixed lens Sony E
Lens focal range 25-100mm (4.0x) -
Maximum aperture f/3.9-5.7 -
Macro focus range 5cm -
Total lenses - 121
Crop factor 5.8 1.5
Screen
Type of display Fixed Type Tilting
Display size 3.5 inch 3 inch
Display resolution 460 thousand dots 920 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Display technology TFT Full Touch Screen with AR coating TFT Xtra Fine LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None None
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60s 30s
Highest shutter speed 1/1300s 1/4000s
Continuous shooting rate - 6.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation - Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 3.50 m no built-in flash
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction, Slow Sync Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in
Hot shoe
AEB
White balance bracketing
Highest flash synchronize - 1/160s
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60, 30 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video format MPEG-4, AVCHD, Motion JPEG MPEG-4
Mic support
Headphone support
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 sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 193 grams (0.43 pounds) 225 grams (0.50 pounds)
Dimensions 108 x 58 x 24mm (4.3" x 2.3" x 0.9") 110 x 60 x 33mm (4.3" x 2.4" x 1.3")
DXO scores
DXO All around score not tested 73
DXO Color Depth score not tested 22.7
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 12.2
DXO Low light score not tested 1083
Other
Battery life 200 pictures 400 pictures
Battery style Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model - NPFW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10 sec 3 or 5 images)
Time lapse feature
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Card slots One One
Price at launch $670 $343