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Panasonic L1 vs Sony NEX-C3

Portability
65
Imaging
42
Features
38
Overall
40
Panasonic Lumix DMC-L1 front
 
Sony Alpha NEX-C3 front
Portability
91
Imaging
57
Features
57
Overall
57

Panasonic L1 vs Sony NEX-C3 Key Specs

Panasonic L1
(Full Review)
  • 7MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 2.5" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 1600
  • No Video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 606g - 146 x 87 x 77mm
  • Introduced April 2007
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
  • Revealed August 2011
  • Replaced the Sony NEX-3
  • Replacement is Sony NEX-F3
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Panasonic L1 vs Sony NEX-C3 Overview

Following is a in depth analysis of the Panasonic L1 versus Sony NEX-C3, former is a Advanced DSLR while the latter is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by rivals Panasonic and Sony. There is a considerable difference among the sensor resolutions of the L1 (7MP) and NEX-C3 (16MP) and the L1 (Four Thirds) and NEX-C3 (APS-C) have totally different sensor sizes.

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The L1 was announced 5 years earlier than the NEX-C3 which is a fairly large difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both of these cameras have different body design with the Panasonic L1 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Sony NEX-C3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before going right into a detailed comparison, here is a simple view of how the L1 grades versus the NEX-C3 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic L1 over the Sony NEX-C3

 L1 NEX-C3 

Reasons to pick Sony NEX-C3 over the Panasonic L1

 NEX-C3 L1 
RevealedAugust 2011April 2007More modern by 53 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen dimensions3"2.5"Bigger screen (+0.5")
Screen resolution920k207kSharper screen (+713k dot)

Common features in the Panasonic L1 and Sony NEX-C3

 L1 NEX-C3 
Focus manually More exact focus
Selfie screen Neither comes with selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Neither comes with Touch friendly screen

Panasonic L1 vs Sony NEX-C3 Physical Comparison

In case you're looking to carry around your camera frequently, you will have to take into account its weight and dimensions. The Panasonic L1 comes with outside measurements of 146mm x 87mm x 77mm (5.7" x 3.4" x 3.0") having a weight of 606 grams (1.34 lbs) and the Sony NEX-C3 has dimensions 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 Panasonic L1 versus Sony NEX-C3 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you are utilising at that moment. Below is a front view scale comparison of the L1 against the NEX-C3.

Panasonic L1 vs Sony NEX-C3 size comparison

Taking into account size and weight, the portability rating of the L1 and NEX-C3 is 65 and 91 respectively.

Panasonic L1 vs Sony NEX-C3 top view buttons comparison

Panasonic L1 vs Sony NEX-C3 Sensor Comparison

Generally, it is difficult to visualise the gap in sensor sizes simply by viewing a spec sheet. The image here may give you a better sense of the sensor measurements in the L1 and NEX-C3.

As you can see, the 2 cameras provide different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The L1 with its smaller sensor will make achieving shallow DOF tougher and the Sony NEX-C3 will result in greater detail with its extra 9 Megapixels. Higher resolution will help you crop pictures more aggressively. The more aged L1 will be disadvantaged in sensor tech.

Panasonic L1 vs Sony NEX-C3 sensor size comparison

Panasonic L1 vs Sony NEX-C3 Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic L1 vs Sony NEX-C3 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic L1 Portrait photography features
Sony NEX-C3 Portrait photography features
55
manual focus
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW files
MP count low (7 megapixels)
74
you can focus manually
MP count good (16MP)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Panasonic L1 Street photography information
Sony NEX-C3 Street photography information
58
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW files
lighter than average (606g)
no moving screen
no image stabilization
80
tilting screen
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
lighter than average (225 grams)
does not have image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Panasonic L1 Sports photography details
Sony NEX-C3 Sports photography details
41
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
has phase detect auto focus
max fps very slow (3.0 frames/s)
no image stabilization
MP count low (7MP)
53
MP count good (16MP)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
great battery (400 CIPA)
slow continuous shooting (6.0 frames per second)
does not have image stabilization
lack of phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Panasonic L1 as a Travel photography camera
Sony NEX-C3 as a Travel photography camera
50
lighter than average (606 grams)
flash built-in
missing Time Lapse mode
MP count low (7MP)
display isn't selfie friendly
71
great battery (400 CIPA)
lighter than average (225 grams)
MP count good (16 megapixels)
missing Timelapse mode
doesn't posses selfie friendly display
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Landscape Comparison

Panasonic L1 Landscape photography features
Sony NEX-C3 Landscape photography features
48
manual focus
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW files
small screen (2.5 inches)
no image stabilization
MP count low (7MP)
missing Time Lapse mode
70
you can focus manually
switch lenses (Sony E mount)
screen size is good (3")
MP count good (16 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
great battery (400 CIPA)
does not have image stabilization
missing Timelapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Panasonic L1
Vlogging with Sony NEX-C3
9
no video shooting
27
lighter than average (225 grams)
doesn't posses selfie friendly display
does not have image stabilization
low quality video (1280 x 720 pxls)
missing microphone support
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Panasonic L1 vs Sony NEX-C3 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic L1 and Sony NEX-C3
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-L1Sony Alpha NEX-C3
General Information
Manufacturer Panasonic Sony
Model type Panasonic Lumix DMC-L1 Sony Alpha NEX-C3
Type Advanced DSLR Entry-Level Mirrorless
Introduced 2007-04-11 2011-08-22
Physical type Mid-size SLR Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Processor - Bionz
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds APS-C
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 23.4 x 15.6mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 365.0mm²
Sensor resolution 7MP 16MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 3136 x 2352 4912 x 3264
Max native ISO 1600 12800
Min native ISO 100 100
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
Continuous AF
Single AF
AF tracking
Selective AF
AF center weighted
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Total focus points 3 25
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds Sony E
Available lenses 45 121
Focal length multiplier 2.1 1.5
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Tilting
Display sizing 2.5 inches 3 inches
Resolution of display 207 thousand dots 920 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Display tech - TFT Xtra Fine LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentamirror) None
Viewfinder coverage 95% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.46x -
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60 seconds 30 seconds
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Continuous shooting rate 3.0 frames/s 6.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 13.00 m no built-in flash
Flash modes Auto, Red-Eye Auto, On, Red-Eye On, Red-Eye Slow Sync, Off, Slow Sync (1&2) Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in
External flash
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Maximum flash synchronize 1/160 seconds 1/160 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions - 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Max video resolution None 1280x720
Video data format - MPEG-4
Microphone 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
Environmental sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 606g (1.34 lbs) 225g (0.50 lbs)
Physical dimensions 146 x 87 x 77mm (5.7" x 3.4" x 3.0") 110 x 60 x 33mm (4.3" x 2.4" x 1.3")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating not tested 73
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 22.7
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 12.2
DXO Low light rating not tested 1083
Other
Battery life - 400 shots
Type of battery - Battery Pack
Battery ID - NPFW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10 sec 3 or 5 images)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD/MMC card SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Card slots One One
Retail price $1,500 $343