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Panasonic TS5 vs Sony NEX-3

Portability
91
Imaging
39
Features
43
Overall
40
Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS5 front
 
Sony Alpha NEX-3 front
Portability
89
Imaging
53
Features
55
Overall
53

Panasonic TS5 vs Sony NEX-3 Key Specs

Panasonic TS5
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 28-128mm (F3.3-5.9) lens
  • 214g - 110 x 67 x 29mm
  • Announced July 2013
  • Also referred to as Lumix DMC-FT5
  • Superseded the Panasonic TS4
  • Updated by Panasonic TS6
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
  • Launched June 2010
  • Updated by Sony NEX-C3
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Panasonic TS5 vs Sony NEX-3 Overview

Lets look more closely at the Panasonic TS5 vs Sony NEX-3, former being a Waterproof while the other is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by competitors Panasonic and Sony. The sensor resolution of the TS5 (16MP) and the NEX-3 (14MP) is very comparable but the TS5 (1/2.3") and NEX-3 (APS-C) provide totally different sensor dimensions.

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The TS5 was announced 3 years later than the NEX-3 and that is a fairly serious difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both of the cameras feature different body design with the Panasonic TS5 being a Compact camera and the Sony NEX-3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before going into a comprehensive comparison, here is a short highlight of how the TS5 matches up versus the NEX-3 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic TS5 over the Sony NEX-3

 TS5 NEX-3 
LaunchedJuly 2013June 2010Fresher by 38 months

Reasons to pick Sony NEX-3 over the Panasonic TS5

 NEX-3 TS5 
Focus manually Dial precise focus
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display resolution920k460kSharper display (+460k dot)

Common features in the Panasonic TS5 and Sony NEX-3

 TS5 NEX-3 
Display size3"3"Same display sizing
Selfie screen Missing selfie screen
Touch friendly display Missing Touch friendly display

Panasonic TS5 vs Sony NEX-3 Physical Comparison

For anyone who is intending to carry your camera regularly, you'll need to factor in its weight and measurements. The Panasonic TS5 offers external dimensions of 110mm x 67mm x 29mm (4.3" x 2.6" x 1.1") with a weight of 214 grams (0.47 lbs) while the Sony NEX-3 has proportions of 117mm x 62mm x 33mm (4.6" x 2.4" x 1.3") having a weight of 297 grams (0.65 lbs).

Compare the Panasonic TS5 vs Sony NEX-3 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you are using at that time. Below is a front view overall size comparison of the TS5 and the NEX-3.

Panasonic TS5 vs Sony NEX-3 size comparison

Factoring in size and weight, the portability grade of the TS5 and NEX-3 is 91 and 89 respectively.

Panasonic TS5 vs Sony NEX-3 top view buttons comparison

Panasonic TS5 vs Sony NEX-3 Sensor Comparison

Generally, it is hard to envision the contrast in sensor sizing just by going through specs. The visual below might offer you a stronger sense of the sensor sizes in the TS5 and NEX-3.

As you can plainly see, both the cameras come with different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The TS5 having a smaller sensor will make achieving shallower depth of field more challenging and the Panasonic TS5 will show more detail with its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also enable you to crop images a good deal more aggressively. The newer TS5 is going to have a benefit with regard to sensor technology.

Panasonic TS5 vs Sony NEX-3 sensor size comparison

Panasonic TS5 vs Sony NEX-3 Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic TS5 vs Sony NEX-3 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic TS5 Portrait photography info
Sony NEX-3 Portrait photography info
31
decent MP (16MP)
manual focus not available
external flash not possible
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
does not have RAW files
71
has manual focus
decent MP (14 megapixels)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
offers face detection focus
delivers RAW files
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Street Comparison

Panasonic TS5 Street photography advice
Sony NEX-3 Street photography advice
61
built in image stabilization (Optical)
weather proofing
no articulating screen
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
does not have RAW files
76
tilting screen
sensor size is good (APS-C)
delivers RAW files
does not have image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Panasonic TS5 as a Sports photography camera
Sony NEX-3 as a Sports photography camera
47
built in image stabilization (Optical)
decent MP (16MP)
has tracking autofocus
weather proofing
great battery life (370 CIPA)
max shutter speed is low (1/1,300 seconds)
no shutter priority mode
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
does not have phase detect auto focus
51
decent MP (14MP)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
does not have image stabilization
has no phase detect auto focus
Photography Glossary

Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Panasonic TS5
Travel photography with Sony NEX-3
72
great battery life (370 per charge)
weather proofing
decent MP (16 megapixels)
has built in flash
reasonably wide (28mm)
does not have a selfie friendly screen
slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
59
decent MP (14 megapixels)
no Timelapse recording
screen isn't selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Panasonic TS5 as a Landscape photography camera
Sony NEX-3 as a Landscape photography camera
51
reasonably wide (28mm)
screen size is decent (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
decent MP (16MP)
weather proofing
great battery life (370 CIPA)
manual focus not available
cannot swap lenses (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
does not have RAW files
67
has manual focus
swap lenses (Sony E mount)
screen size is decent (3")
decent MP (14MP)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
delivers RAW files
does not have image stabilization
no Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic TS5 Vlogging advice
Sony NEX-3 Vlogging advice
32
reasonably wide (28mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
does not have a selfie friendly screen
doesn't have external microphone support
27
offers face detection focus
screen isn't selfie friendly
does not have image stabilization
video res low (1280 x 720 pixels)
no external microphone port
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Panasonic TS5 vs Sony NEX-3 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic TS5 and Sony NEX-3
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS5Sony Alpha NEX-3
General Information
Brand Panasonic Sony
Model Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS5 Sony Alpha NEX-3
Also Known as Lumix DMC-FT5 -
Type Waterproof Entry-Level Mirrorless
Announced 2013-07-12 2010-06-07
Body design Compact Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Chip - Bionz
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" APS-C
Sensor measurements 6.08 x 4.56mm 23.4 x 15.6mm
Sensor surface area 27.7mm² 365.0mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixels 14 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 4608 x 3456 4592 x 3056
Highest native ISO 6400 12800
Minimum native ISO 100 200
RAW format
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
AF continuous
AF single
Tracking AF
AF selectice
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Number of focus points 23 25
Lens
Lens mounting type fixed lens Sony E
Lens focal range 28-128mm (4.6x) -
Max aperture f/3.3-5.9 -
Macro focus distance 5cm -
Amount of lenses - 121
Crop factor 5.9 1.5
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Tilting
Screen diagonal 3 inch 3 inch
Resolution of screen 460 thousand dot 920 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Screen tech TFT LCD TFT Xtra Fine LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None None
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60 seconds 30 seconds
Fastest shutter speed 1/1300 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Continuous shutter speed 10.0 frames per sec 7.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 5.60 m 12.00 m
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Syncro Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Fastest flash sync - 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, 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 MPEG-4
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS BuiltIn None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 214g (0.47 lb) 297g (0.65 lb)
Physical dimensions 110 x 67 x 29mm (4.3" x 2.6" x 1.1") 117 x 62 x 33mm (4.6" x 2.4" x 1.3")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score not tested 68
DXO Color Depth score not tested 22.1
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 12.0
DXO Low light score not tested 830
Other
Battery life 370 photos 330 photos
Type of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model DMW-BCM13 NPFW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10sec (3 images))
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots One One
Cost at release $350 $0