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Ricoh CX2 vs Sony NEX-3

Portability
93
Imaging
32
Features
35
Overall
33
Ricoh CX2 front
 
Sony Alpha NEX-3 front
Portability
89
Imaging
54
Features
55
Overall
54

Ricoh CX2 vs Sony NEX-3 Key Specs

Ricoh CX2
(Full Review)
  • 9MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 1600
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 640 x 480 video
  • 28-300mm (F3.5-5.6) lens
  • 185g - 102 x 58 x 29mm
  • Introduced August 2009
Sony NEX-3
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 200 - 12800
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 297g - 117 x 62 x 33mm
  • Introduced June 2010
  • Refreshed by Sony NEX-C3
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Ricoh CX2 vs Sony NEX-3 Overview

Lets look a bit more closely at the Ricoh CX2 and Sony NEX-3, former being a Small Sensor Superzoom while the latter is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by brands Ricoh and Sony. There exists a considerable gap between the resolutions of the CX2 (9MP) and NEX-3 (14MP) and the CX2 (1/2.3") and NEX-3 (APS-C) posses different sensor measurements.

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The CX2 was introduced 9 months earlier than the NEX-3 so they are both of a similar age. Both the cameras have different body design with the Ricoh CX2 being a Compact camera and the Sony NEX-3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before going right into a thorough comparison, here is a simple summary of how the CX2 matches up against the NEX-3 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Ricoh CX2 over the Sony NEX-3

 CX2 NEX-3 

Reasons to pick Sony NEX-3 over the Ricoh CX2

 NEX-3 CX2 
IntroducedJune 2010August 2009More recent by 9 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen

Common features in the Ricoh CX2 and Sony NEX-3

 CX2 NEX-3 
Manual focus More exact focus
Screen dimensions3"3"Equal screen measurements
Screen resolution920k920kIdentical screen resolution
Selfie screen Neither comes with selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Absent Touch friendly screen

Ricoh CX2 vs Sony NEX-3 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is planning to lug around your camera frequently, you're going to have to think about its weight and dimensions. The Ricoh CX2 comes with outer dimensions of 102mm x 58mm x 29mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.1") accompanied by a weight of 185 grams (0.41 lbs) whilst the Sony NEX-3 has dimensions of 117mm x 62mm x 33mm (4.6" x 2.4" x 1.3") accompanied by a weight of 297 grams (0.65 lbs).

Contrast the Ricoh CX2 and Sony NEX-3 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you have chosen during that time. Here is a front view measurement comparison of the CX2 versus the NEX-3.

Ricoh CX2 vs Sony NEX-3 size comparison

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the CX2 and NEX-3 is 93 and 89 respectively.

Ricoh CX2 vs Sony NEX-3 top view buttons comparison

Ricoh CX2 vs Sony NEX-3 Sensor Comparison

Normally, it's hard to imagine the gap between sensor measurements just by reading through a spec sheet. The visual here will help provide you a clearer sense of the sensor sizes in the CX2 and NEX-3.

As you can see, both cameras provide different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The CX2 using its tinier sensor is going to make shooting shallower depth of field tougher and the Sony NEX-3 will give more detail using its extra 5 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also enable you to crop photographs more aggressively. The older CX2 is going to be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor tech.

Ricoh CX2 vs Sony NEX-3 sensor size comparison

Ricoh CX2 vs Sony NEX-3 Screen and ViewFinder

Ricoh CX2 vs Sony NEX-3 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Ricoh CX2 Portrait photography information
Sony NEX-3 Portrait photography information
25
has manual focus
manual exposure not possible
external flash not possible
sensor resolution low (9MP)
very small sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW format
72
you can focus manually
good resolution (14MP)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
has face detect autofocus
delivers RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Ricoh CX2 as a Street photography camera
Sony NEX-3 as a Street photography camera
61
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
lighter than competition (185 grams)
screen is fixed
very small sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW format
76
screen tilts
nice sensor size (APS-C)
delivers RAW formats
no image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Ricoh CX2 as a Sports photography camera
Sony NEX-3 as a Sports photography camera
26
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
lack of shutter priority mode
sensor resolution low (9 megapixels)
very small sensor (1/2.3")
no phase detect autofocus
52
good resolution (14MP)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
no image stabilization
does not have phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Ricoh CX2
Travel photography with Sony NEX-3
66
lighter than competition (185 grams)
has built in flash
quite wide (28mm)
very long reach (300mm)
sensor resolution low (9MP)
display is not selfie friendly
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.5)
59
good resolution (14 megapixels)
does not have Time Lapse function
does not posses selfie friendly display
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Landscape Comparison

Ricoh CX2 Landscape photography factors
Sony NEX-3 Landscape photography factors
42
has manual focus
quite wide (28mm)
good sized screen (3")
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.5)
manual exposure not possible
sensor resolution low (9 megapixels)
very small sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW format
68
you can focus manually
switch lenses (Sony E mount)
good sized screen (3 inches)
good resolution (14MP)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
delivers RAW formats
no image stabilization
does not have Time Lapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Ricoh CX2 Vlogging advice
Sony NEX-3 Vlogging advice
30
quite wide (28mm)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
lighter than competition (185g)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.5)
display is not selfie friendly
video quality not great (640 x 480 resolution)
doesn't have mic support
27
has face detect autofocus
does not posses selfie friendly display
no image stabilization
video resolution low (1280 x 720 pixels)
does not have mic support
Photography Glossary

Ricoh CX2 vs Sony NEX-3 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Ricoh CX2 and Sony NEX-3
 Ricoh CX2Sony Alpha NEX-3
General Information
Make Ricoh Sony
Model type Ricoh CX2 Sony Alpha NEX-3
Category Small Sensor Superzoom Entry-Level Mirrorless
Introduced 2009-08-20 2010-06-07
Physical type Compact Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Processor Chip Smooth Imaging Engine IV 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 area 28.1mm² 365.0mm²
Sensor resolution 9 megapixel 14 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3 and 3:2 3:2 and 16:9
Highest Possible resolution 3456 x 2592 4592 x 3056
Maximum native ISO 1600 12800
Min native ISO 80 200
RAW format
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Total focus points - 25
Lens
Lens mount type fixed lens Sony E
Lens zoom range 28-300mm (10.7x) -
Maximum aperture f/3.5-5.6 -
Macro focusing distance 1cm -
Total lenses - 121
Focal length multiplier 5.8 1.5
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Tilting
Display size 3" 3"
Resolution of display 920k dots 920k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Display technology - TFT Xtra Fine LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None None
Features
Minimum shutter speed 8s 30s
Fastest shutter speed 1/2000s 1/4000s
Continuous shutter rate - 7.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation - Yes
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 3.00 m (ISO 400) 12.00 m
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Fastest flash synchronize - 1/160s
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps) 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution 640x480 1280x720
Video format 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
Environmental sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 185 grams (0.41 lb) 297 grams (0.65 lb)
Physical dimensions 102 x 58 x 29mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.1") 117 x 62 x 33mm (4.6" x 2.4" x 1.3")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating not tested 68
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 22.1
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 12.0
DXO Low light rating not tested 830
Other
Battery life - 330 images
Battery style - Battery Pack
Battery ID DB-70 NPFW50
Self timer Yes (2, 10 or Custom) Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10sec (3 images))
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD/SDHC card, Internal SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Card slots 1 1
Cost at release $341 $0