Samsung ST30 vs Sony NEX-3

Its time to look more closely at the Samsung ST30 and Sony NEX-3, former being a Ultracompact while the other is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by companies Samsung and Sony. There exists a substantial gap among the image resolutions of the ST30 (10MP) and NEX-3 (14MP) and the ST30 (1/3") and NEX-3 (APS-C) possess different sensor dimensions.

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The ST30 was launched 8 months later than the NEX-3 and they are both of a similar age. Both of these cameras offer different body type with the Samsung ST30 being a Ultracompact camera and the Sony NEX-3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before getting through a more detailed comparison, below is a brief summation of how the ST30 grades versus the NEX-3 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Samsung ST30 & Sony Alpha NEX-3. The complete galleries are viewable at Samsung ST30 Gallery & Sony NEX-3 Gallery.

If you are going to carry your camera often, you're going to have to factor in its weight and volume. The Samsung ST30 has got outside measurements of 82mm x 52mm x 17mm (3.2" x 2.0" x 0.7") accompanied by a weight of 87 grams (0.19 lbs) and the Sony NEX-3 has sizing of 117mm x 62mm x 33mm (4.6" x 2.4" x 1.3") with a weight of 297 grams (0.65 lbs).

Analyze the Samsung ST30 and Sony NEX-3 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you are utilising at that moment. Below is the front view physical size comparison of the ST30 compared to the NEX-3.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability score of the ST30 and NEX-3 is 98 and 89 respectively.

Quite often, its hard to picture the contrast in sensor sizing simply by checking out specs. The visual below should give you a much better sense of the sensor sizing in the ST30 and NEX-3.

As you can plainly see, both the cameras enjoy different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The ST30 featuring a smaller sensor is going to make getting shallow depth of field tougher and the Sony NEX-3 will produce extra detail utilizing its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also let you crop images far more aggressively. The more recent ST30 should have an advantage with regard to sensor tech.