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Sony A3000 vs Sony NEX-3

Portability
69
Imaging
63
Features
54
Overall
59
Sony Alpha A3000 front
 
Sony Alpha NEX-3 front
Portability
89
Imaging
54
Features
55
Overall
54

Sony A3000 vs Sony NEX-3 Key Specs

Sony A3000
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 16000
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 411g - 128 x 91 x 85mm
  • Released August 2013
  • Updated by Sony a3500
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
  • Introduced June 2010
  • Renewed by Sony NEX-C3
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Sony A3000 vs Sony NEX-3 Overview

Below, we are analyzing the Sony A3000 versus Sony NEX-3, both Entry-Level Mirrorless digital cameras and both of them are manufactured by Sony. There exists a noticeable gap between the resolutions of the A3000 (20MP) and NEX-3 (14MP) but they possess the exact same sensor size (APS-C).

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The A3000 was announced 3 years later than the NEX-3 and that is quite a sizable difference as far as technology is concerned. The two cameras come with different body type with the Sony A3000 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Sony NEX-3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before getting through a complete comparison, below is a simple introduction of how the A3000 grades vs the NEX-3 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Sony A3000 over the Sony NEX-3

 A3000 NEX-3 
IntroducedAugust 2013June 2010Fresher by 40 months

Reasons to pick Sony NEX-3 over the Sony A3000

 NEX-3 A3000 
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display resolution920k230kCrisper display (+690k dot)

Common features in the Sony A3000 and Sony NEX-3

 A3000 NEX-3 
Manually focus Very precise focus
Display dimension3"3"Identical display size
Selfie screen Absent selfie screen
Touch display Absent Touch display

Sony A3000 vs Sony NEX-3 Physical Comparison

If you're going to carry your camera frequently, you have to take into account its weight and proportions. The Sony A3000 has got physical dimensions of 128mm x 91mm x 85mm (5.0" x 3.6" x 3.3") along with a weight of 411 grams (0.91 lbs) and the Sony NEX-3 has measurements of 117mm x 62mm x 33mm (4.6" x 2.4" x 1.3") with a weight of 297 grams (0.65 lbs).

Examine the Sony A3000 versus Sony NEX-3 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into account, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you are using at that moment. The following is the front view sizing comparison of the A3000 versus the NEX-3.

Sony A3000 vs Sony NEX-3 size comparison

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability score of the A3000 and NEX-3 is 69 and 89 respectively.

Sony A3000 vs Sony NEX-3 top view buttons comparison

Sony A3000 vs Sony NEX-3 Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, it is hard to imagine the contrast between sensor sizing just by reviewing technical specs. The graphic below will help give you a greater sense of the sensor dimensions in the A3000 and NEX-3.

As you have seen, both of those cameras have got the exact same sensor measurements but different MP. You can expect to see the Sony A3000 to offer more detail with its extra 6 Megapixels. Greater resolution will enable you to crop photos much more aggressively. The younger A3000 should have an edge when it comes to sensor technology.

Sony A3000 vs Sony NEX-3 sensor size comparison

Sony A3000 vs Sony NEX-3 Screen and ViewFinder

Sony A3000 vs Sony NEX-3 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Sony A3000 Portrait photography info
Sony NEX-3 Portrait photography info
77
manual focus
resolution is good (20 megapixels)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
provides face detect focusing
delivers RAW formats
72
focusing manually
good megapixels (14MP)
good sensor size (APS-C)
includes face detect focus
supports RAW files
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Sony A3000
Street photography with Sony NEX-3
57
sensor size is good (APS-C)
delivers RAW formats
no moving screen
does not have image stabilization
heavier than competition in class (411 grams)
76
tilting screen
good sensor size (APS-C)
supports RAW files
no image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Sony A3000 Sports photography factors
Sony NEX-3 Sports photography factors
60
resolution is good (20MP)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
provides tracking focus
great battery life (470 per charge)
very slow continuous shooting (3.0 frames per second)
does not have image stabilization
lack of phase detect AF
52
good megapixels (14 megapixels)
good sensor size (APS-C)
no image stabilization
lacks phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Sony A3000 as a Travel photography camera
Sony NEX-3 as a Travel photography camera
60
great battery life (470 per charge)
resolution is good (20MP)
flash built-in
does not have Time Lapse function
heavier than competition in class (411 grams)
display is not selfie friendly
59
good megapixels (14MP)
missing Timelapse mode
does not offer selfie friendly display
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Landscape Comparison

Sony A3000 Landscape photography info
Sony NEX-3 Landscape photography info
70
manual focus
switch lenses (Sony E mount)
screen size is good (3")
resolution is good (20 megapixels)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
delivers RAW formats
great battery life (470 CIPA)
does not have image stabilization
does not have Time Lapse function
68
focusing manually
interchangeable lenses (Sony E mount)
good sized screen (3 inches)
good megapixels (14MP)
good sensor size (APS-C)
supports RAW files
no image stabilization
missing Timelapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Sony A3000
Vlogging with Sony NEX-3
26
provides face detect focusing
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
display is not selfie friendly
does not have image stabilization
does not have mic socket
heavier than competition in class (411g)
27
includes face detect focus
does not offer selfie friendly display
no image stabilization
video resolution low (1280 x 720 pxls)
missing microphone support
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Sony A3000 vs Sony NEX-3 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony A3000 and Sony NEX-3
 Sony Alpha A3000Sony Alpha NEX-3
General Information
Brand Sony Sony
Model Sony Alpha A3000 Sony Alpha NEX-3
Class Entry-Level Mirrorless Entry-Level Mirrorless
Released 2013-08-27 2010-06-07
Physical type SLR-style mirrorless Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Processor BIONZ image Bionz
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size APS-C APS-C
Sensor measurements 23.5 x 15.6mm 23.4 x 15.6mm
Sensor area 366.6mm² 365.0mm²
Sensor resolution 20 megapixels 14 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Max resolution 5456 x 3632 4592 x 3056
Max native ISO 16000 12800
Min native ISO 100 200
RAW files
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch focus
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detect autofocus
Contract detect autofocus
Phase detect autofocus
Number of focus points 25 25
Lens
Lens mount Sony E Sony E
Available lenses 121 121
Crop factor 1.5 1.5
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Tilting
Display sizing 3" 3"
Resolution of display 230 thousand dots 920 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Display tech TFT LCD TFT Xtra Fine LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic None
Viewfinder coverage 100% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.47x -
Features
Min shutter speed 30 secs 30 secs
Max shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/4000 secs
Continuous shutter rate 3.0 frames/s 7.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 6.00 m (at ISO200 / 4m at ISO100) 12.00 m
Flash modes Flash off, Auto flash, Fill-flash, Slow Sync., Rear Sync. Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in
External flash
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Max flash synchronize 1/160 secs 1/160 secs
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Max video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video file format AVCHD, H.264, MP4 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
Environment sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 411 gr (0.91 lb) 297 gr (0.65 lb)
Dimensions 128 x 91 x 85mm (5.0" x 3.6" x 3.3") 117 x 62 x 33mm (4.6" x 2.4" x 1.3")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score 78 68
DXO Color Depth score 23.7 22.1
DXO Dynamic range score 12.8 12.0
DXO Low light score 1068 830
Other
Battery life 470 images 330 images
Battery style Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model NP-FW50 NPFW50
Self timer Yes (2-sec. or 10-sec. delay) Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10sec (3 images))
Time lapse recording
Type of storage - SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Card slots Single Single
Retail pricing $398 $0