Clicky

Sony A7R II vs Sony NEX-3

Portability
68
Imaging
76
Features
84
Overall
79
Sony Alpha A7R II front
 
Sony Alpha NEX-3 front
Portability
89
Imaging
54
Features
55
Overall
54

Sony A7R II vs Sony NEX-3 Key Specs

Sony A7R II
(Full Review)
  • 42MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 100 - 25600 (Increase to 102400)
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 625g - 127 x 96 x 60mm
  • Revealed June 2015
  • Replaced the Sony A7R
  • Later Model is Sony A7R III
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
  • Revealed June 2010
  • New Model is Sony NEX-C3
Meta to Introduce 'AI-Generated' Labels for Media starting next month

Sony A7R II vs Sony NEX-3 Overview

Below is a complete comparison of the Sony A7R II and Sony NEX-3, one being a Pro Mirrorless and the other is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and they are both designed by Sony. There exists a crucial gap among the resolutions of the A7R II (42MP) and NEX-3 (14MP) and the A7R II (Full frame) and NEX-3 (APS-C) offer different sensor size.

Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music video

The A7R II was introduced 5 years later than the NEX-3 and that is a fairly serious gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Both of the cameras feature different body design with the Sony A7R II being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Sony NEX-3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before we go straight to a comprehensive comparison, here is a brief overview of how the A7R II grades versus the NEX-3 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Samsung Releases Faster Versions of EVO MicroSD Cards
	
	

Reasons to pick Sony A7R II over the Sony NEX-3

 A7R II NEX-3 
RevealedJune 2015June 2010More recent by 61 months
Display resolution1229k920kSharper display (+309k dot)

Reasons to pick Sony NEX-3 over the Sony A7R II

 NEX-3 A7R II 

Common features in the Sony A7R II and Sony NEX-3

 A7R II NEX-3 
Focus manually Dial exact focus
Display typeTiltingTiltingTilting display
Display size3"3"Same display size
Selfie screen Lack of selfie screen
Touch friendly display Neither provides Touch friendly display

Sony A7R II vs Sony NEX-3 Physical Comparison

When you are intending to lug around your camera frequently, you'll need to consider its weight and volume. The Sony A7R II provides exterior dimensions of 127mm x 96mm x 60mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.4") with a weight of 625 grams (1.38 lbs) and the Sony NEX-3 has sizing of 117mm x 62mm x 33mm (4.6" x 2.4" x 1.3") and a weight of 297 grams (0.65 lbs).

Analyze the Sony A7R II and Sony NEX-3 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Do not forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change based on the lens you use at that time. The following is a front view size comparison of the A7R II compared to the NEX-3.

Sony A7R II vs Sony NEX-3 size comparison

Using dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the A7R II and NEX-3 is 68 and 89 respectively.

Sony A7R II vs Sony NEX-3 top view buttons comparison

Sony A7R II vs Sony NEX-3 Sensor Comparison

Typically, it is difficult to imagine the difference in sensor measurements just by looking through specs. The graphic underneath should provide you a far better sense of the sensor sizes in the A7R II and NEX-3.

All in all, both cameras come with different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The A7R II using its larger sensor is going to make getting shallow DOF less difficult and the Sony A7R II will provide you with more detail using its extra 28 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also make it easier to crop photos a good deal more aggressively. The newer A7R II should have an advantage with regard to sensor tech.

Sony A7R II vs Sony NEX-3 sensor size comparison

Sony A7R II vs Sony NEX-3 Screen and ViewFinder

Sony A7R II vs Sony NEX-3 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Japan-exclusive Leica Leitz Phone 3 features big sensor and new modes

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Sony A7R II Portrait photography information
Sony NEX-3 Portrait photography information
85
you can focus manually
great megapixels (42MP)
sensor size is large (Full frame)
includes face detect autofocus
saves RAW formats
72
you can focus manually
MP count good (14 megapixels)
good sensor size (APS-C)
features face detection focus
delivers RAW formats
Photobucket discusses licensing 13 billion images with AI firms

Street Comparison

Sony A7R II as a Street photography camera
Sony NEX-3 as a Street photography camera
81
has a tilting screen
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is large (Full frame)
saves RAW formats
environment proof
good ISO range (25,600)
76
screen tilts
good sensor size (APS-C)
delivers RAW formats
does not have image stabilization
Photography Glossary

Sports Comparison

Sony A7R II Sports photography details
Sony NEX-3 Sports photography details
76
maximum shutter speed is high (1/8,000 seconds)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
great megapixels (42MP)
sensor size is large (Full frame)
includes tracking focus
environment proof
has phase detect autofocus
very slow continuous shooting (5.0 frames per second)
terrible battery (290 per charge)
52
MP count good (14 megapixels)
good sensor size (APS-C)
does not have image stabilization
does not have phase detect auto focus
Body cameras now worn by bakery staff to deter stealing

Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Sony A7R II
Travel photography with Sony NEX-3
62
environment proof
great megapixels (42MP)
terrible battery (290 shots)
doesn't contain selfie friendly screen
59
MP count good (14MP)
does not have Time Lapse function
does not offer selfie friendly display
Snapchat Adds Watermarks to AI-Created Images

Landscape Comparison

Sony A7R II Landscape photography information
Sony NEX-3 Landscape photography information
82
you can focus manually
swap lenses (Sony E mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
great megapixels (42 megapixels)
sensor size is large (Full frame)
doesnt have low pass filter
good ISO range (25,600)
saves RAW formats
environment proof
terrible battery (290 CIPA)
68
you can focus manually
switch lenses (Sony E mount)
nice screen size (3")
MP count good (14MP)
good sensor size (APS-C)
delivers RAW formats
does not have image stabilization
does not have Time Lapse function
President Biden pushes bill mandating TikTok sale or ban

Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Sony A7R II
Vlogging with Sony NEX-3
37
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
includes face detect autofocus
good video quality (3840 x 2160 pxls)
has microphone jack
doesn't contain selfie friendly screen
27
features face detection focus
does not offer selfie friendly display
does not have image stabilization
video res low (1280 x 720 resolution)
does not have external mic support
Apple Innovates by Creating Next-Level Optical Stabilization for iPhone

Sony A7R II vs Sony NEX-3 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony A7R II and Sony NEX-3
 Sony Alpha A7R IISony Alpha NEX-3
General Information
Make Sony Sony
Model type Sony Alpha A7R II Sony Alpha NEX-3
Type Pro Mirrorless Entry-Level Mirrorless
Revealed 2015-06-10 2010-06-07
Physical type SLR-style mirrorless Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Powered by Bionz X Bionz
Sensor type BSI-CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Full frame APS-C
Sensor dimensions 35.9 x 24mm 23.4 x 15.6mm
Sensor surface area 861.6mm² 365.0mm²
Sensor resolution 42MP 14MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Max resolution 7974 x 5316 4592 x 3056
Max native ISO 25600 12800
Max enhanced ISO 102400 -
Lowest native ISO 100 200
RAW files
Lowest enhanced ISO 50 -
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Tracking autofocus
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Total focus points 399 25
Lens
Lens mount type Sony E Sony E
Number of lenses 121 121
Focal length multiplier 1 1.5
Screen
Display type Tilting Tilting
Display size 3" 3"
Display resolution 1,229 thousand dots 920 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Display technology - TFT Xtra Fine LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic None
Viewfinder resolution 2,359 thousand dots -
Viewfinder coverage 100% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.78x -
Features
Minimum shutter speed 30s 30s
Fastest shutter speed 1/8000s 1/4000s
Continuous shutter rate 5.0 frames/s 7.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance no built-in flash 12.00 m
Flash settings no built-in flash Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in
Hot shoe
AEB
White balance bracketing
Fastest flash synchronize - 1/160s
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions 3840 x 2160 (30p, 25p, 24p), 1920 x 1080 (60p, 60i, 24p), 1440 x 1080 (30p), 640 x 480 (30p) 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Max video resolution 3840x2160 1280x720
Video file format MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC S MPEG-4
Mic support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In 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 625g (1.38 lb) 297g (0.65 lb)
Physical dimensions 127 x 96 x 60mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.4") 117 x 62 x 33mm (4.6" x 2.4" x 1.3")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 98 68
DXO Color Depth rating 26.0 22.1
DXO Dynamic range rating 13.9 12.0
DXO Low light rating 3434 830
Other
Battery life 290 photographs 330 photographs
Battery style Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID NP-FW50 NPFW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec; continuous (3 or 5 exposures)) Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10sec (3 images))
Time lapse recording With downloadable app
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Duo/Pro Duo/Pro-HG Duo SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Card slots Single Single
Pricing at release $2,913 $0