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Sony A9 vs Sony NEX-3

Portability
65
Imaging
73
Features
93
Overall
81
Sony Alpha A9 front
 
Sony Alpha NEX-3 front
Portability
89
Imaging
54
Features
55
Overall
54

Sony A9 vs Sony NEX-3 Key Specs

Sony A9
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 51200 (Push to 204800)
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 673g - 127 x 96 x 63mm
  • Introduced April 2017
  • Replacement is Sony A9 II
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
  • Successor is Sony NEX-C3
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Sony A9 vs Sony NEX-3 Overview

Here is a extensive assessment of the Sony A9 versus Sony NEX-3, one being a Pro Mirrorless and the other is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and they are both built by Sony. There exists a crucial gap among the image resolutions of the A9 (24MP) and NEX-3 (14MP) and the A9 (Full frame) and NEX-3 (APS-C) feature different sensor sizing.

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The A9 was revealed 6 years later than the NEX-3 and that is a fairly serious gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Both of the cameras offer different body type with the Sony A9 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Sony NEX-3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before getting straight into a step-by-step comparison, below is a quick view of how the A9 grades vs the NEX-3 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Sony A9 over the Sony NEX-3

 A9 NEX-3 
RevealedApril 2017June 2010Fresher by 84 months
Display resolution1440k920kClearer display (+520k dot)
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Sony NEX-3 over the Sony A9

 NEX-3 A9 

Common features in the Sony A9 and Sony NEX-3

 A9 NEX-3 
Manually focus Dial accurate focus
Display typeTiltingTiltingTilting display
Display sizing3"3"Equivalent display measurement
Selfie screen Neither features selfie screen

Sony A9 vs Sony NEX-3 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is aiming to carry your camera often, you are going to need to factor its weight and volume. The Sony A9 enjoys external dimensions of 127mm x 96mm x 63mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.5") having a weight of 673 grams (1.48 lbs) while 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 A9 versus 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 differ based on the lens you are using at that moment. The following is the front view physical size comparison of the A9 and the NEX-3.

Sony A9 vs Sony NEX-3 size comparison

Using dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the A9 and NEX-3 is 65 and 89 respectively.

Sony A9 vs Sony NEX-3 top view buttons comparison

Sony A9 vs Sony NEX-3 Sensor Comparison

Normally, it's hard to visualize the contrast in sensor sizing simply by looking through specs. The visual below should provide you a greater sense of the sensor dimensions in the A9 and NEX-3.

As you can plainly see, the 2 cameras enjoy different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The A9 having a larger sensor is going to make achieving shallower DOF simpler and the Sony A9 will result in extra detail because of its extra 10 Megapixels. Greater resolution will allow you to crop images far more aggressively. The fresher A9 should have an advantage when it comes to sensor technology.

Sony A9 vs Sony NEX-3 sensor size comparison

Sony A9 vs Sony NEX-3 Screen and ViewFinder

Sony A9 vs Sony NEX-3 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photography Glossary

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Sony A9 Portrait photography factors
Sony NEX-3 Portrait photography factors
83
you can focus manually
decent MP (24MP)
sensor size is great (Full frame)
provides face detection autofocus
saves RAW formats
72
manual focus
MP count decent (14 megapixels)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
has face detection focusing
delivers RAW files
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Street Comparison

Sony A9 as a Street photography camera
Sony NEX-3 as a Street photography camera
79
has a tilting screen
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is great (Full frame)
saves RAW formats
supports touch focus
environment proof
great high ISO (51,200)
76
screen tilts
decent sensor size (APS-C)
delivers RAW files
does not have image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Sony A9 Sports photography advice
Sony NEX-3 Sports photography advice
86
max shutter speed is good (1/8,000 seconds)
silent shutter (1/32,000 seconds)
max frames per second high (20.0 frames per second)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent MP (24 megapixels)
sensor size is great (Full frame)
provides tracking autofocus
environment proof
good battery (650 shots)
supports phase detect autofocus
52
MP count decent (14MP)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
does not have image stabilization
lack of phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Sony A9 Travel photography details
Sony NEX-3 Travel photography details
73
good battery (650 CIPA)
environment proof
has bluetooth
supports touch focus
decent MP (24 megapixels)
doesn't have a selfie friendly screen
59
MP count decent (14 megapixels)
lack of Time Lapse mode
does not offer selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Sony A9 Landscape photography information
Sony NEX-3 Landscape photography information
85
you can focus manually
change lenses (Sony E mount)
screen size is decent (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent MP (24 megapixels)
sensor size is great (Full frame)
great high ISO (51,200)
saves RAW formats
environment proof
good battery (650 CIPA)
2 card slots
68
manual focus
change lenses (Sony E mount)
nice screen size (3")
MP count decent (14MP)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
delivers RAW files
does not have image stabilization
lack of Time Lapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Sony A9
Vlogging with Sony NEX-3
36
touchscreen
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
provides face detection autofocus
video res high (3840 x 2160 pixels)
comes with external mic support
doesn't have a selfie friendly screen
27
has face detection focusing
does not offer selfie friendly screen
does not have image stabilization
video resolution low (1280 x 720 pxls)
lack of external mic support
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Sony A9 vs Sony NEX-3 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony A9 and Sony NEX-3
 Sony Alpha A9Sony Alpha NEX-3
General Information
Company Sony Sony
Model Sony Alpha A9 Sony Alpha NEX-3
Type Pro Mirrorless Entry-Level Mirrorless
Introduced 2017-04-19 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 35.6 x 23.8mm 23.4 x 15.6mm
Sensor surface area 847.3mm² 365.0mm²
Sensor resolution 24MP 14MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 6000 x 4000 4592 x 3056
Highest native ISO 51200 12800
Highest enhanced ISO 204800 -
Lowest native ISO 100 200
RAW pictures
Lowest enhanced ISO 50 -
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
Continuous AF
AF single
AF tracking
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Number of focus points 693 25
Lens
Lens mount Sony E Sony E
Number of lenses 121 121
Focal length multiplier 1 1.5
Screen
Type of screen Tilting Tilting
Screen size 3" 3"
Resolution of screen 1,440 thousand dots 920 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Screen technology - TFT Xtra Fine LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic None
Viewfinder resolution 3,686 thousand dots -
Viewfinder coverage 100% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.78x -
Features
Minimum shutter speed 30s 30s
Fastest shutter speed 1/8000s 1/4000s
Fastest silent shutter speed 1/32000s -
Continuous shutter rate 20.0fps 7.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range no built-in flash 12.00 m
Flash options Flash off, Autoflash, Fill-flash, Slow Sync., Rear Sync., Red-eye reduction, Wireless, Hi-speed sync 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
Supported video resolutions - 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution 3840x2160 1280x720
Video file format MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264 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 proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 673g (1.48 lb) 297g (0.65 lb)
Dimensions 127 x 96 x 63mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.5") 117 x 62 x 33mm (4.6" x 2.4" x 1.3")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score 92 68
DXO Color Depth score 24.9 22.1
DXO Dynamic range score 13.3 12.0
DXO Low light score 3517 830
Other
Battery life 650 photos 330 photos
Battery style Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model NP-FZ100 NPFW50
Self timer Yes (2, 5, 10 secs + continuous) Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10sec (3 images))
Time lapse feature
Storage type Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC slots (UHS-II compatible) SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Card slots Two 1
Cost at release $4,498 $0