Sony A330 vs Sony NEX-3
67 Imaging
49 Features
50 Overall
49
89 Imaging
53 Features
55 Overall
53
Sony A330 vs Sony NEX-3 Key Specs
(Full Review)
- 10MP - APS-C Sensor
- 2.7" Tilting Screen
- ISO 100 - 3200
- Sensor based Image Stabilization
- No Video
- Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
- 529g - 128 x 97 x 71mm
- Announced May 2009
- Superseded the Sony A300
(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
- Announced June 2010
- Refreshed by Sony NEX-C3
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Let's look a bit more closely at the Sony A330 vs Sony NEX-3, former being a Entry-Level DSLR while the latter is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and both are offered by Sony. There exists a considerable gap between the sensor resolutions of the A330 (10MP) and NEX-3 (14MP) but both cameras boast the same sensor measurements (APS-C).
Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music videoThe A330 was released 12 months before the NEX-3 so they are both of a similar age. Each of the cameras have different body design with the Sony A330 being a Compact SLR camera and the Sony NEX-3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.
Before we go straight to a in depth comparison, here is a brief overview of how the A330 grades versus the NEX-3 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.
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The following is a preview of the gallery photos for Sony Alpha DSLR-A330 & Sony Alpha NEX-3. The complete galleries are available at Sony A330 Gallery & Sony NEX-3 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Sony A330 over the Sony NEX-3
| A330 | NEX-3 |
|---|
Reasons to pick Sony NEX-3 over the Sony A330
| NEX-3 | A330 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Announced | June 2010 | May 2009 | More recent by 12 months | |
| Screen dimensions | 3" | 2.7" | Bigger screen (+0.3") | |
| Screen resolution | 920k | 230k | Sharper screen (+690k dot) |
Common features in the Sony A330 and Sony NEX-3
| A330 | NEX-3 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Focus manually | Very precise focusing | |||
| Screen type | Tilting | Tilting | Tilting screen | |
| Selfie screen | No selfie screen | |||
| Touch friendly screen | Neither has Touch friendly screen |
Sony A330 vs Sony NEX-3 Physical Comparison
For anyone who is planning to lug around your camera often, you need to factor its weight and dimensions. The Sony A330 has outside measurements of 128mm x 97mm x 71mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.8") along with a weight of 529 grams (1.17 lbs) and the Sony NEX-3 has dimensions of 117mm x 62mm x 33mm (4.6" x 2.4" x 1.3") with a weight of 297 grams (0.65 lbs).
Check out the Sony A330 vs Sony NEX-3 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Remember, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you are employing during that time. Here is a front view dimensions comparison of the A330 vs the NEX-3.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability score of the A330 and NEX-3 is 67 and 89 respectively.
Sony A330 vs Sony NEX-3 Sensor Comparison
Quite often, it can be tough to see the difference between sensor measurements simply by going over a spec sheet. The graphic here may offer you a clearer sense of the sensor measurements in the A330 and NEX-3.
As you can see, each of these cameras have the same sensor dimensions albeit not the same resolution. You can count on the Sony NEX-3 to offer you greater detail as a result of its extra 4MP. Higher resolution will also enable you to crop photographs a bit more aggressively. The older A330 is going to be behind in sensor tech.
Sony A330 vs Sony NEX-3 Screen and ViewFinder
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Sony A330 vs Sony NEX-3 Specifications
| Sony Alpha DSLR-A330 | Sony Alpha NEX-3 | |
|---|---|---|
| General Information | ||
| Brand | Sony | Sony |
| Model | Sony Alpha DSLR-A330 | Sony Alpha NEX-3 |
| Class | Entry-Level DSLR | Entry-Level Mirrorless |
| Announced | 2009-05-18 | 2010-06-07 |
| Body design | Compact SLR | Rangefinder-style mirrorless |
| Sensor Information | ||
| Chip | Bionz | Bionz |
| Sensor type | CCD | CMOS |
| Sensor size | APS-C | APS-C |
| Sensor dimensions | 23.5 x 15.7mm | 23.4 x 15.6mm |
| Sensor area | 369.0mm² | 365.0mm² |
| Sensor resolution | 10 megapixels | 14 megapixels |
| Anti aliasing filter | ||
| Aspect ratio | 3:2 and 16:9 | 3:2 and 16:9 |
| Full resolution | 3872 x 2592 | 4592 x 3056 |
| Max native ISO | 3200 | 12800 |
| Lowest native ISO | 100 | 200 |
| RAW pictures | ||
| Autofocusing | ||
| Manual focus | ||
| Touch to focus | ||
| Autofocus continuous | ||
| Autofocus single | ||
| Autofocus tracking | ||
| Autofocus selectice | ||
| Center weighted autofocus | ||
| Multi area autofocus | ||
| Live view autofocus | ||
| Face detection autofocus | ||
| Contract detection autofocus | ||
| Phase detection autofocus | ||
| Number of focus points | 9 | 25 |
| Lens | ||
| Lens mounting type | Sony/Minolta Alpha | Sony E |
| Amount of lenses | 143 | 121 |
| Focal length multiplier | 1.5 | 1.5 |
| Screen | ||
| Range of screen | Tilting | Tilting |
| Screen sizing | 2.7" | 3" |
| Screen resolution | 230 thousand dot | 920 thousand dot |
| Selfie friendly | ||
| Liveview | ||
| Touch display | ||
| Screen technology | - | TFT Xtra Fine LCD |
| Viewfinder Information | ||
| Viewfinder type | Optical (pentamirror) | None |
| Viewfinder coverage | 95% | - |
| Viewfinder magnification | 0.49x | - |
| Features | ||
| Lowest shutter speed | 30 seconds | 30 seconds |
| Highest shutter speed | 1/4000 seconds | 1/4000 seconds |
| Continuous shooting speed | 3.0fps | 7.0fps |
| Shutter priority | ||
| Aperture priority | ||
| Manually set exposure | ||
| Exposure compensation | Yes | Yes |
| Change white balance | ||
| Image stabilization | ||
| Inbuilt flash | ||
| Flash range | 10.00 m | 12.00 m |
| Flash settings | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Wireless | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in |
| External flash | ||
| AE bracketing | ||
| WB bracketing | ||
| Highest flash sync | 1/160 seconds | 1/160 seconds |
| Exposure | ||
| Multisegment exposure | ||
| Average exposure | ||
| Spot exposure | ||
| Partial exposure | ||
| AF area exposure | ||
| Center weighted exposure | ||
| Video features | ||
| Supported video resolutions | - | 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) |
| Max video resolution | None | 1280x720 |
| Video data format | - | MPEG-4 |
| Mic input | ||
| Headphone input | ||
| 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 seal | ||
| Water proof | ||
| Dust proof | ||
| Shock proof | ||
| Crush proof | ||
| Freeze proof | ||
| Weight | 529g (1.17 pounds) | 297g (0.65 pounds) |
| Physical dimensions | 128 x 97 x 71mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.8") | 117 x 62 x 33mm (4.6" x 2.4" x 1.3") |
| DXO scores | ||
| DXO All around score | 64 | 68 |
| DXO Color Depth score | 22.4 | 22.1 |
| DXO Dynamic range score | 11.5 | 12.0 |
| DXO Low light score | 535 | 830 |
| Other | ||
| Battery life | 230 pictures | 330 pictures |
| Style of battery | Battery Pack | Battery Pack |
| Battery model | NP-FH50 | NPFW50 |
| Self timer | Yes (2 or 10 sec) | Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10sec (3 images)) |
| Time lapse recording | ||
| Storage media | SD/ SDHC, Memory Stick Pro Duo | SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo |
| Storage slots | 1 | 1 |
| Launch price | $545 | $0 |