Sony A580 vs Sony NEX-C3

Let's look more closely at the Sony A580 and Sony NEX-C3, former being a Entry-Level DSLR while the other is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and they are both created by Sony. The sensor resolution of the A580 (16MP) and the NEX-C3 (16MP) is fairly similar and both cameras have the same sensor dimensions (APS-C).

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The A580 was announced 2 months prior to the NEX-C3 and they are both of a similar age. Each of these cameras have different body design with the Sony A580 being a Compact SLR camera and the Sony NEX-C3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before we go straight to a in depth comparison, here is a brief introduction of how the A580 scores against the NEX-C3 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

The following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Sony Alpha DSLR-A580 & Sony Alpha NEX-C3. The whole galleries are viewable at Sony A580 Gallery & Sony NEX-C3 Gallery.

When you are intending to carry your camera regularly, you are going to need to consider its weight and proportions. The Sony A580 provides outside dimensions of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") along with a weight of 599 grams (1.32 lbs) whilst the Sony NEX-C3 has measurements of 110mm x 60mm x 33mm (4.3" x 2.4" x 1.3") with a weight of 225 grams (0.50 lbs).

See the Sony A580 and Sony NEX-C3 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into account, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you are working with during that time. Here is a front view proportions comparison of the A580 and the NEX-C3.

Taking into account size and weight, the portability rating of the A580 and NEX-C3 is 64 and 91 respectively.

Oftentimes, it is very hard to visualize the gap between sensor sizing purely by going over a spec sheet. The visual below will offer you a much better sense of the sensor dimensions in the A580 and NEX-C3.

Clearly, both the cameras have the same sensor dimensions and the exact same megapixels and you can expect similar quality of photos but you will need to consider the launch date of the products into consideration.