Sony A850 vs Sony NEX-C3

Lets take a more detailed look at the Sony A850 and Sony NEX-C3, one being a Advanced DSLR and the other is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and both are designed by Sony. There is a significant difference between the image resolutions of the A850 (25MP) and NEX-C3 (16MP) and the A850 (Full frame) and NEX-C3 (APS-C) provide totally different sensor dimensions.

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The A850 was announced 16 months before the NEX-C3 making them a generation apart from each other. Each of these cameras feature different body design with the Sony A850 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Sony NEX-C3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before going straight to a in depth comparison, here is a short summation of how the A850 matches up vs the NEX-C3 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Here is a sample of the gallery pics for Sony Alpha DSLR-A850 and Sony Alpha NEX-C3. The whole galleries are available at Sony A850 Gallery and Sony NEX-C3 Gallery.

When you are going to carry your camera regularly, you have to think about its weight and dimensions. The Sony A850 comes with external measurements of 156mm x 117mm x 82mm (6.1" x 4.6" x 3.2") with a weight of 895 grams (1.97 lbs) whilst the Sony NEX-C3 has dimensions of 110mm x 60mm x 33mm (4.3" x 2.4" x 1.3") along with a weight of 225 grams (0.50 lbs).

Check the Sony A850 and Sony NEX-C3 in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change depending on the lens you have attached at the time. Here is a front view physical size comparison of the A850 against the NEX-C3.

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability rating of the A850 and NEX-C3 is 54 and 91 respectively.

Often, it is very tough to envision the contrast between sensor sizing merely by reading specs. The graphic here might offer you a far better sense of the sensor sizing in the A850 and NEX-C3.

All in all, each of the cameras come with different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The A850 using its larger sensor will make getting shallow DOF less difficult and the Sony A850 will deliver greater detail with its extra 9MP. Greater resolution will also help you crop images a good deal more aggressively. The older A850 is going to be behind with regard to sensor technology.