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Sony NEX-3 vs Sony G3

Portability
89
Imaging
54
Features
55
Overall
54
Sony Alpha NEX-3 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-G3 front
Portability
94
Imaging
33
Features
30
Overall
31

Sony NEX-3 vs Sony G3 Key Specs

Sony NEX-3
(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
  • Revealed June 2010
  • Successor is Sony NEX-C3
Sony G3
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3.5" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 3200
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 640 x 480 video
  • 35-140mm (F3.5-10.0) lens
  • 185g - 97 x 59 x 22mm
  • Introduced January 2009
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Sony NEX-3 vs Sony G3 Overview

Let's take a more detailed look at the Sony NEX-3 and Sony G3, former is a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the other is a Small Sensor Compact and both are sold by Sony. There is a considerable difference between the image resolutions of the NEX-3 (14MP) and G3 (10MP) and the NEX-3 (APS-C) and G3 (1/2.3") enjoy totally different sensor size.

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The NEX-3 was introduced 18 months after the G3 making the cameras a generation away from each other. Both of these cameras offer different body type with the Sony NEX-3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony G3 being a Compact camera.

Before going straight into a detailed comparison, below is a short introduction of how the NEX-3 scores versus the G3 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Sony NEX-3 over the Sony G3

 NEX-3 G3 
IntroducedJune 2010January 2009More modern by 18 months
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display

Reasons to pick Sony G3 over the Sony NEX-3

 G3 NEX-3 
Display sizing3.5"3"Larger display (+0.5")
Display resolution921k920kClearer display (+1k dot)
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Common features in the Sony NEX-3 and Sony G3

 NEX-3 G3 
Manually focus More precise focus
Selfie screen Neither contains selfie screen

Sony NEX-3 vs Sony G3 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is intending to carry around your camera, you have to consider its weight and measurements. The Sony NEX-3 has got outer dimensions of 117mm x 62mm x 33mm (4.6" x 2.4" x 1.3") along with a weight of 297 grams (0.65 lbs) and the Sony G3 has proportions of 97mm x 59mm x 22mm (3.8" x 2.3" x 0.9") along with a weight of 185 grams (0.41 lbs).

Analyze the Sony NEX-3 and Sony G3 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you have at that time. Underneath is the front view proportions comparison of the NEX-3 against the G3.

Sony NEX-3 vs Sony G3 size comparison

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability rating of the NEX-3 and G3 is 89 and 94 respectively.

Sony NEX-3 vs Sony G3 top view buttons comparison

Sony NEX-3 vs Sony G3 Sensor Comparison

Usually, its hard to envision the contrast between sensor sizes just by looking at a spec sheet. The picture underneath might offer you a greater sense of the sensor sizes in the NEX-3 and G3.

As you can see, both the cameras enjoy different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The NEX-3 using its larger sensor will make getting shallow DOF simpler and the Sony NEX-3 will give you greater detail using its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution will make it easier to crop images far more aggressively. The more modern NEX-3 will have an edge in sensor tech.

Sony NEX-3 vs Sony G3 sensor size comparison

Sony NEX-3 vs Sony G3 Screen and ViewFinder

Sony NEX-3 vs Sony G3 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photography Glossary

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Sony NEX-3 as a Portrait photography camera
Sony G3 as a Portrait photography camera
72
has manual focus
resolution is good (14MP)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
comes with face detection focusing
supports RAW formats
26
focusing manually
no manual control
cannot use external flash
low MP (10 megapixels)
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
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Street Comparison

Sony NEX-3 Street photography info
Sony G3 Street photography info
76
screen tilts
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
supports RAW formats
does not have image stabilization
56
image stabilization (Optical)
no articulating screen
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Sony NEX-3 Sports photography features
Sony G3 Sports photography features
52
resolution is good (14 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
does not have image stabilization
lacks phase detect AF
23
image stabilization (Optical)
max shutter speed is low (1/1,000 seconds)
painfully slow continuous shooting (2.0 frames per second)
no shutter priority mode
low MP (10MP)
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
doesn't have phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Sony NEX-3 Travel photography advice
Sony G3 Travel photography advice
59
resolution is good (14 megapixels)
no Time Lapse function
display is not selfie friendly
50
flash built-in
lack of Timelapse function
low MP (10 megapixels)
screen isn't selfie friendly
wide angle not great (35mm)
slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
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Landscape Comparison

Sony NEX-3 Landscape photography highlights
Sony G3 Landscape photography highlights
68
has manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Sony E mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inch)
resolution is good (14 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
supports RAW formats
does not have image stabilization
no Time Lapse function
36
focusing manually
very good size screen (3.5 inch)
image stabilization (Optical)
cannot swap lenses (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not great (35mm)
slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
no manual control
low MP (10MP)
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
lack of Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Sony NEX-3 Vlogging highlights
Sony G3 Vlogging highlights
27
comes with face detection focusing
display is not selfie friendly
does not have image stabilization
video resolution low (1280 x 720 pixels)
no external mic port
27
touch screen
image stabilization (Optical)
wide angle not great (35mm)
slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
screen isn't selfie friendly
low video resolution (640 x 480 pxls)
lack of microphone support
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Sony NEX-3 vs Sony G3 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony NEX-3 and Sony G3
 Sony Alpha NEX-3Sony Cyber-shot DSC-G3
General Information
Manufacturer Sony Sony
Model Sony Alpha NEX-3 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-G3
Category Entry-Level Mirrorless Small Sensor Compact
Revealed 2010-06-07 2009-01-08
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Chip Bionz -
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size APS-C 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 23.4 x 15.6mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor surface area 365.0mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 14 megapixels 10 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 and 16:9 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 4592 x 3056 3648 x 2736
Highest native ISO 12800 3200
Min native ISO 200 80
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
Continuous AF
Single AF
AF tracking
AF selectice
AF center weighted
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Number of focus points 25 9
Lens
Lens mount Sony E fixed lens
Lens focal range - 35-140mm (4.0x)
Largest aperture - f/3.5-10.0
Total lenses 121 -
Focal length multiplier 1.5 5.8
Screen
Screen type Tilting Fixed Type
Screen sizing 3 inch 3.5 inch
Resolution of screen 920 thousand dots 921 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Screen tech TFT Xtra Fine LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None None
Features
Min shutter speed 30s 1s
Max shutter speed 1/4000s 1/1000s
Continuous shutter rate 7.0 frames per second 2.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 12.00 m 4.30 m (Auto ISO)
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction, Slow Sync
External flash
AEB
White balance bracketing
Max 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) 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15 fps)
Highest video resolution 1280x720 640x480
Video data format MPEG-4 Motion JPEG
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless Eye-Fi Connected None
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 297g (0.65 lbs) 185g (0.41 lbs)
Dimensions 117 x 62 x 33mm (4.6" x 2.4" x 1.3") 97 x 59 x 22mm (3.8" x 2.3" x 0.9")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score 68 not tested
DXO Color Depth score 22.1 not tested
DXO Dynamic range score 12.0 not tested
DXO Low light score 830 not tested
Other
Battery life 330 photos -
Battery style Battery Pack -
Battery model NPFW50 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10sec (3 images)) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Storage type SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo Memory Stick Duo/Pro Duo, Internal
Card slots Single Single
Pricing at release $0 $200