Sony NEX-3 vs Sony RX100 III

Following is a in depth overview of the Sony NEX-3 versus Sony RX100 III, one is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the latter is a Large Sensor Compact and they are both built by Sony. There exists a big gap between the sensor resolutions of the NEX-3 (14MP) and RX100 III (20MP) and the NEX-3 (APS-C) and RX100 III (1") come with totally different sensor size.

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The NEX-3 was unveiled 4 years earlier than the RX100 III which is quite a big gap as far as technology is concerned. Both of these cameras offer different body type with the Sony NEX-3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony RX100 III being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before getting straight into a detailed comparison, below is a brief summary of how the NEX-3 scores vs the RX100 III with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Following is a preview of the gallery photos for Sony Alpha NEX-3 and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 III. The full galleries are viewable at Sony NEX-3 Gallery and Sony RX100 III Gallery.

For anybody who is going to carry around your camera frequently, you will have to take into account its weight and volume. The Sony NEX-3 provides physical 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) whilst the Sony RX100 III has sizing of 102mm x 58mm x 41mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.6") with a weight of 290 grams (0.64 lbs).

Take a look at the Sony NEX-3 versus Sony RX100 III in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ based on the lens you are working with at that moment. Underneath is the front view dimension comparison of the NEX-3 against the RX100 III.

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the NEX-3 and RX100 III is 89 and 89 respectively.

Quite often, it can be hard to visualise the difference between sensor sizes purely by going over a spec sheet. The picture below will help give you a clearer sense of the sensor dimensions in the NEX-3 and RX100 III.

Clearly, the two cameras enjoy different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The NEX-3 using its bigger sensor will make shooting shallower DOF easier and the Sony RX100 III will offer extra detail having an extra 6 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also allow you to crop photographs far more aggressively. The more aged NEX-3 is going to be behind with regard to sensor innovation.