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Sony NEX-3 vs Sony RX100 III

Portability
89
Imaging
54
Features
55
Overall
54
Sony Alpha NEX-3 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 III front
Portability
89
Imaging
51
Features
77
Overall
61

Sony NEX-3 vs Sony RX100 III 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
  • Released June 2010
  • Replacement is Sony NEX-C3
Sony RX100 III
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - 1" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 125 - 12800
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 24-70mm (F1.8-2.8) lens
  • 290g - 102 x 58 x 41mm
  • Revealed May 2014
  • Succeeded the Sony RX100 II
  • Newer Model is Sony RX100 IV
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Sony NEX-3 vs Sony RX100 III Overview

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.

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Reasons to pick Sony NEX-3 over the Sony RX100 III

 NEX-3 RX100 III 

Reasons to pick Sony RX100 III over the Sony NEX-3

 RX100 III NEX-3 
RevealedMay 2014June 2010More modern by 47 months
Screen resolution1229k920kCrisper screen (+309k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies

Common features in the Sony NEX-3 and Sony RX100 III

 NEX-3 RX100 III 
Manual focus Dial exact focus
Screen typeTiltingTiltingTilting screen
Screen sizing3"3"Equivalent screen size
Touch friendly screen Neither provides Touch friendly screen

Sony NEX-3 vs Sony RX100 III Physical Comparison

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. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

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.

Sony NEX-3 vs Sony RX100 III size comparison

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

Sony NEX-3 vs Sony RX100 III top view buttons comparison

Sony NEX-3 vs Sony RX100 III Sensor Comparison

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.

Sony NEX-3 vs Sony RX100 III sensor size comparison

Sony NEX-3 vs Sony RX100 III Screen and ViewFinder

Sony NEX-3 vs Sony RX100 III Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Sony NEX-3 Portrait photography features
Sony RX100 III Portrait photography features
72
focusing manually
decent MP (14 megapixels)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
comes with face detect focus
saves RAW files
64
focusing manually
high flash sync (1/2,000s)
sensor resolution is decent (20MP)
nice sensor size (1")
comes with face detection focusing
delivers RAW formats
can't use external flash
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Street Comparison

Sony NEX-3 Street photography features
Sony RX100 III Street photography features
76
has a tilting screen
nice sensor size (APS-C)
saves RAW files
lack of image stabilization
85
tilting screen
built in image stabilization (Optical)
nice sensor size (1")
delivers RAW formats
lighter than others in class (290 grams)
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Sports Comparison

Sony NEX-3 Sports photography factors
Sony RX100 III Sports photography factors
52
decent MP (14MP)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
lack of image stabilization
does not have phase detect auto focus
65
built in image stabilization (Optical)
sensor resolution is decent (20MP)
nice sensor size (1")
comes with tracking autofocus
no phase detect AF
Photography Glossary

Travel Comparison

Sony NEX-3 as a Travel photography camera
Sony RX100 III as a Travel photography camera
59
decent MP (14MP)
does not have Timelapse mode
screen isn't selfie friendly
85
lighter than others in class (290g)
sensor resolution is decent (20MP)
has built in flash
display is selfie friendly
really wide (24mm)
great max aperture (f1.8)
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Landscape Comparison

Sony NEX-3 Landscape photography details
Sony RX100 III Landscape photography details
68
focusing manually
change lenses (Sony E mount)
screen is a decent size (3")
decent MP (14 megapixels)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
saves RAW files
lack of image stabilization
does not have Timelapse mode
73
focusing manually
really wide (24mm)
great max aperture (f1.8)
nice screen size (3")
built in image stabilization (Optical)
sensor resolution is decent (20 megapixels)
nice sensor size (1")
delivers RAW formats
can't switch lenses (fixed lens mount)
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Vlogging Comparison

Sony NEX-3 as a Vlogging camera
Sony RX100 III as a Vlogging camera
27
comes with face detect focus
screen isn't selfie friendly
lack of image stabilization
low video resolution (1280 x 720 resolution)
does not have microphone jack
80
really wide (24mm)
great max aperture (f1.8)
display is selfie friendly
built in image stabilization (Optical)
comes with face detection focusing
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
lighter than others in class (290g)
does not have external mic support
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Sony NEX-3 vs Sony RX100 III Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony NEX-3 and Sony RX100 III
 Sony Alpha NEX-3Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 III
General Information
Manufacturer Sony Sony
Model type Sony Alpha NEX-3 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 III
Type Entry-Level Mirrorless Large Sensor Compact
Released 2010-06-07 2014-05-15
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless Large Sensor Compact
Sensor Information
Chip Bionz Bionz X
Sensor type CMOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size APS-C 1"
Sensor dimensions 23.4 x 15.6mm 13.2 x 8.8mm
Sensor surface area 365.0mm² 116.2mm²
Sensor resolution 14MP 20MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 4592 x 3056 5472 x 3648
Highest native ISO 12800 12800
Minimum native ISO 200 125
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Continuous autofocus
Single autofocus
Tracking autofocus
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Total focus points 25 25
Lens
Lens mount type Sony E fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 24-70mm (2.9x)
Maximal aperture - f/1.8-2.8
Macro focusing range - 5cm
Amount of lenses 121 -
Focal length multiplier 1.5 2.7
Screen
Screen type Tilting Tilting
Screen sizing 3" 3"
Resolution of screen 920k dots 1,229k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Screen technology TFT Xtra Fine LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 1,440k dots
Viewfinder coverage - 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.59x
Features
Minimum shutter speed 30 secs 30 secs
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/2000 secs
Continuous shutter rate 7.0 frames per sec 10.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 12.00 m -
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in -
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Fastest flash synchronize 1/160 secs 1/2000 secs
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60p/60i/24p), 1280 x 720 (60p/30p/24p/120p), 1440 x 1080 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video data format MPEG-4 MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC S
Mic support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless Eye-Fi Connected Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 297g (0.65 pounds) 290g (0.64 pounds)
Dimensions 117 x 62 x 33mm (4.6" x 2.4" x 1.3") 102 x 58 x 41mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.6")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 68 67
DXO Color Depth rating 22.1 22.4
DXO Dynamic range rating 12.0 12.3
DXO Low light rating 830 495
Other
Battery life 330 pictures 320 pictures
Battery style Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID NPFW50 NP-BX1
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10sec (3 images)) Yes (2 or 10 sec, self-portrait, continuous)
Time lapse feature With downloadable app
Type of storage SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Card slots Single Single
Cost at release $0 $748