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Sony NEX-3 vs Sony RX100 IV

Portability
89
Imaging
54
Features
55
Overall
54
Sony Alpha NEX-3 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 IV front
Portability
89
Imaging
52
Features
79
Overall
62

Sony NEX-3 vs Sony RX100 IV 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
  • Announced June 2010
  • New Model is Sony NEX-C3
Sony RX100 IV
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - 1" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 125 - 12800 (Expand to 25600)
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • 24-70mm (F1.8-2.8) lens
  • 298g - 102 x 58 x 41mm
  • Introduced June 2015
  • Earlier Model is Sony RX100 III
  • Refreshed by Sony RX100 V
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Sony NEX-3 vs Sony RX100 IV Overview

Its time to look a little more closely at the Sony NEX-3 and Sony RX100 IV, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the other is a Large Sensor Compact and they are both produced by Sony. There exists a sizable gap between the image resolutions of the NEX-3 (14MP) and RX100 IV (20MP) and the NEX-3 (APS-C) and RX100 IV (1") provide different sensor size.

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The NEX-3 was launched 6 years prior to the RX100 IV and that is quite a significant difference as far as technology is concerned. Both cameras have different body design with the Sony NEX-3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony RX100 IV being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before getting right into a complete comparison, here is a brief summary of how the NEX-3 matches up versus the RX100 IV for portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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

 NEX-3 RX100 IV 

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

 RX100 IV NEX-3 
IntroducedJune 2015June 2010More recent by 60 months
Display resolution1229k920kCrisper display (+309k dot)
Selfie screen Take selfies

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

 NEX-3 RX100 IV 
Manual focus More precise focusing
Display typeTiltingTiltingTilting display
Display dimensions3"3"Equal display size
Touch friendly display No Touch friendly display

Sony NEX-3 vs Sony RX100 IV Physical Comparison

For anyone who is planning to lug around your camera frequently, you're going to have to take into account its weight and size. The Sony NEX-3 has got outside dimensions of 117mm x 62mm x 33mm (4.6" x 2.4" x 1.3") and a weight of 297 grams (0.65 lbs) while the Sony RX100 IV has specifications of 102mm x 58mm x 41mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.6") having a weight of 298 grams (0.66 lbs).

See the Sony NEX-3 and Sony RX100 IV in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into account, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you use at that moment. The following is a front view dimensions comparison of the NEX-3 against the RX100 IV.

Sony NEX-3 vs Sony RX100 IV size comparison

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the NEX-3 and RX100 IV is 89 and 89 respectively.

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

Sony NEX-3 vs Sony RX100 IV Sensor Comparison

Typically, it is very difficult to picture the difference between sensor measurements just by looking at specs. The photograph below may give you a greater sense of the sensor sizes in the NEX-3 and RX100 IV.

All in all, each of the cameras have different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The NEX-3 featuring a larger sensor is going to make achieving shallow DOF simpler and the Sony RX100 IV will give you extra detail utilizing its extra 6MP. Greater resolution will also help you crop pics a bit more aggressively. The older NEX-3 is going to be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor innovation.

Sony NEX-3 vs Sony RX100 IV sensor size comparison

Sony NEX-3 vs Sony RX100 IV Screen and ViewFinder

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

Portrait Comparison

Sony NEX-3 Portrait photography features
Sony RX100 IV Portrait photography features
72
you can focus manually
MP count decent (14MP)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
offers face detect focus
exports RAW files
65
has manual focus
flash sync is higher than normal (1/2,000 seconds)
decent megapixels (20 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (1")
comes with face detection focusing
delivers RAW formats
can't use external flash
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Sony NEX-3
Street photography with Sony RX100 IV
76
has a tilting screen
decent sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW files
does not have image stabilization
85
has a tilting screen
image stabilization (Optical)
sensor size is nice (1")
delivers RAW formats
lighter than competition in class (298g)
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Sports Comparison

Sony NEX-3 Sports photography info
Sony RX100 IV Sports photography info
52
MP count decent (14MP)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
does not have image stabilization
no phase detect auto focus
68
silent mode (1/32,000s)
high frames per second (16.0 fps)
image stabilization (Optical)
decent megapixels (20MP)
sensor size is nice (1")
comes with tracking autofocus
lacks phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Sony NEX-3 as a Travel photography camera
Sony RX100 IV as a Travel photography camera
59
MP count decent (14MP)
missing Timelapse mode
doesn't have a selfie friendly screen
86
lighter than competition in class (298 grams)
decent megapixels (20MP)
has built in flash
selfie friendly display
really wide (24mm)
very good max aperture (f1.8)
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Landscape Comparison

Sony NEX-3 Landscape photography features
Sony RX100 IV Landscape photography features
68
you can focus manually
swap lenses (Sony E mount)
screen is a decent size (3")
MP count decent (14MP)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW files
does not have image stabilization
missing Timelapse mode
74
has manual focus
really wide (24mm)
very good max aperture (f1.8)
screen size is decent (3 inches)
image stabilization (Optical)
decent megapixels (20 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (1")
delivers RAW formats
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
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Vlogging Comparison

Sony NEX-3 Vlogging details
Sony RX100 IV Vlogging details
27
offers face detect focus
doesn't have a selfie friendly screen
does not have image stabilization
video quality not great (1280 x 720 resolution)
missing microphone socket
81
really wide (24mm)
very good max aperture (f1.8)
selfie friendly display
image stabilization (Optical)
comes with face detection focusing
high quality video (3840 x 2160 pixels)
lighter than competition in class (298 grams)
lack of external microphone port
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Sony NEX-3 vs Sony RX100 IV Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony NEX-3 and Sony RX100 IV
 Sony Alpha NEX-3Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 IV
General Information
Manufacturer Sony Sony
Model type Sony Alpha NEX-3 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 IV
Category Entry-Level Mirrorless Large Sensor Compact
Announced 2010-06-07 2015-06-10
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless Large Sensor Compact
Sensor Information
Powered by Bionz Bionz X
Sensor type CMOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size APS-C 1"
Sensor measurements 23.4 x 15.6mm 13.2 x 8.8mm
Sensor surface area 365.0mm² 116.2mm²
Sensor resolution 14 megapixel 20 megapixel
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
Highest enhanced ISO - 25600
Min native ISO 200 125
RAW files
Min enhanced ISO - 80
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
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)
Max aperture - f/1.8-2.8
Macro focusing range - 5cm
Number of lenses 121 -
Crop factor 1.5 2.7
Screen
Screen type Tilting Tilting
Screen sizing 3 inches 3 inches
Screen resolution 920k dot 1,229k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Screen tech TFT Xtra Fine LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 2,359k dot
Viewfinder coverage - 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.59x
Features
Minimum shutter speed 30 seconds 30 seconds
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/2000 seconds
Fastest silent shutter speed - 1/32000 seconds
Continuous shutter speed 7.0 frames/s 16.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 12.00 m -
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in -
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Fastest flash sync 1/160 seconds 1/2000 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 3840 x 2160 (30p, 25p, 24p), 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 3840x2160
Video data format MPEG-4 MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC S
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
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
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 297 grams (0.65 lb) 298 grams (0.66 lb)
Physical 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 70
DXO Color Depth rating 22.1 22.9
DXO Dynamic range rating 12.0 12.6
DXO Low light rating 830 562
Other
Battery life 330 images 280 images
Battery form Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID NPFW50 NP-BX1
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10sec (3 images)) Yes
Time lapse shooting 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
Storage slots 1 1
Pricing at release $0 $898