Sony NEX-3 vs Sony RX100 VII

Below is a in depth review of the Sony NEX-3 versus Sony RX100 VII, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the other is a Large Sensor Compact and both of them are designed by Sony. There is a large difference between the sensor resolutions of the NEX-3 (14MP) and RX100 VII (20MP) and the NEX-3 (APS-C) and RX100 VII (1") possess totally different sensor measurements.

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The NEX-3 was announced 10 years before the RX100 VII and that is quite a serious difference as far as tech is concerned. The two cameras come with different body type with the Sony NEX-3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony RX100 VII being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before we go through a complete comparison, below is a brief summation of how the NEX-3 grades versus the RX100 VII with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

The following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Sony Alpha NEX-3 & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 VII. The whole galleries are available at Sony NEX-3 Gallery & Sony RX100 VII Gallery.

When you are intending to lug around your camera, you need to consider its weight and size. The Sony NEX-3 enjoys outside 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) while the Sony RX100 VII has specifications of 102mm x 58mm x 43mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.7") and a weight of 302 grams (0.67 lbs).

Look at the Sony NEX-3 versus Sony RX100 VII in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you select at that time. Below is the front view physical size comparison of the NEX-3 compared to the RX100 VII.

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability grade of the NEX-3 and RX100 VII is 89 and 88 respectively.

Generally, its difficult to envision the contrast between sensor measurements purely by reviewing specifications. The photograph underneath will provide you a more clear sense of the sensor dimensions in the NEX-3 and RX100 VII.

Plainly, each of these cameras posses different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The NEX-3 with its larger sensor will make getting shallower depth of field simpler and the Sony RX100 VII will offer you greater detail with its extra 6MP. Greater resolution can also allow you to crop photos somewhat more aggressively. The older NEX-3 is going to be disadvantaged in sensor technology.