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Sony NEX-3 vs Sony RX1R II

Portability
89
Imaging
54
Features
55
Overall
54
Sony Alpha NEX-3 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX1R II front
Portability
78
Imaging
76
Features
65
Overall
71

Sony NEX-3 vs Sony RX1R II Key Specs

Sony NEX-3
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 200 - 12800
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 297g - 117 x 62 x 33mm
  • Introduced June 2010
  • Updated by Sony NEX-C3
Sony RX1R II
(Full Review)
  • 42MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 50 - 25600 (Expand to 102400)
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 35mm (F2.0) lens
  • 507g - 113 x 65 x 72mm
  • Introduced October 2015
  • Replaced the Sony RX1R
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Sony NEX-3 vs Sony RX1R II Overview

Its time to look a bit more in depth at the Sony NEX-3 and Sony RX1R II, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the latter is a Large Sensor Compact and both are manufactured by Sony. There is a sizeable difference among the resolutions of the NEX-3 (14MP) and RX1R II (42MP) and the NEX-3 (APS-C) and RX1R II (Full frame) use totally different sensor size.

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The NEX-3 was released 6 years prior to the RX1R II and that is a fairly large gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Both the cameras come with different body type with the Sony NEX-3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony RX1R II being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before diving through a step-by-step comparison, below is a concise summary of how the NEX-3 scores versus the RX1R II with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Sony NEX-3 over the Sony RX1R II

 NEX-3 RX1R II 

Reasons to pick Sony RX1R II over the Sony NEX-3

 RX1R II NEX-3 
IntroducedOctober 2015June 2010Fresher by 65 months
Screen resolution1229k920kSharper screen (+309k dot)

Common features in the Sony NEX-3 and Sony RX1R II

 NEX-3 RX1R II 
Manually focus Dial accurate focusing
Screen typeTiltingTiltingTilting screen
Screen dimension3"3"Identical screen size
Selfie screen Lacking selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Neither offers Touch friendly screen

Sony NEX-3 vs Sony RX1R II Physical Comparison

For anyone who is looking to carry your camera often, you should take into account its weight and volume. The Sony NEX-3 offers physical measurements of 117mm x 62mm x 33mm (4.6" x 2.4" x 1.3") accompanied by a weight of 297 grams (0.65 lbs) while the Sony RX1R II has sizing of 113mm x 65mm x 72mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 2.8") accompanied by a weight of 507 grams (1.12 lbs).

Compare the Sony NEX-3 and Sony RX1R II in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Always remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you have attached at that time. Following is the front view over all size comparison of the NEX-3 versus the RX1R II.

Sony NEX-3 vs Sony RX1R II size comparison

Considering size and weight, the portability rating of the NEX-3 and RX1R II is 89 and 78 respectively.

Sony NEX-3 vs Sony RX1R II top view buttons comparison

Sony NEX-3 vs Sony RX1R II Sensor Comparison

Usually, it is difficult to see the difference in sensor sizing merely by checking out specs. The visual underneath will provide you a stronger sense of the sensor sizing in the NEX-3 and RX1R II.

All in all, both of the cameras posses different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The NEX-3 featuring a smaller sensor will make shooting bokeh more challenging and the Sony RX1R II will produce greater detail as a result of its extra 28 Megapixels. Higher resolution will let you crop photographs somewhat more aggressively. The older NEX-3 will be disadvantaged with regard to sensor tech.

Sony NEX-3 vs Sony RX1R II sensor size comparison

Sony NEX-3 vs Sony RX1R II Screen and ViewFinder

Sony NEX-3 vs Sony RX1R II Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photography Glossary

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Sony NEX-3 as a Portrait photography camera
Sony RX1R II as a Portrait photography camera
72
focusing manually
good resolution (14MP)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
features face detect focus
supports RAW files
85
manual focus
great flash sync speed (1/4,000s)
megapixel count amazing (42MP)
sensor size is large (Full frame)
provides face detection focus
delivers RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Sony NEX-3
Street photography with Sony RX1R II
76
has a tilting screen
nice sensor size (APS-C)
supports RAW files
does not have image stabilization
73
screen tilts
sensor size is large (Full frame)
delivers RAW formats
great high ISO (25,600)
no image stabilization
more heavy than competitors (507g)
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Sports Comparison

Sony NEX-3 Sports photography info
Sony RX1R II Sports photography info
52
good resolution (14MP)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
does not have image stabilization
lack of phase detect auto focus
63
megapixel count amazing (42MP)
sensor size is large (Full frame)
provides tracking autofocus
has phase detect auto focus
fixed focal length (35mm)
slow fps (5.0 frames per second)
no image stabilization
bad battery life (220 CIPA)
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Travel Comparison

Sony NEX-3 Travel photography features
Sony RX1R II Travel photography features
59
good resolution (14MP)
lack of Time Lapse mode
display isn't selfie friendly
59
megapixel count amazing (42 megapixels)
great maximum aperture (f2.0)
does not have Timelapse recording
bad battery life (220 shots)
more heavy than competitors (507g)
display is not selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Sony NEX-3 Landscape photography details
Sony RX1R II Landscape photography details
68
focusing manually
interchangeable lenses (Sony E mount)
screen size is good (3 inch)
good resolution (14 megapixels)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
supports RAW files
does not have image stabilization
lack of Time Lapse mode
68
manual focus
great maximum aperture (f2.0)
nice screen size (3")
megapixel count amazing (42 megapixels)
sensor size is large (Full frame)
does not have anti aliasing filter
great high ISO (25,600)
delivers RAW formats
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
fixed focal length (35mm)
no image stabilization
bad battery life (220 shots)
does not have Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Sony NEX-3
Vlogging with Sony RX1R II
27
features face detect focus
display isn't selfie friendly
does not have image stabilization
low res video (1280 x 720 pxls)
lack of mic jack
34
great maximum aperture (f2.0)
provides face detection focus
high res video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
has external microphone support
display is not selfie friendly
no image stabilization
more heavy than competitors (507g)
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Sony NEX-3 vs Sony RX1R II Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony NEX-3 and Sony RX1R II
 Sony Alpha NEX-3Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX1R II
General Information
Brand Name Sony Sony
Model type Sony Alpha NEX-3 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX1R II
Type Entry-Level Mirrorless Large Sensor Compact
Introduced 2010-06-07 2015-10-13
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless Large Sensor Compact
Sensor Information
Chip Bionz BIONZ X
Sensor type CMOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size APS-C Full frame
Sensor measurements 23.4 x 15.6mm 35.9 x 24mm
Sensor area 365.0mm² 861.6mm²
Sensor resolution 14MP 42MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Max resolution 4592 x 3056 7952 x 5304
Max native ISO 12800 25600
Max enhanced ISO - 102400
Min native ISO 200 50
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch focus
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Tracking autofocus
Selective autofocus
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detect autofocus
Contract detect autofocus
Phase detect autofocus
Total focus points 25 25
Lens
Lens mount type Sony E fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 35mm (1x)
Maximal aperture - f/2.0
Macro focusing distance - 14cm
Amount of lenses 121 -
Crop factor 1.5 1
Screen
Type of display Tilting Tilting
Display diagonal 3" 3"
Display resolution 920k dots 1,229k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Display tech TFT Xtra Fine LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 2,359k dots
Viewfinder coverage - 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.74x
Features
Minimum shutter speed 30 seconds 30 seconds
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Continuous shutter rate 7.0fps 5.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 12.00 m no built-in flash
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in Off, auto, fill flash, slow sync, rear sync, wireless
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Fastest flash synchronize 1/160 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60p, 60i, 30p, 24p), 1280 x 720 (120p, 30p)
Max video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video data format MPEG-4 MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC S, H.264
Microphone 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
Environment sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 297 gr (0.65 lb) 507 gr (1.12 lb)
Dimensions 117 x 62 x 33mm (4.6" x 2.4" x 1.3") 113 x 65 x 72mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 2.8")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 68 97
DXO Color Depth rating 22.1 25.8
DXO Dynamic range rating 12.0 13.9
DXO Low light rating 830 3204
Other
Battery life 330 photographs 220 photographs
Form of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID NPFW50 NP-BX1
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10sec (3 images)) Yes (2,5, 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Storage type SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo SD/SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo
Card slots 1 1
Price at release $0 $3,300