Sony NEX-3 vs Sony W550
89 Imaging
54 Features
55 Overall
54
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96 Imaging
37 Features
28 Overall
33
Sony NEX-3 vs Sony W550 Key Specs
(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
- Replacement is Sony NEX-C3
(Full Review)
- 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
- 3" Fixed Display
- ISO 80 - 3200
- Optical Image Stabilization
- 1280 x 720 video
- 26-104mm (F2.7-5.7) lens
- 110g - 94 x 56 x 19mm
- Released July 2011
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Sony NEX-3 vs Sony W550 Overview
Lets look a little more in depth at the Sony NEX-3 vs Sony W550, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the other is a Ultracompact and both are designed by Sony. The resolution of the NEX-3 (14MP) and the W550 (14MP) is fairly comparable but the NEX-3 (APS-C) and W550 (1/2.3") come with different sensor sizes.
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The NEX-3 was unveiled 13 months before the W550 making the cameras a generation apart from each other. Both of these cameras come with different body type with the Sony NEX-3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony W550 being a Ultracompact camera.
Before delving straight into a step-by-step comparison, below is a brief highlight of how the NEX-3 scores against the W550 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.
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Sony NEX-3 vs Sony W550 Gallery
Following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Sony Alpha NEX-3 & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W550. The full galleries are available at Sony NEX-3 Gallery & Sony W550 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Sony NEX-3 over the Sony W550
NEX-3 | W550 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Focus manually | ![]() | More exact focus | ||
Display type | Tilting | ![]() | Fixed | Tilting display |
Display resolution | 920k | ![]() | 230k | Sharper display (+690k dot) |
Reasons to pick Sony W550 over the Sony NEX-3
W550 | NEX-3 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Released | July 2011 | ![]() | June 2010 | More recent by 13 months |
Common features in the Sony NEX-3 and Sony W550
NEX-3 | W550 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Display dimension | 3" | ![]() | 3" | Identical display dimensions |
Selfie screen | ![]() | Neither offers selfie screen | ||
Touch friendly display | ![]() | Neither offers Touch friendly display |
Sony NEX-3 vs Sony W550 Physical Comparison
When you are intending to lug around your camera frequently, you are going to need to consider its weight and proportions. The Sony NEX-3 offers outer 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 W550 has measurements of 94mm x 56mm x 19mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.7") and a weight of 110 grams (0.24 lbs).
Check out the Sony NEX-3 vs Sony W550 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Remember that, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you choose at that moment. The following is the front view dimensions comparison of the NEX-3 versus the W550.
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Taking into account size and weight, the portability rating of the NEX-3 and W550 is 89 and 96 respectively.
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Sony NEX-3 vs Sony W550 Sensor Comparison
Generally, it is very difficult to imagine the difference in sensor measurements only by going through a spec sheet. The graphic here might offer you a much better sense of the sensor sizes in the NEX-3 and W550.
Clearly, the 2 cameras have got the exact same resolution but different sensor measurements. The NEX-3 provides the larger sensor which will make achieving bokeh simpler. The older NEX-3 will be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor technology.
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Sony NEX-3 vs Sony W550 Screen and ViewFinder
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Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison
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Street Comparison
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Sports Comparison
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Travel Comparison
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Landscape Comparison
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Vlogging Comparison
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Sony NEX-3 vs Sony W550 Specifications
Sony Alpha NEX-3 | Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W550 | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Manufacturer | Sony | Sony |
Model type | Sony Alpha NEX-3 | Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W550 |
Category | Entry-Level Mirrorless | Ultracompact |
Introduced | 2010-06-07 | 2011-07-24 |
Physical type | Rangefinder-style mirrorless | Ultracompact |
Sensor Information | ||
Chip | Bionz | BIONZ |
Sensor type | CMOS | CCD |
Sensor size | APS-C | 1/2.3" |
Sensor dimensions | 23.4 x 15.6mm | 6.17 x 4.55mm |
Sensor area | 365.0mm² | 28.1mm² |
Sensor resolution | 14 megapixel | 14 megapixel |
Anti alias filter | ||
Aspect ratio | 3:2 and 16:9 | 4:3 and 16:9 |
Full resolution | 4592 x 3056 | 4320 x 3240 |
Max native ISO | 12800 | 3200 |
Minimum native ISO | 200 | 80 |
RAW files | ||
Autofocusing | ||
Focus manually | ||
AF touch | ||
AF continuous | ||
AF single | ||
Tracking AF | ||
Selective AF | ||
AF center weighted | ||
Multi area AF | ||
AF live view | ||
Face detect AF | ||
Contract detect AF | ||
Phase detect AF | ||
Total focus points | 25 | 9 |
Lens | ||
Lens support | Sony E | fixed lens |
Lens zoom range | - | 26-104mm (4.0x) |
Maximum aperture | - | f/2.7-5.7 |
Macro focusing range | - | 5cm |
Amount of lenses | 121 | - |
Crop factor | 1.5 | 5.8 |
Screen | ||
Display type | Tilting | Fixed Type |
Display diagonal | 3" | 3" |
Resolution of display | 920k dots | 230k dots |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch screen | ||
Display technology | TFT Xtra Fine LCD | Clear Photo LCD |
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder type | None | None |
Features | ||
Slowest shutter speed | 30s | 2s |
Maximum shutter speed | 1/4000s | 1/1600s |
Continuous shooting rate | 7.0fps | 1.0fps |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Manual mode | ||
Exposure compensation | Yes | - |
Set WB | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Integrated flash | ||
Flash distance | 12.00 m | 3.80 m |
Flash options | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in | Auto, On, Off, Slow Sync |
Hot shoe | ||
AEB | ||
WB bracketing | ||
Maximum flash synchronize | 1/160s | - |
Exposure | ||
Multisegment | ||
Average | ||
Spot | ||
Partial | ||
AF area | ||
Center weighted | ||
Video features | ||
Video resolutions | 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) | 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) |
Max video resolution | 1280x720 | 1280x720 |
Video data format | MPEG-4 | MPEG-4 |
Mic port | ||
Headphone port | ||
Connectivity | ||
Wireless | Eye-Fi Connected | None |
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 pounds) | 110 gr (0.24 pounds) |
Dimensions | 117 x 62 x 33mm (4.6" x 2.4" x 1.3") | 94 x 56 x 19mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.7") |
DXO scores | ||
DXO All around rating | 68 | not tested |
DXO Color Depth rating | 22.1 | not tested |
DXO Dynamic range rating | 12.0 | not tested |
DXO Low light rating | 830 | not tested |
Other | ||
Battery life | 330 photographs | - |
Type of battery | Battery Pack | - |
Battery ID | NPFW50 | NP-BN1 |
Self timer | Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10sec (3 images)) | Yes (2 or 10 sec, Portrait 1/2) |
Time lapse recording | ||
Type of storage | SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo | SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Duo/Memory Stick Pro Duo, Memory Stick Pro-HG Duo |
Card slots | Single | - |
Cost at launch | $0 | $119 |