Sony NEX-3 vs Sony WX500

Below, we are comparing the Sony NEX-3 vs Sony WX500, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom and they are both designed by Sony. There exists a significant gap among the sensor resolutions of the NEX-3 (14MP) and WX500 (18MP) and the NEX-3 (APS-C) and WX500 (1/2.3") feature totally different sensor dimensions.

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The NEX-3 was brought out 5 years before the WX500 and that is a fairly sizable gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of these cameras come with different body type with the Sony NEX-3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony WX500 being a Compact camera.

Before delving straight into a thorough comparison, below is a brief view of how the NEX-3 matches up vs the WX500 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Following is a sample of the gallery pics for Sony Alpha NEX-3 and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX500. The entire galleries are available at Sony NEX-3 Gallery and Sony WX500 Gallery.

If you're looking to lug around your camera frequently, you will have to factor its weight and dimensions. The Sony NEX-3 offers outer measurements of 117mm x 62mm x 33mm (4.6" x 2.4" x 1.3") and a weight of 297 grams (0.65 lbs) whilst the Sony WX500 has dimensions of 102mm x 58mm x 36mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.4") accompanied by a weight of 236 grams (0.52 lbs).

See the Sony NEX-3 vs Sony WX500 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary depending on the lens you select at the time. Following is the front view physical size comparison of the NEX-3 vs the WX500.

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the NEX-3 and WX500 is 89 and 91 respectively.

More often than not, its tough to envision the gap in sensor measurements merely by going through technical specs. The graphic below will offer you a clearer sense of the sensor measurements in the NEX-3 and WX500.

As you can tell, both of the cameras posses different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The NEX-3 due to its larger sensor will make shooting shallow depth of field simpler and the Sony WX500 will provide greater detail having its extra 4MP. Greater resolution will also help you crop photos somewhat more aggressively. The older NEX-3 will be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor technology.