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Sony NEX-3 vs Sony A77 II

Portability
89
Imaging
54
Features
55
Overall
54
Sony Alpha NEX-3 front
 
Sony SLT-A77 II front
Portability
62
Imaging
66
Features
85
Overall
73

Sony NEX-3 vs Sony A77 II 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
  • Revealed June 2010
  • Renewed by Sony NEX-C3
Sony A77 II
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 50 - 25600
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 647g - 143 x 104 x 81mm
  • Launched May 2014
  • Replaced the Sony A77
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Sony NEX-3 vs Sony A77 II Overview

Let's look a bit more closely at the Sony NEX-3 vs Sony A77 II, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Advanced DSLR and both of them are created by Sony. There is a large difference between the resolutions of the NEX-3 (14MP) and A77 II (24MP) but both cameras boast the same sensor measurements (APS-C).

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The NEX-3 was revealed 5 years prior to the A77 II and that is quite a serious difference as far as tech is concerned. Each of these cameras have different body design with the Sony NEX-3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony A77 II being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before diving right into a comprehensive comparison, here is a simple highlight of how the NEX-3 grades vs the A77 II with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Sony NEX-3 over the Sony A77 II

 NEX-3 A77 II 

Reasons to pick Sony A77 II over the Sony NEX-3

 A77 II NEX-3 
LaunchedMay 2014June 2010Fresher by 48 months
Screen typeFully ArticulatedTiltingFully Articulating screen
Screen resolution1229k920kCrisper screen (+309k dot)
Selfie screen Take selfies

Common features in the Sony NEX-3 and Sony A77 II

 NEX-3 A77 II 
Manual focus Very precise focus
Screen dimensions3"3"Equal screen measurements
Touch friendly screen Neither contains Touch friendly screen

Sony NEX-3 vs Sony A77 II Physical Comparison

For anyone who is planning to carry your camera often, you will want to factor its weight and volume. The Sony NEX-3 has got outer 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) and the Sony A77 II has sizing of 143mm x 104mm x 81mm (5.6" x 4.1" x 3.2") with a weight of 647 grams (1.43 lbs).

Look at the Sony NEX-3 vs Sony A77 II in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you are utilizing at that time. The following is a front view dimension comparison of the NEX-3 versus the A77 II.

Sony NEX-3 vs Sony A77 II size comparison

Factoring in size and weight, the portability score of the NEX-3 and A77 II is 89 and 62 respectively.

Sony NEX-3 vs Sony A77 II top view buttons comparison

Sony NEX-3 vs Sony A77 II Sensor Comparison

Often, it's hard to imagine the contrast between sensor sizing just by looking at specs. The graphic underneath will provide you a more clear sense of the sensor sizing in the NEX-3 and A77 II.

All in all, both of these cameras provide the same sensor dimensions albeit different resolution. You can expect the Sony A77 II to give you more detail because of its extra 10MP. Higher resolution will also let you crop pictures more aggressively. The older NEX-3 is going to be behind when it comes to sensor innovation.

Sony NEX-3 vs Sony A77 II sensor size comparison

Sony NEX-3 vs Sony A77 II Screen and ViewFinder

Sony NEX-3 vs Sony A77 II Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Sony NEX-3 Portrait photography factors
Sony A77 II Portrait photography factors
72
you can focus manually
MP count good (14 megapixels)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
supports face detection focusing
exports RAW files
79
has manual focus
decent sensor resolution (24MP)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
comes with face detection focus
delivers RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Sony NEX-3 Street photography details
Sony A77 II Street photography details
76
has a tilting screen
nice sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW files
does not have image stabilization
76
fully articulated screen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
delivers RAW formats
weather proof
above average ISO range (25,600)
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Sports Comparison

Sony NEX-3 Sports photography information
Sony A77 II Sports photography information
52
MP count good (14 megapixels)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
does not have image stabilization
has no phase detect AF
76
maximum shutter speed is high (1/8,000 seconds)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor resolution (24 megapixels)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
comes with tracking autofocus
weather proof
has phase detect auto focus
bad battery life (480 per charge)
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Travel Comparison

Sony NEX-3 Travel photography factors
Sony A77 II Travel photography factors
59
MP count good (14 megapixels)
doesn't have Time Lapse mode
doesn't offer selfie friendly display
64
weather proof
decent sensor resolution (24MP)
has built in flash
selfie friendly display
does not have Timelapse mode
bad battery life (480 CIPA)
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Landscape Comparison

Sony NEX-3 Landscape photography advice
Sony A77 II Landscape photography advice
68
you can focus manually
interchangeable lenses (Sony E mount)
screen is a good size (3 inch)
MP count good (14 megapixels)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW files
does not have image stabilization
doesn't have Time Lapse mode
73
has manual focus
swap lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
screen is a decent size (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor resolution (24 megapixels)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
above average ISO range (25,600)
delivers RAW formats
weather proof
bad battery life (480 CIPA)
does not have Timelapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Sony NEX-3 Vlogging information
Sony A77 II Vlogging information
27
supports face detection focusing
doesn't offer selfie friendly display
does not have image stabilization
video quality not great (1280 x 720 pxls)
doesn't have external mic socket
78
selfie friendly display
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
comes with face detection focus
video res high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
has external microphone socket
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Sony NEX-3 vs Sony A77 II Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony NEX-3 and Sony A77 II
 Sony Alpha NEX-3Sony SLT-A77 II
General Information
Company Sony Sony
Model type Sony Alpha NEX-3 Sony SLT-A77 II
Category Entry-Level Mirrorless Advanced DSLR
Revealed 2010-06-07 2014-05-21
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Powered by Bionz Bionz X
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size APS-C APS-C
Sensor measurements 23.4 x 15.6mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor area 365.0mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 14 megapixel 24 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 4592 x 3056 6000 x 4000
Highest native ISO 12800 25600
Lowest native ISO 200 50
RAW images
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch to focus
Continuous AF
AF single
Tracking AF
Selective AF
AF center weighted
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Total focus points 25 79
Cross type focus points - 15
Lens
Lens support Sony E Sony/Minolta Alpha
Number of lenses 121 143
Crop factor 1.5 1.5
Screen
Screen type Tilting Fully Articulated
Screen diagonal 3 inches 3 inches
Screen resolution 920 thousand dots 1,229 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Screen tech TFT Xtra Fine LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 2,359 thousand dots
Viewfinder coverage - 100%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.73x
Features
Minimum shutter speed 30 secs 30 secs
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/8000 secs
Continuous shutter rate 7.0fps 12.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 12.00 m 12.00 m (at ISO 100)
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in Auto, fill, rear sync, slow sync
External flash
AEB
White balance bracketing
Fastest flash synchronize 1/160 secs 1/250 secs
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60p, 60i, 30p), 1440 x 1080 (30p), 640 x 480 (30p)
Highest video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video file format MPEG-4 MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC S
Microphone port
Headphone port
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 297g (0.65 lb) 647g (1.43 lb)
Physical dimensions 117 x 62 x 33mm (4.6" x 2.4" x 1.3") 143 x 104 x 81mm (5.6" x 4.1" x 3.2")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 68 82
DXO Color Depth rating 22.1 24.4
DXO Dynamic range rating 12.0 13.4
DXO Low light rating 830 1013
Other
Battery life 330 photos 480 photos
Battery type Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID NPFW50 NP-FM500H
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10sec (3 images)) Yes (Yes (2 or 12 sec))
Time lapse shooting
Storage type SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Card slots Single Single
Pricing at release $0 $1,198