Sony NEX-3 vs Sony A77 II

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).

Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide

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.

This is a preview of the gallery images for Sony Alpha NEX-3 & Sony SLT-A77 II. The full galleries are viewable at Sony NEX-3 Gallery & Sony A77 II Gallery.

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.

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.

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

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.