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Sony NEX-5 vs Sony NEX-C3

Portability
89
Imaging
54
Features
58
Overall
55
Sony Alpha NEX-5 front
 
Sony Alpha NEX-C3 front
Portability
91
Imaging
56
Features
57
Overall
56

Sony NEX-5 vs Sony NEX-C3 Key Specs

Sony NEX-5
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 200 - 12800
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 287g - 111 x 59 x 38mm
  • Introduced June 2010
  • New Model is Sony NEX-5N
Sony NEX-C3
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 100 - 12800
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 225g - 110 x 60 x 33mm
  • Revealed August 2011
  • Superseded the Sony NEX-3
  • Newer Model is Sony NEX-F3
Photography Glossary

Sony NEX-5 vs Sony NEX-C3 Overview

Its time to take a deeper look at the Sony NEX-5 vs Sony NEX-C3, both Entry-Level Mirrorless digital cameras and they are both produced by Sony. The image resolution of the NEX-5 (14MP) and the NEX-C3 (16MP) is fairly well matched and they feature the same exact sensor sizes (APS-C).

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The NEX-5 was manufactured 14 months prior to the NEX-C3 making the cameras a generation apart from one another. Both cameras offer the identical body type (Rangefinder-style mirrorless).

Before delving straight into a complete comparison, below is a brief overview of how the NEX-5 scores against the NEX-C3 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Sony NEX-5 over the Sony NEX-C3

 NEX-5 NEX-C3 

Reasons to pick Sony NEX-C3 over the Sony NEX-5

 NEX-C3 NEX-5 
RevealedAugust 2011June 2010More recent by 14 months

Common features in the Sony NEX-5 and Sony NEX-C3

 NEX-5 NEX-C3 
Manually focus Dial exact focusing
Display typeTiltingTiltingTilting display
Display sizing3"3"Equivalent display dimensions
Display resolution920k920kExact same display resolution
Selfie screen Neither contains selfie screen
Touch friendly display Neither contains Touch friendly display

Sony NEX-5 vs Sony NEX-C3 Physical Comparison

In case you're intending to lug around your camera often, you are going to need to think about its weight and dimensions. The Sony NEX-5 has got physical measurements of 111mm x 59mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.3" x 1.5") along with a weight of 287 grams (0.63 lbs) while the Sony NEX-C3 has dimensions of 110mm x 60mm x 33mm (4.3" x 2.4" x 1.3") and a weight of 225 grams (0.50 lbs).

Compare the Sony NEX-5 vs Sony NEX-C3 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change based on the lens you are employing at the time. The following is the front view measurement comparison of the NEX-5 versus the NEX-C3.

Sony NEX-5 vs Sony NEX-C3 size comparison

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability score of the NEX-5 and NEX-C3 is 89 and 91 respectively.

Sony NEX-5 vs Sony NEX-C3 top view buttons comparison

Sony NEX-5 vs Sony NEX-C3 Sensor Comparison

Quite often, it is very tough to envision the gap between sensor measurements merely by reading through a spec sheet. The visual underneath will help give you a clearer sense of the sensor measurements in the NEX-5 and NEX-C3.

Clearly, both of the cameras enjoy the same exact sensor sizing but not the same megapixels. You should anticipate the Sony NEX-C3 to give greater detail due to its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also allow you to crop photos far more aggressively. The older NEX-5 is going to be behind with regard to sensor innovation.

Sony NEX-5 vs Sony NEX-C3 sensor size comparison

Sony NEX-5 vs Sony NEX-C3 Screen and ViewFinder

Sony NEX-5 vs Sony NEX-C3 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Sony NEX-5 Portrait photography info
Sony NEX-C3 Portrait photography info
72
manual focus
megapixel count decent (14 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
supports RAW formats
73
has manual focus
resolution is good (16MP)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
supports RAW files
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Sony NEX-5
Street photography with Sony NEX-C3
76
screen tilts
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
supports RAW formats
does not have image stabilization
79
screen tilts
decent sensor size (APS-C)
supports RAW files
lighter than others (225 grams)
lack of image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Sony NEX-5 as a Sports photography camera
Sony NEX-C3 as a Sports photography camera
52
megapixel count decent (14MP)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
does not have image stabilization
no phase detect auto focus
53
resolution is good (16MP)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
great battery pack (400 per charge)
max frames per second very slow (6.0 frames per second)
lack of image stabilization
has no phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Sony NEX-5 as a Travel photography camera
Sony NEX-C3 as a Travel photography camera
59
megapixel count decent (14MP)
no Timelapse function
screen is not selfie friendly
71
great battery pack (400 shots)
lighter than others (225g)
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
does not have Time Lapse function
display isn't selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Sony NEX-5 Landscape photography information
Sony NEX-C3 Landscape photography information
68
manual focus
change lenses (Sony E mount)
screen is a decent size (3 inches)
megapixel count decent (14MP)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
supports RAW formats
does not have image stabilization
no Timelapse function
70
has manual focus
switch lenses (Sony E mount)
good sized screen (3 inches)
resolution is good (16MP)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
supports RAW files
great battery pack (400 per charge)
lack of image stabilization
does not have Time Lapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Sony NEX-5 Vlogging highlights
Sony NEX-C3 Vlogging highlights
28
good video quality (1920 x 1080 pixels)
screen is not selfie friendly
does not have image stabilization
no external microphone support
27
lighter than others (225g)
display isn't selfie friendly
lack of image stabilization
video resolution low (1280 x 720 resolution)
does not have mic support
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Sony NEX-5 vs Sony NEX-C3 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony NEX-5 and Sony NEX-C3
 Sony Alpha NEX-5Sony Alpha NEX-C3
General Information
Brand Name Sony Sony
Model Sony Alpha NEX-5 Sony Alpha NEX-C3
Type Entry-Level Mirrorless Entry-Level Mirrorless
Introduced 2010-06-07 2011-08-22
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Processor Bionz Bionz
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size APS-C APS-C
Sensor dimensions 23.4 x 15.6mm 23.4 x 15.6mm
Sensor surface area 365.0mm² 365.0mm²
Sensor resolution 14 megapixels 16 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Highest Possible resolution 4592 x 3056 4912 x 3264
Maximum native ISO 12800 12800
Min native ISO 200 100
RAW format
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
Continuous AF
Single AF
Tracking AF
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Number of focus points 25 25
Lens
Lens mounting type Sony E Sony E
Available lenses 121 121
Crop factor 1.5 1.5
Screen
Type of display Tilting Tilting
Display size 3 inches 3 inches
Display resolution 920 thousand dots 920 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Display technology - TFT Xtra Fine LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None None
Features
Min shutter speed 30s 30s
Max shutter speed 1/4000s 1/4000s
Continuous shutter rate 7.0fps 6.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 12.00 m no built-in flash
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Max flash synchronize 1/160s 1/160s
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video format AVCHD MPEG-4
Mic support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 287g (0.63 lbs) 225g (0.50 lbs)
Dimensions 111 x 59 x 38mm (4.4" x 2.3" x 1.5") 110 x 60 x 33mm (4.3" x 2.4" x 1.3")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score 69 73
DXO Color Depth score 22.2 22.7
DXO Dynamic range score 12.2 12.2
DXO Low light score 796 1083
Other
Battery life 330 pictures 400 pictures
Style of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model NPFW50 NPFW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10sec (3 images)) Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10 sec 3 or 5 images)
Time lapse feature
Storage type SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Card slots One One
Cost at release $599 $343