Clicky

Sony NEX-C3 vs Sony RX100

Portability
91
Imaging
56
Features
57
Overall
56
Sony Alpha NEX-C3 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 front
Portability
91
Imaging
50
Features
68
Overall
57

Sony NEX-C3 vs Sony RX100 Key Specs

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
  • Succeeded the Sony NEX-3
  • Newer Model is Sony NEX-F3
Sony RX100
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - 1" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 28-100mm (F1.8-4.9) lens
  • 240g - 102 x 58 x 36mm
  • Announced August 2012
  • Updated by Sony RX100 II
Photography Glossary

Sony NEX-C3 vs Sony RX100 Overview

Here is a extended comparison of the Sony NEX-C3 vs Sony RX100, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Large Sensor Compact and they are both sold by Sony. The sensor resolution of the NEX-C3 (16MP) and the RX100 (20MP) is relatively similar but the NEX-C3 (APS-C) and RX100 (1") come with totally different sensor dimensions.

Samsung Releases Faster Versions of EVO MicroSD Cards

The NEX-C3 was announced 12 months earlier than the RX100 and they are both of a similar age. Each of these cameras come with different body type with the Sony NEX-C3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony RX100 being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before we go through a detailed comparison, below is a quick summation of how the NEX-C3 scores versus the RX100 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Snapchat Adds Watermarks to AI-Created Images
	
	

Reasons to pick Sony NEX-C3 over the Sony RX100

 NEX-C3 RX100 
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen

Reasons to pick Sony RX100 over the Sony NEX-C3

 RX100 NEX-C3 
AnnouncedAugust 2012August 2011Fresher by 12 months
Screen resolution1229k920kClearer screen (+309k dot)

Common features in the Sony NEX-C3 and Sony RX100

 NEX-C3 RX100 
Focus manually Very accurate focus
Screen dimension3"3"Identical screen sizing
Selfie screen Absent selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Neither comes with Touch friendly screen

Sony NEX-C3 vs Sony RX100 Physical Comparison

For anyone who is planning to carry your camera frequently, you should consider its weight and measurements. The Sony NEX-C3 comes with external measurements of 110mm x 60mm x 33mm (4.3" x 2.4" x 1.3") and a weight of 225 grams (0.50 lbs) while the Sony RX100 has proportions of 102mm x 58mm x 36mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.4") along with a weight of 240 grams (0.53 lbs).

See the Sony NEX-C3 vs Sony RX100 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into account, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you are utilising during that time. Following is the front view measurement comparison of the NEX-C3 and the RX100.

Sony NEX-C3 vs Sony RX100 size comparison

Taking into account size and weight, the portability grade of the NEX-C3 and RX100 is 91 and 91 respectively.

Sony NEX-C3 vs Sony RX100 top view buttons comparison

Sony NEX-C3 vs Sony RX100 Sensor Comparison

Oftentimes, it can be tough to envision the difference between sensor sizing purely by going over a spec sheet. The visual underneath should provide you a much better sense of the sensor measurements in the NEX-C3 and RX100.

As you can see, both of the cameras posses different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The NEX-C3 with its bigger sensor will make achieving shallower depth of field simpler and the Sony RX100 will offer more detail with its extra 4MP. Higher resolution will enable you to crop pictures somewhat more aggressively. The older NEX-C3 is going to be behind with regard to sensor innovation.

Sony NEX-C3 vs Sony RX100 sensor size comparison

Sony NEX-C3 vs Sony RX100 Screen and ViewFinder

Sony NEX-C3 vs Sony RX100 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
President Biden pushes bill mandating TikTok sale or ban

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Sony NEX-C3 as a Portrait photography camera
Sony RX100 as a Portrait photography camera
73
manual focus
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
saves RAW files
64
you can focus manually
great flash sync speed (1/2,000s)
MP count good (20 megapixels)
good sensor size (1")
has face detect focusing
saves RAW formats
cannot use external flash
Apple Innovates by Creating Next-Level Optical Stabilization for iPhone

Street Comparison

Street photography with Sony NEX-C3
Street photography with Sony RX100
79
tilting screen
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
saves RAW files
lighter than competitors in class (225g)
does not have image stabilization
79
has image stabilization (Optical)
good sensor size (1")
saves RAW formats
lighter than competition in class (240g)
great ISO range (25,600)
no articulating screen
Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music video

Sports Comparison

Sony NEX-C3 Sports photography advice
Sony RX100 Sports photography advice
53
resolution is good (16MP)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
good battery (400 CIPA)
low fps (6.0 fps)
does not have image stabilization
no phase detect auto focus
65
has image stabilization (Optical)
MP count good (20MP)
good sensor size (1")
has tracking focus
does not have phase detect AF
Photobucket discusses licensing 13 billion images with AI firms

Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Sony NEX-C3
Travel photography with Sony RX100
71
good battery (400 shots)
lighter than competitors in class (225 grams)
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
lack of Timelapse recording
doesn't have selfie friendly display
79
lighter than competition in class (240g)
MP count good (20 megapixels)
flash built-in
fairly wide (28mm)
great max aperture (f1.8)
display is not selfie friendly
Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide

Landscape Comparison

Sony NEX-C3 Landscape photography information
Sony RX100 Landscape photography information
70
manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Sony E mount)
nice screen size (3 inch)
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
saves RAW files
good battery (400 per charge)
does not have image stabilization
lack of Timelapse recording
74
you can focus manually
fairly wide (28mm)
great max aperture (f1.8)
pretty good screen size (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Optical)
MP count good (20MP)
good sensor size (1")
great ISO range (25,600)
saves RAW formats
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
Meta to Introduce 'AI-Generated' Labels for Media starting next month

Vlogging Comparison

Sony NEX-C3 Vlogging info
Sony RX100 Vlogging info
27
lighter than competitors in class (225g)
doesn't have selfie friendly display
does not have image stabilization
video quality not great (1280 x 720 pixels)
lack of microphone jack
38
fairly wide (28mm)
great max aperture (f1.8)
has image stabilization (Optical)
has face detect focusing
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
lighter than competition in class (240 grams)
display is not selfie friendly
no mic support
Japan-exclusive Leica Leitz Phone 3 features big sensor and new modes

Sony NEX-C3 vs Sony RX100 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony NEX-C3 and Sony RX100
 Sony Alpha NEX-C3Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100
General Information
Make Sony Sony
Model type Sony Alpha NEX-C3 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100
Category Entry-Level Mirrorless Large Sensor Compact
Revealed 2011-08-22 2012-08-28
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless Large Sensor Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Bionz -
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size APS-C 1"
Sensor dimensions 23.4 x 15.6mm 13.2 x 8.8mm
Sensor area 365.0mm² 116.2mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixel 20 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 4912 x 3264 5472 x 3648
Maximum native ISO 12800 25600
Lowest native ISO 100 100
RAW format
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detect autofocus
Contract detect autofocus
Phase detect autofocus
Total focus points 25 25
Lens
Lens mount type Sony E fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 28-100mm (3.6x)
Maximal aperture - f/1.8-4.9
Macro focusing range - 5cm
Available lenses 121 -
Crop factor 1.5 2.7
Screen
Display type Tilting Fixed Type
Display size 3 inch 3 inch
Resolution of display 920 thousand dots 1,229 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Display technology TFT Xtra Fine LCD WhiteMagic TFT LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None None
Features
Slowest shutter speed 30 secs 30 secs
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/2000 secs
Continuous shooting rate 6.0fps 10.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance no built-in flash -
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in Auto, On, Off, Slow Sync
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Maximum flash synchronize 1/160 secs 1/2000 secs
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video data format MPEG-4 MPEG-4, AVCHD
Mic support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless Eye-Fi Connected 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 proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 225 grams (0.50 pounds) 240 grams (0.53 pounds)
Dimensions 110 x 60 x 33mm (4.3" x 2.4" x 1.3") 102 x 58 x 36mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.4")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 73 66
DXO Color Depth rating 22.7 22.6
DXO Dynamic range rating 12.2 12.4
DXO Low light rating 1083 390
Other
Battery life 400 images 330 images
Battery style Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID NPFW50 NP-BX1
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10 sec 3 or 5 images) Yes (2 or 10 sec, Portrait 1/2)
Time lapse recording With downloadable app
Type of storage SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo SD/SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Duo/Pro Duo/Pro-HG Duo
Card slots 1 1
Retail pricing $343 $448