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Sony NEX-C3 vs Sony S2100

Portability
91
Imaging
56
Features
57
Overall
56
Sony Alpha NEX-C3 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S2100 front
Portability
93
Imaging
35
Features
17
Overall
27

Sony NEX-C3 vs Sony S2100 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
  • Launched August 2011
  • Superseded the Sony NEX-3
  • New Model is Sony NEX-F3
Sony S2100
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • 640 x 480 video
  • 33-105mm (F3.1-5.6) lens
  • 167g - 98 x 61 x 27mm
  • Revealed January 2010
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Sony NEX-C3 vs Sony S2100 Overview

Let's look more closely at the Sony NEX-C3 and Sony S2100, former is a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Small Sensor Compact and both of them are manufactured by Sony. There exists a noticeable gap between the sensor resolutions of the NEX-C3 (16MP) and S2100 (12MP) and the NEX-C3 (APS-C) and S2100 (1/2.3") boast totally different sensor measurements.

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The NEX-C3 was launched 20 months after the S2100 which makes them a generation away from one another. Both the cameras have different body design with the Sony NEX-C3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony S2100 being a Compact camera.

Before getting into a more detailed comparison, here is a quick summary of how the NEX-C3 scores against the S2100 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Sony NEX-C3 over the Sony S2100

 NEX-C3 S2100 
RevealedAugust 2011January 2010Newer by 20 months
Focus manually Dial accurate focusing
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen resolution920k230kSharper screen (+690k dot)

Reasons to pick Sony S2100 over the Sony NEX-C3

 S2100 NEX-C3 

Common features in the Sony NEX-C3 and Sony S2100

 NEX-C3 S2100 
Screen dimensions3"3"Equal screen measurements
Selfie screen Neither provides selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Lacking Touch friendly screen

Sony NEX-C3 vs Sony S2100 Physical Comparison

When you are looking to travel with your camera frequently, you'll need to factor in its weight and proportions. The Sony NEX-C3 provides outside measurements of 110mm x 60mm x 33mm (4.3" x 2.4" x 1.3") along with a weight of 225 grams (0.50 lbs) and the Sony S2100 has measurements of 98mm x 61mm x 27mm (3.9" x 2.4" x 1.1") having a weight of 167 grams (0.37 lbs).

Analyze the Sony NEX-C3 and Sony S2100 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into account, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you have chosen during that time. Following is a front view scale comparison of the NEX-C3 against the S2100.

Sony NEX-C3 vs Sony S2100 size comparison

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the NEX-C3 and S2100 is 91 and 93 respectively.

Sony NEX-C3 vs Sony S2100 top view buttons comparison

Sony NEX-C3 vs Sony S2100 Sensor Comparison

More often than not, its tough to see the difference between sensor dimensions purely by checking specs. The pic below will give you a greater sense of the sensor sizing in the NEX-C3 and S2100.

All in all, the 2 cameras provide different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The NEX-C3 due to its bigger sensor will make getting bokeh less difficult and the Sony NEX-C3 will give you extra detail utilizing its extra 4MP. Higher resolution can also make it easier to crop photographs more aggressively. The more modern NEX-C3 is going to have an edge with regard to sensor technology.

Sony NEX-C3 vs Sony S2100 sensor size comparison

Sony NEX-C3 vs Sony S2100 Screen and ViewFinder

Sony NEX-C3 vs Sony S2100 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Sony NEX-C3 Portrait photography factors
Sony S2100 Portrait photography factors
73
focusing manually
MP count decent (16 megapixels)
good sensor size (APS-C)
delivers RAW files
21
lack of manual focus
manual mode not possible
no external flash support
megapixel count low (12MP)
sensor is small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
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Street Comparison

Sony NEX-C3 as a Street photography camera
Sony S2100 as a Street photography camera
79
has a tilting screen
good sensor size (APS-C)
delivers RAW files
lighter than average (225 grams)
lack of image stabilization
46
screen is fixed
no image stabilization
sensor is small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Sony NEX-C3 Sports photography details
Sony S2100 Sports photography details
53
MP count decent (16 megapixels)
good sensor size (APS-C)
great battery life (400 per charge)
very slow continuous shooting (6.0 fps)
lack of image stabilization
lacks phase detect autofocus
17
maximum shutter speed is a little low (1/1,200s)
very slow continuous shooting (1.0 frames per second)
no shutter priority mode
no image stabilization
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
sensor is small (1/2.3")
does not have phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Sony NEX-C3 as a Travel photography camera
Sony S2100 as a Travel photography camera
71
great battery life (400 per charge)
lighter than average (225g)
MP count decent (16MP)
missing Timelapse mode
screen isn't selfie friendly
50
flash built-in
missing Time Lapse mode
megapixel count low (12MP)
display is not selfie friendly
wide angle not fantastic (33mm)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.1)
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Landscape Comparison

Sony NEX-C3 Landscape photography advice
Sony S2100 Landscape photography advice
70
focusing manually
swap lenses (Sony E mount)
decent sized screen (3 inches)
MP count decent (16MP)
good sensor size (APS-C)
delivers RAW files
great battery life (400 per charge)
lack of image stabilization
missing Timelapse mode
27
screen size is good (3")
lack of manual focus
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not fantastic (33mm)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.1)
manual mode not possible
no image stabilization
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
sensor is small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
missing Time Lapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Sony NEX-C3 Vlogging advice
Sony S2100 Vlogging advice
27
lighter than average (225g)
screen isn't selfie friendly
lack of image stabilization
video res low (1280 x 720 pxls)
missing microphone jack
22
wide angle not fantastic (33mm)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.1)
display is not selfie friendly
no image stabilization
low quality video (640 x 480 pixels)
missing external mic support
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Sony NEX-C3 vs Sony S2100 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony NEX-C3 and Sony S2100
 Sony Alpha NEX-C3Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S2100
General Information
Manufacturer Sony Sony
Model type Sony Alpha NEX-C3 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S2100
Class Entry-Level Mirrorless Small Sensor Compact
Launched 2011-08-22 2010-01-07
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Chip Bionz Bionz
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size APS-C 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 23.4 x 15.6mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor area 365.0mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 16MP 12MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 and 16:9 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 4912 x 3264 4000 x 3000
Highest native ISO 12800 3200
Minimum native ISO 100 100
RAW images
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
Continuous autofocus
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Live view autofocus
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Total focus points 25 9
Lens
Lens mount type Sony E fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 33-105mm (3.2x)
Maximum aperture - f/3.1-5.6
Macro focusing range - 5cm
Amount of lenses 121 -
Crop factor 1.5 5.8
Screen
Display type Tilting Fixed Type
Display diagonal 3 inch 3 inch
Resolution of display 920 thousand dots 230 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Display technology TFT Xtra Fine LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None None
Features
Minimum shutter speed 30 secs 1 secs
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/1200 secs
Continuous shutter rate 6.0 frames/s 1.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes -
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance no built-in flash 3.30 m
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in Auto, On, Off, Slow syncro
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Fastest flash synchronize 1/160 secs -
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution 1280x720 640x480
Video file format MPEG-4 Motion JPEG
Mic support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless Eye-Fi Connected None
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 lbs) 167 grams (0.37 lbs)
Physical dimensions 110 x 60 x 33mm (4.3" x 2.4" x 1.3") 98 x 61 x 27mm (3.9" x 2.4" x 1.1")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 73 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 22.7 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 12.2 not tested
DXO Low light rating 1083 not tested
Other
Battery life 400 photographs -
Type of battery Battery Pack -
Battery ID NPFW50 2 x AA
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10 sec 3 or 5 images) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo Memory Stick Duo/Pro Duo, optional SD, Internal
Card slots 1 1
Pricing at release $343 $0