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Sony NEX-C3 vs Sony A77

Portability
91
Imaging
56
Features
57
Overall
56
Sony Alpha NEX-C3 front
 
Sony SLT-A77 front
Portability
59
Imaging
63
Features
83
Overall
71

Sony NEX-C3 vs Sony A77 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  • Superseded the Sony NEX-3
  • Successor is Sony NEX-F3
Sony A77
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Display
  • ISO 50 - 16000 (Push to 25600)
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 732g - 143 x 104 x 81mm
  • Announced October 2011
  • Succeeded the Sony A700
  • Replacement is Sony A77 II
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Sony NEX-C3 vs Sony A77 Overview

The following is a extended analysis of the Sony NEX-C3 and Sony A77, former is a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the other is a Advanced DSLR and both of them are built by Sony. There exists a sizable gap among the sensor resolutions of the NEX-C3 (16MP) and A77 (24MP) but both cameras offer the identical sensor size (APS-C).

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The NEX-C3 was unveiled 2 months before the A77 so they are of a similar age. The two cameras feature different body design with the Sony NEX-C3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony A77 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before diving right into a full comparison, here is a short highlight of how the NEX-C3 scores vs the A77 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Sony NEX-C3 over the Sony A77

 NEX-C3 A77 

Reasons to pick Sony A77 over the Sony NEX-C3

 A77 NEX-C3 
Display typeFully ArticulatedTiltingFully Articulating display
Display resolution921k920kSharper display (+1k dot)
Selfie screen Take selfies

Common features in the Sony NEX-C3 and Sony A77

 NEX-C3 A77 
AnnouncedAugust 2011October 2011Same age
Manually focus More accurate focus
Display size3"3"Same display size
Touch display Neither includes Touch display

Sony NEX-C3 vs Sony A77 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is looking to travel with your camera, you will want to consider its weight and dimensions. The Sony NEX-C3 features outer dimensions of 110mm x 60mm x 33mm (4.3" x 2.4" x 1.3") and a weight of 225 grams (0.50 lbs) whilst the Sony A77 has dimensions of 143mm x 104mm x 81mm (5.6" x 4.1" x 3.2") with a weight of 732 grams (1.61 lbs).

See the Sony NEX-C3 and Sony A77 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you have chosen at the time. Below is a front view dimensions comparison of the NEX-C3 and the A77.

Sony NEX-C3 vs Sony A77 size comparison

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the NEX-C3 and A77 is 91 and 59 respectively.

Sony NEX-C3 vs Sony A77 top view buttons comparison

Sony NEX-C3 vs Sony A77 Sensor Comparison

Quite often, its difficult to visualise the gap in sensor dimensions merely by looking through specifications. The image underneath should offer you a much better sense of the sensor dimensions in the NEX-C3 and A77.

To sum up, the two cameras feature the identical sensor size but not the same megapixels. You can expect to see the Sony A77 to provide you with greater detail having an extra 8MP. Greater resolution will also let you crop photos way more aggressively.

Sony NEX-C3 vs Sony A77 sensor size comparison

Sony NEX-C3 vs Sony A77 Screen and ViewFinder

Sony NEX-C3 vs Sony A77 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Sony NEX-C3 Portrait photography information
Sony A77 Portrait photography information
73
manual focus
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
77
focusing manually
good resolution (24MP)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
offers face detect autofocus
supports RAW files
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Street Comparison

Sony NEX-C3 as a Street photography camera
Sony A77 as a Street photography camera
79
screen tilts
decent sensor size (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
lighter than competition (225 grams)
does not have image stabilization
74
screen can move to multiple angles
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
supports RAW files
weather proofing
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Sports Comparison

Sony NEX-C3 Sports photography factors
Sony A77 Sports photography factors
53
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
better than average battery (400 shots)
continuous shooting slow (6.0 fps)
does not have image stabilization
lack of phase detect AF
74
max shutter speed is good (1/8,000 seconds)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
good resolution (24MP)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
weather proofing
supports phase detect autofocus
not so great battery pack (470 per charge)
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Sony NEX-C3
Travel photography with Sony A77
71
better than average battery (400 shots)
lighter than competition (225g)
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
no Timelapse function
display is not selfie friendly
62
weather proofing
good resolution (24MP)
built-in flash
selfie friendly screen
does not have Timelapse recording
not so great battery pack (470 per charge)
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Landscape Comparison

Sony NEX-C3 Landscape photography information
Sony A77 Landscape photography information
70
manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Sony E mount)
screen size is good (3 inches)
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
better than average battery (400 shots)
does not have image stabilization
no Timelapse function
71
focusing manually
switch lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
screen size is good (3")
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
good resolution (24MP)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
supports RAW files
weather proofing
not so great battery pack (470 per charge)
does not have Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Sony NEX-C3
Vlogging with Sony A77
27
lighter than competition (225 grams)
display is not selfie friendly
does not have image stabilization
video quality not great (1280 x 720 resolution)
no microphone jack
76
selfie friendly screen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
offers face detect autofocus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
comes with microphone jack
Photography Glossary

Sony NEX-C3 vs Sony A77 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony NEX-C3 and Sony A77
 Sony Alpha NEX-C3Sony SLT-A77
General Information
Brand Name Sony Sony
Model Sony Alpha NEX-C3 Sony SLT-A77
Category Entry-Level Mirrorless Advanced DSLR
Launched 2011-08-22 2011-10-25
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Processor Bionz Bionz
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size APS-C APS-C
Sensor measurements 23.4 x 15.6mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor surface area 365.0mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 16MP 24MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 4912 x 3264 6000 x 4000
Highest native ISO 12800 16000
Highest enhanced ISO - 25600
Minimum native ISO 100 50
RAW images
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to 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
Number of focus points 25 19
Cross focus points - 11
Lens
Lens mounting type Sony E Sony/Minolta Alpha
Available lenses 121 143
Crop factor 1.5 1.5
Screen
Range of display Tilting Fully Articulated
Display sizing 3 inch 3 inch
Resolution of display 920k dot 921k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Display tech TFT Xtra Fine LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 2,359k dot
Viewfinder coverage - 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.73x
Features
Min shutter speed 30 seconds 30 seconds
Max shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/8000 seconds
Continuous shutter speed 6.0fps 12.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range no built-in flash 12.00 m
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless
External flash
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Max flash sync 1/160 seconds 1/250 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60, 24 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30fps), 640 x 424 (29.97 fps)
Highest video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video file format MPEG-4 MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264
Microphone input
Headphone input
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 BuiltIn
Physical
Environment seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 225g (0.50 lbs) 732g (1.61 lbs)
Physical dimensions 110 x 60 x 33mm (4.3" x 2.4" x 1.3") 143 x 104 x 81mm (5.6" x 4.1" x 3.2")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score 73 78
DXO Color Depth score 22.7 24.0
DXO Dynamic range score 12.2 13.2
DXO Low light score 1083 801
Other
Battery life 400 photos 470 photos
Battery format Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model NPFW50 NP-FM500H
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10 sec 3 or 5 images) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Storage media SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots One One
Retail pricing $343 $900