Sony NEX-3

Sony NEX-3 is Sony's Entry-Level Mirrorless camera originally revealed on June of 2010. It features a 14 MegaPixel, CMOS APS-C size sensor with a max resolution of 4592 x 3056.

Sony released the updated Sony NEX-C3 (Read Full Comparison) to update this camera.

The NEX-3 is scored #85 out of 117 in Entry-Level Mirrorless cameras and overall #382 out of 1465 for digital cameras in our database. You should try out our Smart camera finder to get camera rankings based on your custom requirements.

Here is a diagram of various factors used in the rating system.

The Sony NEX-3 comes with a history of related digital cameras. Down below, you can look at all earlier and most recent models alongside important specifications.

You can look at the NEX-3 from various angles in the gallery underneath.

Here is a shortlist of pluses and minuses of the Sony NEX-3 based on things which are usually considered necessary in a camera.

The Sony NEX-3 is run by the Bionz processor chip. The sensor measurement on the Sony NEX-3 is 23.4mm x 15.6mm (APS-C). The 365 mm² sensor is able to capture 4592 x 3056 pixels using aspect ratios of 3:2 and 16:9.

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The CMOS sensor boasts 14MP and includes a native ISO range of 200 to 12800. RAW files are supported therefore you have more margin for error.

The graphic underneath shows the NEX-3's sensor size in comparison to other common sizes. The NEX-3 sensor comes with a crop factor of 1.5 and is outlined in green.

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To get a sense of various aspect ratios, you should refer to the visual below.

Sony NEX-3 weighs around 0.65 lb (297 gr / 10.48 oz) and the dimensions of the camera is 117mm x 62mm x 33mm (4.6" x 2.4" x 1.3"). The weight of typical Entry-Level Mirrorless camera is 329 gr and the Sony NEX-3 is very much the same when compared with various competitors.

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Here is a picture of the Sony NEX-3 with a softdrink so you can have a feel for its size.

The top view under will provide the button layout on the NEX-3.

The NEX-3 fits the Sony E mount and has 170 lenses available for purchase. Here is some of the lenses we have in our database that will work with the NEX-3.

ModelVisualizeFocal LengthApertureStabilizedWeight

Samyang AF 35mm F2.8 FE35mmf/2.885g

Sigma 60mm F2.8 DN60mmf/2.8 190g

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Samyang AF 24mm F1.8 FE24mmf/1.8 230g

Sony Vario-Tessar T FE 16-35mm F4 ZA OSS16-35mmf/4.0 518g

Sony FE 24-240mm F3.5-6.3 OSS24-240mmf/3.5-6.3 780g

Tamron 20mm F2.8 Di III OSD M1 220mmf/2.8220g

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Sony FE 100-400mm F4.5-5.6 GM OSS100-400mmf/4.5-5.6 1395g

The NEX-3 has the following connectivity:

• USB Yes
• Wireless Yes
• HDMI Yes

Digital cameras that contain NFC or Bluetooth compatibility are able to be used wirelessly via smartphones. You are able to transfer photos and oftentimes alter camera settings without connecting straight with the camera.

A few apps also give a Liveview and hit the shutter if you are not close to the camera. If the camera includes a HDMI out, it can easily be connected to an external screen. Virtually all cameras enable you to charge the battery pack with the USB socket.

The max video resolution on the Sony NEX-3 is 1280 x 720 and it can record in MPEG-4 format. 720p is low by today's standards. You really should shoot for a minimum 1080p resolution for video recording. The body does not have a mic or headphone socket which means that you have absolutely no control over your audio. It is probably a better idea to take a look at a different model should you need good audio in your video clips.

There is no environment proofing in the Sony NEX-3 so you have to be careful in wet and dusty situations.

The Sony NEX-3 features a 3 inch tilting display screen having a resolution of 920 thousand dots.

Sadly the display screen is not a touch screen.

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The View Finder specifications regarding Sony NEX-3 are as follows:

• ViewFinder None

Viewfinders are pretty useful for sunny outdoor situations which might make the camera display washed out and very difficult to view.

Sony NEX-3 is able to shoot continuously at 7.0 frames per second. The max shutter speed is 1/4000 sec.

Sony NEX-3 boasts external flash support but is lacking integrated flash. The highest flash sync is 1/160 sec.

Sony NEX-3 boasts only Contrast Detect AF and is missing Phase Detect AF. Phase Detection autofocusing is a lot more quicker & accurate as compared to Contrast Detect autofocusing. The camera features Face detect which makes it helpful for portrait photography.

The Sensor features 25 focus points to choose from. Sony NEX-3 supports manual focus in case it is required for low light or you need more precise control on focus.

The battery pack (NPFW50) in the Sony NEX-3 is designed to last for 330 photographs according to the CIPA standards making it on par with its competitors. The usual Entry-Level Mirrorless camera battery life is 343. Fujifilm X-S20 features the maximum (750) battery life for this group of cameras.

Following is a list of Entry-Level Mirrorless cameras which have the strongest battery life:

ModelVisualizeBattery LifeRAWNFCBluetooth

Fujifilm X-S20
NEX-3 vs X-S20750 yesnoyes

Samsung NX mini
NEX-3 vs NX mini650 yesnono

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Pentax K-01
NEX-3 vs K-01540 yesnono

Sony NEX-3N
NEX-3 vs NEX-3N480 yesnono

Sony NEX-F3
NEX-3 vs NEX-F3470 yesnono

The following illustration presents a outline of the Sony NEX-3 for various forms of photography. To understand more, visit the specific paragraph underneath.

The Sony NEX-3 receives a points tally of 72 which is nice, and means the camera is a very decent option to use for portraits. Taking portraits leans greatly towards sensor size, RAW support and option to utilize external lighting.

Coming in at a brilliant rating of 76, the Sony NEX-3 is a terrific choice to use in street photography. A good street photography camera provides a good balance of picture quality and portability.

A average sports photography score of 52 indicates the Sony NEX-3 is fairly suitable for photographing sports. A camera must have fantastic autofocus and fast shutter speeds for sports photography.

Portability is super critical in buying a travel camera. All things considered, the Sony NEX-3 gets a modest 59 for a travelling camera which makes it somewhat adequate for your vacations.

If you're planning to buy a camera for landscape photos, the most important aspect is going to be image quality. The Sony NEX-3 at it's nice score of 68 for a landscape camera is a fine option in the current market.

A vlogging camera should really posses a moving display screen, mic input and ideally IBIS. Taking everything in to account, the Sony NEX-3 is not really acceptable as a vlog camera as it delivers a low rating of 27.

If you are looking for replacements to the NEX-3, below is a number of the top scored cameras which fall within the family of Entry-Level Mirrorless.

The graph just below gives you an overview of the NEX-3 compared to it's highest rated competitors listed previously.

Following are several cameras you might look into as alternatives. To read a complete comparison, simply click the "compare" link.