Sony Alpha NEX-3 Review

Overall Score

55

Main Features

  • 14 MP APS-C CMOS Sensor
  • 200 - 12800 ISO
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • 7 fps continuous shooting
  • 1280 x 720 video resolution
  • Built-In Wireless
  • 117 x 62 x 33 mm, 297g.
  • Price Category:
  • Replaced by: Alpha NEX-C3

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Sony Alpha NEX-3 Overview


First introduced in June, 2010, Sony Alpha NEX-3 is a 14 MP Mirrorless with a APS-C (23.4 x 15.6 mm) sized CMOS sensor.

Sony replaced Alpha NEX-3 with Sony NEX-C3. Follow the link to read our detailed comparison of these models:

Compare Sony NEX-3 with Sony NEX-C3


Sony NEX-3 comes with a 23.4 x 15.6 mm CMOS sensor, which has a diagonal of 28.12 mm (1.1").

- Full Frame
- Sony Alpha NEX-3

Sensor resolution of Sony NEX-3 ~ 4582 x 3055 pixels.

Sony NEX-3 has Crop Factor: 1.54

The sensor has a surface area of 365.0 mm².

There are approximate 13,998,010 photosites (pixels) on this area.

Sony NEX-3 Series History
Model Year $ Sensor ISO Weight Dimensions
Sony Alpha NEX-5T Sony NEX-5T 2013 16MP 100 - 25600 276g 111 x 59 x 39mm
Sony Alpha NEX-6 Sony NEX-6 2013 16MP 100 - 25600 345g 120 x 67 x 43mm
Sony Alpha NEX-3N Sony NEX-3N 2013 16MP 200 - 16000 269g 110 x 62 x 35mm
Sony Alpha NEX-5R Sony NEX-5R 2012 16MP 100 - 25600 276g 111 x 59 x 39mm
Sony Alpha NEX-F3 Sony NEX-F3 2012 16MP 200 - 16000 314g 117 x 67 x 42mm

Proc and Cons of Sony NEX-3


Get to know this camera closer. Let's look at the features and characteristics of this model. Compare Sony Alpha NEX-3 with competitors in entry-level mirrorless cameras.

Pros
Built-in Wireless
External Flash
RAW Support
920k dots Screen Resolution
1/4000s Max Shutter Speed
Manual Exposure Mode
25 Focus Points
Flash Sync Port
Tilting Screen
AF Face Detection
12800 Max Native ISO
7.0 fps Continuous Shooting
Manual Focus
297g Light Body
2 AE Bracketing Range
Cons
No Bluetooth
No Touch Screen
No Image Stabilization
No Built-in Viewfinder
No Articulating Screen
No Full HD Video
No Environmental Sealing
Low Battery Life: 330 shots
Type Scores

Sony Alpha NEX-3 has an Overall Score of 55/100 and ranked #186 out of 214 in Mirrorless cameras, and ranked #430 out of 1222 in all cameras.

Sony NEX-3 Scores
Imaging score
52
Features score
47
Value for money score
71
Portability score
93
Overall score
55
Average Scores in Entry-Level Mirrorless
Imaging Score
52
Features Score
61
Value For Money Score
76
Portability Score
91
Overall score
63

Physical Dimensions of Sony NEX-3


Sony Alpha NEX-3 weighs 297g and has external dimensions of 117 x 62 x 33mm (4.61 x 2.44 x 1.3"). Considering that the average weight of Entry-Level Mirrorless cameras is 323g, Sony NEX-3 is 26 grams less than the average weight of cameras in this category.

Weight Comparison
Entry-Level Mirrorless Cameras


Sony NEX-3
297g
Average weight
323g
Min weight
180g
Max weight
561g

Thickness Comparison
Entry-Level Mirrorless Cameras


Sony NEX-3
33mm
Average Thickness
40mm
Min Thickness
23mm
Max Thickness
85mm

Here is the front and top view image of Sony Alpha NEX-3 with the dimensions:

Sony Alpha NEX-3

Size Compared to Major Competitors


Model Weight Alpha NEX-3 Dimensions Alpha NEX-3
Sony Alpha a6000 Sony A6000 344 g 297 g 120 x 67 x 45 mm 117 x 62 x 33 mm
Sony Alpha NEX-C3 Sony NEX-C3 225 g 297 g 110 x 60 x 33 mm 117 x 62 x 33 mm
Sony Alpha NEX-3N Sony NEX-3N 269 g 297 g 110 x 62 x 35 mm 117 x 62 x 33 mm
Sony Alpha a5000 Sony a5000 269 g 297 g 110 x 63 x 36 mm 117 x 62 x 33 mm
Sony Alpha a5100 Sony a5100 283 g 297 g 110 x 63 x 36 mm 117 x 62 x 33 mm
Sony Alpha NEX-F3 Sony NEX-F3 314 g 297 g 117 x 67 x 42 mm 117 x 62 x 33 mm
Samsung NX1 Samsung NX1 550 g 297 g 139 x 102 x 66 mm 117 x 62 x 33 mm
Sony Alpha a6300 Sony A6300 404 g 297 g 120 x 67 x 49 mm 117 x 62 x 33 mm

Specifications of Sony Alpha NEX-3


General
Brand Sony
Model Alpha NEX-3
Announced June, 2010
Body Type Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Lens
Lens Mount Sony E
Manual Focus
Focal Lens Multiplier 1.5
Number of Lenses 116
Macro Focus Range n/a
Screen
Screen Size 3"
Screen Type Tilting
Screen Resolution 920k pixels
Touch Screen
Live View
Viewfinder
Viewfinder None
Viewfinder Resolution no electronic viewfinder
Viewfinder Coverage n/a%
Viewfinder Magnification 0.0
Autofocus
AF Touch
AF Continuous
AF Single
AF Tracking
AF Selective
AF Center
AF Multi Area
AF Live View
AF Face Detection
AF Contrast Detection
AF Phase Detection
Number of Focus Points 25
Number of Cross Focus Points 0
Photography Features
RAW Support
Min Shutter Speed 1/30 sec
Max Shutter Speed 1/4000 sec
Continuous Shooting 7.0 fps
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Exposure Compensation
Custom White Balance
Image Stabilization
Built-in Flash
Flash Range 12.00
Flash Modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in
External Flash
AE Bracketing
AE Bracketing Range ±2 EV
WB Bracketing
Sensor
Sensor Size APS-C
Sensor Type CMOS
Sensor Dimensions 23.4 x 15.6 mm
Sensor Area 365.0 mm²
Sensor Resolution 14 MP
Max Image Resolution 4592 x 3056
Max Native ISO 12800
Min Native ISO 200
Max Boosted ISO 0
Min Boosted ISO 0
Video Features
4K
Max Video Resolution 1280 x 720
Video Formats MPEG-4
Timelapse Recording
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Exposure Modes
Multi-Segment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF-Area
Center Weighted
Connectivity
GPS None
Wireless Connectivity Built-In
Bluetooth
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
Battery
Battery Life 330 shots
Battery Type Battery Pack
Battery Model NPFW50
Physical
Weight 297 g
Physical Dimensions 117 x 62 x 33 mm
Environmental Sealing
Water Proof
Dust Proof
Shock Proof
Crush Proof
Freeze Proof
Shock Proof
Storage
Storage Type SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Storage Slots 1
Other Features
Self Timer
Selfie Friendly

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