0 Comments
|
|
by DPReview (Jun, 2010) |
|
Camera Rocket Review Our evaluation of the Sony NEX-3
Image Quality | |
RAW image quality independent of lens | |
DxOMark Low light, DxOMark Color depth and DxOMark Dynamic range |
Focusing | |
How fast and easily does the camera nail focus | |
Focus lag and focus points |
Responsiveness | |
How much delay is there between you and your photo? | |
Focus lag, continuous shooting and Startup delay |
Reviews | |
What do the experts think? | |
Reviews from trustedreviews.com, techradar.com, sonyalpharumors.com, photographyblog.com and 1 more |
8.5 | Camera Rocket Score |
Image Quality, Focusing, Responsiveness and Reviews | |
Benchmarks Real world tests of the Sony NEX-3
Low light image quality Highest ISO setting that still achieves great image quality
Resolution Results from photos of standard resolution charts
Focus lag Delay between fully pressing shutter to image capture
Shutter lag Delay to take a photo when prefocused
Startup delay Delay from power on to first photo
Continuous shooting Delay between fully pressing shutter to image capture
Photo Gallery Wallpaper quality closeups of the camera
Reviews Word on the street for the Sony NEX-3
![]() | 7.0 |
|
---|---|---|
![]() | 8.0 |
|
![]() | 8.0 |
|
Overall | 7.9 Out of 10 |
What People Are Saying Give it to me straight
Lens
by DPReview (Jun, 2010)It does allow the use of some Alpha-mount lenses until Sony can start to provide the impressive-sounding E-mount lens lineup it has set-out.
by DPReview (Jun, 2010)The majority of people walking into camera shops will be very badly served if they leave with a camera and nothing but an ultrawide angle lens.
by Photography Blog (Sep, 2010)For sure the provided lens is one of the most important components of the NEX-3's set up, but with or without it screwed on to the front via Sony's new E-mount (as opposed to standard Alpha mount utilized by the rest of the DSLRs in its family) the camera design looks a little 'basic' compared to competitors - certainly when viewed from the front.
Sensor
by Photography Blog (Sep, 2010)Featuring a 14.2 megapixel Exmor APS HD CMOS sensor, 25-point contrast-detect autofocus system, 49-segment exposure meter and 3-inch tilting LCD panel with 921,000-dot resolution, the NEX-3 certainly seems to have what it takes to compete with the already well-established Micro Four Thirds cameras from Panasonic and Olympus, and the newer Samsung NX series.
by DPReview (Jun, 2010)Unfortunately point-and-shooters don't get the full benefit of this in iAuto, which limits the (Auto) ISO range to 1600.
by DPReview (Jun, 2010)Here you can see that the supplied software is applying much lower levels of sharpening, by default, than either the camera JPEGs or Adobe Camera Raw.
Screen
by TrustedReviews (May, 2014)A one-touch video record button features top right of the backplate where it falls readily under the thumb as the camera is gripped in the palm of the right hand.
by Photography Blog (Sep, 2010)The NEX-3's external backplate is a similarly pared down affair, the majority of it taken up by the 3-inch widescreen ratio angle-adjustable LCD that stretches from base to top plate.
by TrustedReviews (May, 2014)With its two NEX series models you feel that Sony has done just enough to stake its claim on the fledgling compact system camera market, whilst leaving plenty of room for refinement and improvement in future models - chiefly by adding a pop up flash, touch screen operation and greater flexibility as regards the movement of said screen.
Image quality
by TrustedReviews (May, 2014)The following were all shot as maximum quality JPEGs under available natural light, with default camera settings applied to ensure a level playing field between this and rival models.
by DPReview (Jun, 2010)Despite being able to capture a wide dynamic range with lots of scope for highlights, the camera's apparently miscalibrated metering means it offers little advantage over its rivals - most mid tones are overexposed so that there is only around 3.3EV of highlight dynamic range left to accommodate any bright tones in the image (which is pretty much the standard highlight range figure we see in most large sensor cameras).
by DPReview (Jun, 2010)The NEXs both offer pretty good noise reduction but it's fairly simple to get more out of your images by applying different sharpening.
Zoom
by TrustedReviews (May, 2014)And by contrast here's an example of what's achievable at the telephoto end of the zoom, shooting handheld under near perfect daylight conditions.
by DPReview (Jun, 2010)Let's make it clear that we don't object to the lens at all per se; indeed we actually like the idea of having a compact wideangle prime to complement the kit zoom (arguably every system should have one).
by DPReview (Jun, 2010)Sony has therefore incorporated 'Optical SteadyShot' into its kit zoom.
Specifications Full list of technical specs
sensor
Type | CMOS |
---|---|
Megapixels | 14 MP |
Resolution | 4592 x 3056 |
Size | APS-C |
Area | 23.4 x 15.6 mm |
Crop factor | 1.5x |
Pixel size | 26.0 microns |
Light sensitivity | 200 ISO to 12,800 ISO |
Codecs |
|
Self cleaning sensor | Yes |
Tested vertical resolution | 2,500 LPH |
Tested horizontal resolution | 2,500 LPH |
focus system
Type | Contrast detection |
---|---|
Focus points | 25 |
Cross type focus points | 0 |
Supports continuous | No |
shutter
Min | 30 s |
---|---|
Max | 1/4000 s |
form factor
Size | 117 x 62 x 33 mm |
---|---|
Thickness | 33 mm |
Weight | 297 g |
Is weather sealed | No |
features
Includes a GPS | No |
---|---|
Supports HDR | Yes |
Automatic panorama | Yes |
Create realistic 3D images | Yes |
Image stabilization | None |
video
Video | 1280 x 720 @ 30 fps |
---|---|
Shoots video in 24p | No |
Shoots high speed video | No |
External mic jack | 3.5mm |
Autofocus while shooting video | Contrast detection |
Autofocus type | Contrast detection |
display
Type | LCD |
---|---|
Size | 3" |
Resolution | 920 k dots |
Has a touch screen | No |
Has a flip out screen | Yes |
Supports live view | Yes |
viewfinder
Viewfinder mirror | None |
---|---|
Viewfinder | None |
Type | None |
Coverage | None |
Magnification | None |
Display type | None |
Display resolution | None |
performance
Max continuous shooting | 7 fps |
---|---|
Battery life | 330 photos |
Continuous shooting | 7 fps, JPEG |
Focus lag | 670 ms |
Shutter lag | 115 ms |
Startup delay | 1,000 ms |

Follow us
Compare
Competitors
Compare | Olympus PEN E-PM2
|
Compare | Sony Alpha NEX-6
|
Compare | Sony Alpha NEX-3N
|
Compare | Samsung NX1000
|
Compare | Nikon 1 J1
|
Compare | Olympus PEN E-PM1
|
Compare | Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF2
|
Popular Comparisons
![]() | VS | ![]() |
600D vs 1300D | ||
![]() | VS | ![]() |
1300D vs D3400 | ||
![]() | VS | ![]() |
D3300 vs 1300D | ||
![]() | VS | ![]() |
D3100 vs 1300D | ||
![]() | VS | ![]() |
650D vs 1300D | ||
![]() | VS | ![]() |
700D vs 1300D | ||
![]() | VS | ![]() |
1100D vs 1300D | ||