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Sony A7R III vs Sony NEX-3 Comparison

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Sony A7R III

42 MP | Full frame (35.9 x 24 mm) BSI-CMOS Sensor

Sony A7R III
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Sony NEX-3

14 MP | APS-C (23.4 x 15.6 mm) CMOS Sensor

Sony NEX-3
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Sony A7R III vs Sony NEX-3 Comparison Overview

Here we are comparing two Mirrorless cameras by Sony. Sony A7R III was introduced to market in October 2017 and Sony NEX-3 was launched in June 2010. As you can see, NEX-3 is 7 years older than A7R III. Let's see if this age difference between two cameras makes a big difference.

Sony A7R III has a 42.0MP Full frame sensor whereas Sony NEX-3 has a 14.0MP APS-C sensor.

Here is a brief look at the main features of Sony A7R III and Sony NEX-3 before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Sony A7R III Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2017-10-25
  • 42MP - Full frame BSI-CMOS Sensor
  • No Anti-aliasing (AA) filter
  • ISO 100 - 32000 ( expands to 50-102400)
  • Sony E Mount
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 3 Tilting Screen
  • 3686k dot Electronic viewfinder
  • 10.0 fps continuous shooting
  • 4K (UHD) - 3840 x 2160 video resolution
  • Built-in Wireless
  • 657g. 127 x 96 x 74 mm
  • Weather Sealed Body
  • Replaced Sony Alpha 7R II Compare

Sony NEX-3 Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2010-06-07
  • 14MP - APS-C CMOS Sensor
  • ISO 200 - 12800
  • Sony E Mount
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • 7 fps continuous shooting
  • HD - 1280 x 720 video resolution
  • 297g. 117 x 62 x 33 mm

Sony A7R III was replaced by Sony Alpha A7R IV. You may also be interested in these comparisons:
Sony Alpha A7R IV vs Sony Alpha A7R III
Sony Alpha A7R IV vs Sony Alpha NEX-3

Sony NEX-3 was replaced by Sony Alpha NEX-C3. You may also be interested in these comparisons:
Sony Alpha NEX-C3 vs Sony Alpha NEX-3
Sony Alpha NEX-C3 vs Sony Alpha A7R III

Let's read on the following sections in order to better understand in detail how Sony A7R III and Sony NEX-3 compares and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one is better for you.

Reasons to choose Sony Alpha A7R III over Sony Alpha NEX-3
Wireless Connection
Built-In vs Eye-Fi Connected Better connectivity
Image Stabilization
Sensor-shift vs None Sharper images at longer focal lengths and long exposures
Touch Screen
Yes vs No Easy control of camera functions
Viewfinder
Electronic vs None Better framing and control
Max Sensor Resolution
42 MP vs 14 MP 200% more pixels
Max ISO
32.000 vs 12.800 150% higher Max ISO
Number of Focus Points
425 vs 25 400 more focus points
LCD Screen Resolution
1.440k dots vs 920k dots 56% higher resolution screen
Max Mech. Shutter
1/8000s vs 1/4000s faster mechanical shutter
Continuous Shooting
10.0fps vs 7.0fps 3 fps faster
Battery Life
650 shots vs 330 shots 320 more frames with a single charge
Microphone Port
Yes vs No High quality audio recording option
Headphone Port
Yes vs No better video control
Environmental Sealing
Yes vs No shoot at tough conditions
Timelapse Recording
Yes vs No creative shooting
Color Depth
26.0 vs 22.1 higher color depth
Dynamic Range
14.7 vs 12.0 higher dynamic range
Low Light ISO
3523 vs 830 better High ISO performance
Max Video Resolution
3840 x 2160 vs 1280 x 720 Higher Resolution Video
AE Bracketing
Yes vs No Useful for tough lighting conditions and HDR
Flash Sync Port
Yes vs No Connect off-camera flash
NFC Connection
Yes vs No Easy wireless connectivity with compatible devices
Bluetooth
Yes vs No Connect your camera to other devices via Blueetooth
Storage Slot
2 vs 1 Extra storage slot
Smartphone Remote
Yes vs No Remote control your camera with a smartphone
Autofocus at f/8 aperture
425 points vs none Autofocus with teleconverters
UHS Card Support
UHS-II vs none Read/Write in Ultra High Speeds
Animal Eye AF Tracking
Yes vs No Easily lock and track focus on animals
Anti Flicker
Yes vs No Reduced uneven color and exposure under flickering light
Eye Tracking Focus
Yes vs No Autofocus system locks on the eye and tracks the subject


Reasons to choose Sony Alpha NEX-3 over Sony Alpha A7R III
Weight
297 g vs 657 g 360 g lighter
Sensor Pixel Area
26.02µm2 vs 20.43µm2 27% larger pixel area

Common Strengths of Sony Alpha A7R III and Sony Alpha NEX-3
Adjustable LCD Screen
Tilting vs Tilting Flexible shooting positions
External Flash Shoe
Yes vs Yes Better for flash photography
RAW Support
Yes vs Yes Better image quality
Face Detection Focus
Yes vs Yes very handy for portraits
Continuous Shooting
10.0fps vs 7.0fps Fast shooting speeds
Common Weaknesses of Sony Alpha A7R III and Sony Alpha NEX-3
Built-in Flash
No vs No Require external flash
Sony A7R III vs Sony NEX-3: Physical Specs and Body features Comparison

Size and weight is a big decision factor when you are trying to find the ideal camera for your needs. In this section, We are going to illustrate Sony A7R III and Sony NEX-3 side-by-side from the front, back and top in their relative dimensions. Sony A7R III has external dimensions of 127 x 96 x 74 mm (5 x 3.78 x 2.91″) and weighs 657 g (1.45 lb / 23.17 oz) (including batteries). Sony NEX-3 has external dimensions of 117 x 62 x 33 mm (4.61 x 2.44 x 1.3″) and weighs 297 g (0.65 lb / 10.48 oz) (including batteries).

Below you can see the front view size comparison of Sony A7R III and Sony NEX-3. Sony NEX-3 is clearly the smaller of the two cameras. Its body is 10mm narrower, 34mm shorter and 41mm thinner than Sony A7R III.

Sony A7R III vs Sony NEX-3 Camera Size Comparison - Front View
Comparison image of Sony A7R III and Sony NEX-3 Size, Weight and External Dimensions - Front View

Now lets look at the top view comparison of Sony A7R III and Sony NEX-3.
Sony A7R III vs Sony NEX-3 Camera Size Comparison - Top View
Top View Comparison image of Sony A7R III and Sony NEX-3 Size

Weight is another important factor especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day. Sony NEX-3 is significantly lighter (360g ) than the Sony A7R III which may become a big advantage especially on long walking trips.

Also keep in mind that body weight is not the only deciding factor when comparing two interchangeable camera bodies, you have to also take into account the lenses that you will be using with these bodies. Since Sony A7R III has a Full frame sensor and Sony NEX-3 has a smaller APS-C sensor, Sony NEX-3's lenses for a similar focal length and aperture will generally be lighter and smaller than the Sony A7R III lenses.

Weight Comparison

Mirrorless Cameras

A7R III
NEX-3
Min
Average
Max
Thickness Comparison

Mirrorless Cameras

A7R III
NEX-3
Min
Average
Max

Weather Sealing

With its weather sealed body, we believe that A7R III has a big advantage over NEX-3 which doesn't provide any kind of environmental sealing.

LCD Screen Size and Features

Sony A7R III and Sony NEX-3's LCD screens has the same diagonal size of 3.

Both cameras feature Tilting screens where you can change the angle of the screen to make it easier to shoot from waist or over the head levels.
Sony A7R III vs Sony NEX-3: Sensor Comparison

Sony A7R III has a 42.0MP Full frame (35.9 x 24 mm ) sized BSI-CMOS sensor and features Bionz X processor. On the other hand, Sony NEX-3 has a 14.0MP APS-C (23.4 x 15.6 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Bionz processor.

Sony A7R III's sensor provides 28MP more than Sony NEX-3's sensor, which gives a significant advantage in real life. You can print your images larger or crop more freely. On the other hand, please keep in mind that Max sensor resolution is not the only determinant of resolving power. Factors such as the optical elements, low pass filter, pixel size and sensor technology also affects the final resolution of the captured image.

Another difference between these two cameras is that Sony A7R III's sensor lacks anti-alias (Low-Pass) filter. Removing anti-alias filter increases the sharpness and level of detail but at the same time, it increases the chance of moire occurring in certain scenes.

Below you can see the A7R III and NEX-3 sensor size comparison.

Sony A7R III vs Sony NEX-3 Sensor Size Comparison
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Sony A7R III and Sony NEX-3 Cameras


As seen above, Sony A7R III has a 2.4x Larger sensor area than Sony NEX-3. Larger sensors give photographer more control on the depth of field and blurry background compared to smaller sensor when shot in same focal length and aperture.

DxOMark Sensor Scores

Both Sony A7R III and Sony NEX-3 sensors have been tested by DxoMark. DxoMark scores camera sensors for color depth (DXO Portrait), dynamic range (DXO Landscape) and low-light sensitivity (DXO Sports), and also gives them an overall score. Of the two cameras that we are comparing, A7R III has scored 100, 32 points higher than NEX-3.

Model Overall Color Depth Dynamic Range Low-light ISO
Sony A7R III 100 26.0 bits 14.7 Evs 3523 ISO
Sony NEX-3 68 22.1 bits 12.0 Evs 830 ISO
Sony A7R III vs Sony NEX-3 Comparison of Available Lenses
Which camera has more lenses?

Number of available lenses is a big decision factor while choosing your interchangeable lens camera. Both Sony A7R III and Sony NEX-3 have 128 native lenses available but be careful that since Sony A7R III has a full frame sensor, only 81 of these lenses can cover the full frame sensor of A7R III.

Another important factor is the availability of image stabilization. Sony A7R III has a big advantage in this regard because it has a sensor based image stabilization (IS) which means that all the lenses mounted to this body will be stabilized. A7R III's built-in Image stabilization system is effective to compensate vibration up to 5.0-stops according to CIPA standards.
31 lenses for Sony E mount with Optical Image Stabilization features.

Lens Type # of Sony A7R III Lenses # of Sony NEX-3 Lenses
Standard Zoom 12 (9 Full Frame) 12
Standard Prime 18 (9 Full Frame) 18
Wideangle Zoom 7 (6 Full Frame) 7
Wideangle Prime 42 (26 Full Frame) 42
Telephoto Zoom 9 (7 Full Frame) 9
Telephoto Prime 18 (14 Full Frame) 18
SuperZoom 8 (1 Full Frame) 8
Wideangle Fisheye Prime 2 (0 Full Frame) 2
Macro Prime 8 (7 Full Frame) 8
Perspective Control Prime 2 (2 Full Frame) 2
Telephoto Mirror Prime n/a n/a
TOTAL 128 (81 Full Frame) 128

Here are some of the most popular Sony E Mount Lenses on Camera Decision:

Popular Sony E Mount Lenses for A7R III and NEX-3
Model Coverage Weight Focusing Street Price
Sony FE 24-240mm F3.5-6.3 OSS Lens Sony FE 24-240mm F3.5-6.3 OSS
35mm FF 780gr AF Amazon B&H Photo
Sony FE 24-70mm F4 ZA OSS Carl Zeiss Vario Tessar T Lens Sony FE 24-70mm F4 ZA OSS Carl Zeiss Vario Tessar T
35mm FF 426gr AF Amazon B&H Photo
Sony E 55-210mm F4.5-6.3 OSS Lens Sony E 55-210mm F4.5-6.3 OSS
APS-C / DX 345gr AF Amazon B&H Photo
Sony FE 70-200mm F4 G OSS Lens Sony FE 70-200mm F4 G OSS
35mm FF 840gr AF Amazon B&H Photo
Sony FE 35mm F2.8 ZA Carl Zeiss Sonnar T Lens Sony FE 35mm F2.8 ZA Carl Zeiss Sonnar T
35mm FF 120gr AF Amazon B&H Photo
Sony FE 70-300mm F4.5-5.6 G OSS Lens Sony FE 70-300mm F4.5-5.6 G OSS
35mm FF 854gr AF Amazon B&H Photo
Sony FE 50mm F1.8 Lens Sony FE 50mm F1.8
35mm FF 186gr AF Amazon B&H Photo
Sony E 16-50mm F3.5-5.6 PZ OSS Lens Sony E 16-50mm F3.5-5.6 PZ OSS
APS-C / DX 116gr AF Amazon B&H Photo

Now let's compare some sample lenses from each mount with typical Focal ranges for Sony A7R III and Sony NEX-3 to see how these lenses compares:

Fast Standard Zoom Lenses
Model FF Equiv. Weight Weight w/ Cam Length Street Price
Sony FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM Lens Sony FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM
24 - 70mm 886gr 1543gr 136mm Amazon B&H Photo
Sony E 16-55mm F2.8 G Lens Sony E 16-55mm F2.8 G
24 - 82.5mm 494gr 791gr 100mm Amazon B&H Photo
Fast Tele Zoom Equivalent Lenses
Model FF Equiv. Weight Weight w/ Cam Length Street Price
Sony FE 70-200mm F2.8 GM OSS Lens Sony FE 70-200mm F2.8 GM OSS
70 - 200mm 1480gr 2137gr 200mm Amazon B&H Photo
Sony E 55-210mm F4.5-6.3 OSS Lens Sony E 55-210mm F4.5-6.3 OSS
82.5 - 315mm 345gr 642gr 108mm Amazon B&H Photo
Fast Normal Prime Equivalent Lenses
Model FF Equiv. Weight Weight w/ Cam Length Street Price
Sony FE 50mm F1.4 Lens Sony FE 50mm F1.4
50mm 778gr 1435gr 108mm Amazon B&H Photo
Sony E 35mm F1.8 OSS Lens Sony E 35mm F1.8 OSS
52.5mm 155gr 452gr 45mm Amazon B&H Photo
Fast Wideangle Zoom Equivalent Lenses
Model FF Equiv. Weight Weight w/ Cam Length Street Price
Sony FE 16-35mm F2.8 GM Lens Sony FE 16-35mm F2.8 GM
16 - 35mm 680gr 1337gr 122mm Amazon B&H Photo
Sony E 10-18mm F4 OSS Lens Sony E 10-18mm F4 OSS
15 - 27mm 225gr 522gr 64mm Amazon B&H Photo
24-105mm f4 Equivalent Lenses
Model FF Equiv. Weight Weight w/ Cam Length Street Price
Sony FE 24-105mm F4 G OSS Lens Sony FE 24-105mm F4 G OSS
24 - 105mm 663gr 1320gr 113mm Amazon B&H Photo
Sony E 16-70mm F4 ZA OSS Lens Sony E 16-70mm F4 ZA OSS
24 - 105mm 308gr 605gr 75mm Amazon B&H Photo
Super-Tele Zoom Equivalent Lenses
Model FF Equiv. Weight Weight w/ Cam Length Street Price
Sony FE 100-400mm F4.5-5.6 GM OSS Lens Sony FE 100-400mm F4.5-5.6 GM OSS
100 - 400mm 1395gr 2052gr 205mm Amazon B&H Photo
Sony E 70-350mm F4.5-6.3 G OSS Lens Sony E 70-350mm F4.5-6.3 G OSS
105 - 525mm 625gr 922gr 142mm Amazon B&H Photo
What types of Photography are Sony A7R III and Sony NEX-3 Good for?
In this section, we rank and compare Sony A7R III and Sony NEX-3 for five different photography types in order to make your decision process easier in case you are specifically interested in one or more of these areas.

Sony A7R III for Portrait Photography

EXCELLENT

Sony NEX-3 for Portrait Photography

AVERAGE
Large Full frame (35.9 x 24 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 42.0MP
Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Read the details
Large APS-C (23.4 x 15.6 mm) sensor
Average Resolution Sensor: 14.0MP
Average Ergonomics&Handling
No Image Stabilization
No Built-in Viewfinder
Read the details

Sony A7R III for Street Photography

EXCELLENT

Sony NEX-3 for Street Photography

AVERAGE
Large Full frame (35.9 x 24 mm) sensor
Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Tilting LCD Screen
Medium sized Body
Read the details
Large APS-C (23.4 x 15.6 mm) sensor
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Tilting LCD Screen
Medium sized Body
No Image Stabilization
No Built-in Viewfinder
Read the details

Sony A7R III for Sports Photography

GOOD

Sony NEX-3 for Sports Photography

AVERAGE
Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Fast Continuous Shooting: 10.0fps
Anti Flicker feature
Environmental Sealings
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/8000s
425 Focus Points
Good Battery Life: 650 shots
Good Low Light ISO
Wireless Connection
Read the details
Fast Continuous Shooting: 7.0fps
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/4000s
25 Focus Points
Average Ergonomics&Handling
No Image Stabilization
No Built-in Viewfinder
Environmental Sealings
Read the details

Sony A7R III for Daily Photography

EXCELLENT

Sony NEX-3 for Daily Photography

GOOD
Large Full frame (35.9 x 24 mm) sensor
Anti Flicker feature
Environmental Sealings
Medium size Body
657g
Body Thickness 74mm
Read the details
Large APS-C (23.4 x 15.6 mm) sensor
297g
Medium size Body
Read the details

Sony A7R III for Landscape Photography

GOOD

Sony NEX-3 for Landscape Photography

POOR
Large Full frame (35.9 x 24 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 42.0MP
Environmental Sealings
Live-view
Read the details
Large APS-C (23.4 x 15.6 mm) sensor
Live-view
Average Resolution Sensor: 14.0MP
No Environmental Sealings
Read the details

Sony A7R III vs Sony NEX-3: OUR DECISION

You may have already made your decision about which camera suits better for your needs and your budget so far but in case you wonder how we rated Sony A7R III and Sony NEX-3, below you can find their scores in five different aspects. Our Decision Algorithm dynamically scores cameras using 63 different specs, current price and DxO Mark scores (where possible) in order to make a more objective and consistent comparison.

Here is a summary of how Sony A7R III and Sony NEX-3 scores compare:

Sony A7R III
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #4 out of 86 in SLR-style mirrorless cameras
Ranked #4 out of 1220 in all Cameras
Sony NEX-3
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #97 out of 126 in Rangefinder-style mirrorless cameras
Ranked #417 out of 1220 in all Cameras

Sony A7R III is the overall winner of this comparison. It has a higher Overall Score and beats Sony NEX-3 in all criteria except one: Portability. Sony NEX-3 is significantly smaller than Sony A7R III. If small size and light body is a big priority for you, choose Sony NEX-3. Otherwise, Sony A7R III is the better camera overall.

Sony A7R III
Sony A7R III
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Sony NEX-3
Sony NEX-3
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Sony NEX-3 vs Sony A7R III Specs Table
Detailed comparison of specifications
General Sony Alpha A7R III Sony Alpha NEX-3
Brand Sony Sony
Announced 2017-10-25 2010-06-07
Body Type SLR-style mirrorless Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor
Type BSI-CMOS CMOS
Size Full frame APS-C
Dimensions 35.9 x 24 mm 23.4 x 15.6 mm
Area 861.60mm2 365.04mm2
Megapixels 42 megapixels 14 megapixels
Max Resolution 7952 x 5304 4592 x 3056
Max Native Light sensitivity 32,000 ISO 12,800 ISO
Max Boosted Light Sensitivity 102400 ISO -
Min Native Light sensitivity 100 ISO 200 ISO
Min Boosted Light Sensitivity 50 ISO -
RAW Support
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 425 25
Lens
Manual Focus
Lens Mount Sony E Sony E
Number of Available Lenses 128 128
Screen
Type Tilting Tilting
Size 3 3"
Resolution 1,440k dots 920k dots
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder Electronic None
Viewfinder Resolution 3,686k dots no electronic viewfinder
Viewfinder Coverage 100% n/a
Viewfinder Magnification 0.78x n/a
Photography Features
Max Mechanical Shutter 1/8000s 1/4000s
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Custom White Balance
Image Stabilization Sensor-shift No
Built-in Flash
Flash Range no built-in flash 12.00 m
Max Flash Sync n/a 1/160s
External Flash
Continuous Shooting 10.0 fps 7.0 fps
Multi-Segment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF-Area
Center Weighted
AE Bracketing
WB Bracketing
Video Features
Max Video Resolution 3840 x 2160 1280 x 720
Video Formats MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC S MPEG-4
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Connectivity
Wireless Connectivity Built-In Eye-Fi Connected
HDMI
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Weight 657g 297g
Dimensions 127 x 96 x 74mm 117 x 62 x 33mm
Battery Life 650 shots 330 shots
Other Features
Timelapse Recording
GPS None None
DxO Sensor Scores
DxO Overall Score 100 68
DxO Color Depth 26.0 22.1
DxO Dynamic Range 14.7 12.0
DxO Low Light ISO 3523 830
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