Sony NEX-3 has a
14.0MP APS-C (23.4 x 15.6 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Bionz processor. On the other hand, Nikon D90 has a
12.0MP APS-C (23.6 x 15.8 mm ) sized CMOS sensor .
Below you can see the NEX-3 and D90 sensor size comparison.
Sony NEX-3 and Nikon D90 have almost the same sensor size, so neither of them has any significant advantage over the other in terms of providing control over depth of field when used with the same focal length and aperture.
DxOMark Sensor Scores
DxOMark is a benchmark that scientifically assesses image quality of camera sensors. It 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. Sony NEX-3 and Nikon D90 sensors have been tested by DxO and the results show that D90 has a better overall score of 73, 5 points higher compared to NEX-3's score of 68.
Model |
Overall |
Color Depth |
Dynamic Range |
Low-light ISO |
Sony NEX-3 |
68 |
22.1 bits |
12.0 Evs |
830 ISO |
Nikon D90 |
73 |
22.7 bits |
12.5 Evs |
977 ISO |