Sony Alpha NEX-3 vs Sony Alpha NEX-5

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Alpha NEX-3 compared with Alpha NEX-5

	SonyAlpha NEX-3	SonyAlpha NEX-5
Overview
Released
Released	June 2010	June 2010
Image and sensor
Camera type
Camera type	Mirrorless	Mirrorless
Sensor format
Sensor format	APS-C	APS-C
Sensor type
Sensor type	Exmor APS HD CMOS	Exmor APS HD CMOS
Sensor dimensions
Sensor dimensions	23.4 × 15.6 mm	23.4 × 15.6 mm
Effective resolution
Effective resolution	14.2 MP	14.2 MP
Largest image
Largest image	4592 × 3056	4592 × 3056
RAW recording
RAW recording	Yes	Yes
Standard ISO range
Standard ISO range	200–12800	200–12800
Sensor detail
Sensor detail	Charge-protection coating and electromagnetic vibration of the optical low-pass filter for dust reduction	14.6 million total pixels; charge-protection coating on the optical low-pass filter and electromagnetic vibration for dust reduction
Image formats
Image formats	JPEG, RAW and RAW+JPEG; Sony's Japanese launch table specifies ARW 2.2	JPEG, RAW and RAW+JPEG; Sony's original Japanese launch table specifies ARW 2.2; some contemporary secondary specifications say ARW 2.1
ISO detail
ISO detail	Standard ISO 200–12800; Auto ISO 200–1600	Standard ISO 200–12800; Auto ISO 200–1600 in Sony's launch release
Image processor
Image processor	BIONZ	BIONZ
Lens and shooting
Lens mount
Lens mount	Sony E-mount	Sony E-mount
Stabilisation
Stabilisation	Optical lens stabilisation	Optical lens stabilisation
Maximum continuous burst
Maximum continuous burst	7 fps	7 fps
Lens detail
Lens detail	Launch kits contain E 16mm F2.8 and/or E 18–55mm F3.5–5.6 OSS. The original LA-EA1 adapter supports A-mount lenses with manual focusing at launch; later firmware is separate.	Interchangeable E-mount; launch kits use E 16mm F2.8 and/or E 18–55mm F3.5–5.6 OSS. The launch LA-EA1 A-mount adapter supports manual focusing; later firmware changes are separate from the original launch specification.
Autofocus
Autofocus	Contrast detection; 25-point multipoint, centre or flexible-spot areas; single or continuous autofocus, direct manual focus and manual focus	Contrast detection; 25-point multipoint, centre and flexible-spot areas; single or continuous autofocus, direct manual focus and manual focus
Shutter
Shutter	Electronically controlled vertical-traverse focal-plane shutter; 30 seconds to 1/4000 second plus Bulb; flash sync 1/160 second	Electronically controlled vertical-traverse focal-plane shutter; 30 seconds to 1/4000 second plus Bulb; flash sync 1/160 second
Burst detail
Burst detail	Approximately 7 fps in Speed Priority Continuous, with focus and exposure fixed at the first frame; approximately 2.3 fps normal continuous advance	Speed Priority Continuous reaches approximately 7 fps with focus and exposure fixed at the first frame. Normal Continuous Advance reaches approximately 2.3 fps. Separate Hand-held Twilight and Anti Motion Blur modes combine six photographs into one output image.
Stabilisation detail
Stabilisation detail	No sensor-shift stabilisation (PhotographyBlog); optical correction requires a compatible OSS lens. The 18–55mm kit lens has OSS, while the 16mm does not.	No sensor-shift stabilisation; Optical SteadyShot requires a compatible lens. The E 18–55mm OSS kit lens has optical correction; the E 16mm kit lens does not.
Flash
Flash	Supplied detachable flash; guide number 7 at ISO 100 in metres; approximately four-second recycle time	Supplied detachable flash mounts to the Smart Accessory Terminal; guide number 7 at ISO 100 in metres; approximately four-second recycle time
Exposure controls
Exposure controls	Intelligent Auto, program, aperture priority, shutter priority and manual; Sweep Panorama, DRO, three-exposure Auto HDR and six-exposure Hand-held Twilight or Anti Motion Blur	Intelligent Auto, program, aperture priority, shutter priority and manual; scene modes, Sweep Panorama, DRO and three-exposure Auto HDR
Video
Highest video resolution
Highest video resolution	1280 × 720 at 30 fps	1920 × 1080
Video detail
Video detail	MP4 with MPEG-4 Visual compression; 1280 × 720 at 30p in Fine or Standard quality, or 640 × 480 at 30p. These are the NEX-3 figures in Sony's Japanese announcement; AVCHD Full HD belongs to the NEX-5.	AVCHD 1920 × 1080 interlaced recording; Japanese launch model uses 60i (60 fields per second), with PAL 50i variants documented in the instruction manual. MP4 offers 1440 × 1080 or 640 × 480; the Japanese release gives 30p. The interlaced field rate is not a 60-full-frame-per-second claim. Approximately 29 minutes maximum continuous recording under the manual's conditions.
Audio
Audio	Built-in stereo microphone; MPEG-4 AAC-LC audio; optional ECM-SST1 accessory microphone	Built-in stereo microphone; AVCHD Dolby Digital two-channel audio or MP4 AAC-LC; optional Sony stereo microphone uses the accessory terminal
Screen and viewfinder
Viewfinder
Viewfinder	None	None
Screen size
Screen size	3″	3″
Screen dots
Screen dots	921,600	921,600
Touchscreen
Touchscreen	No	No
Tilting screen
Tilting screen	Yes	Yes
Display detail
Display detail	TruBlack wide TFT; tilts approximately 80° up and 45° down; no touchscreen (PhotographyBlog)	TruBlack wide TFT; tilts approximately 80° up and 45° down; 921,600 dots count RGB subpixels; no touchscreen (Photography Blog)
Viewfinder detail
Viewfinder detail	No built-in viewfinder (PhotographyBlog); optional FDA-SV1 optical finder is designed for the E 16mm lens	–
Connections and design
Battery life (maker's claim)
Battery life (maker's claim)	330 photographs	330 photographs
Body weight
Body weight	239 g	229 g (better)
Release detail
Release detail	Sony Japan specifies 10 June 2010 for NEX-3A, NEX-3K and NEX-3D kits. This is the original NEX-3, not the NEX-C3, F3 or 3N.	Sony Japan specifies 3 June 2010 for NEX-5A, NEX-5K and NEX-5D kits. This is the original NEX-5, not the later NEX-5N, 5R or 5T.
Recording media
Recording media	Memory Stick PRO Duo and PRO-HG Duo; SD, SDHC and SDXC	Memory Stick PRO Duo and PRO-HG Duo; SD, SDHC and SDXC
Ports
Ports	–	Mini-B USB 2.0 Hi-Speed, Mini HDMI Type C and proprietary Smart Accessory Terminal
Battery life detail
Battery life detail	NP-FW50; approximately 330 photographs under CIPA conditions	NP-FW50; approximately 330 photographs under CIPA conditions, using the supplied fully charged battery and flash for half the shots
Charging
Charging	Supplied BC-VW1 external charger	Supplied BC-VW1 external charger
Dimensions
Dimensions	Approximately 117.2 × 62.6 × 33.4 mm (width × height × depth), excluding protrusions; Sony's separate 25.4 mm thinnest-section figure excludes the grip and mount	Approximately 110.8 × 58.8 × 38.2 mm (width × height × depth), excluding protrusions
Weight detail
Weight detail	Approximately 239 g camera only; 297 g including battery and Memory Stick PRO Duo; lens excluded	Approximately 229 g camera only; 287 g including battery and Memory Stick PRO Duo; both exclude the lens
Materials
Materials	–	Magnesium-alloy front cover
Colours
Colours	Black, red or white; silver was a Sony Style exclusive in Japan	Black or silver
In the box
In the box	NP-FW50 battery, BC-VW1 charger, USB cable, detachable flash and case, shoulder strap, lens cap and software CD; lenses depend on kit	NP-FW50 battery, BC-VW1 charger, USB cable, detachable flash and flash case, shoulder strap, software CD; lenses depend on kit