Sony NEX-C3 Comparison Review

The Sony Alpha NEX-C3 is a mirrorless interchangeable lens camera that was announced in June 2011 and is equipped with an APS-C sensor. It offers a resolution of 16 megapixel.

The NEX-C3 has an Elo rating of 1579. The Camera Elo represents a comprehensive assessment of digital cameras, as derived from a large number of pair-wise comparisons of body, sensor, and feature characteristics.

The Elo rating puts the Sony NEX-C3 below average of all mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras. In terms of its sensor size category – APS cameras – the NEX-C3 also ranks below average. Based on its within category standings, the camera receives a 2.5-star performance rating.

Read on to find out more about the camera's size, sensor, features, and reception by expert reviewers.

Body comparison with a credit card

The side-by-side display below illustrates the physical size of the Sony NEX-C3 vis-à-vis a credit card. Three consecutive perspectives from the front, the top, and the back are presented. All width, height and depth measures are rounded to the nearest millimeter.

The table below summarizes the key physical specs of the Sony NEX-C3 alongside a set of comparators. If you want to review a camera pair side-by-side, just select a right-side comparator from among the camera models in the table. Alternatively, you can also move across to the CAM-parator tool and choose from the broad selection of possible comparisons there.

Camera Body Specifications

	Camera Model	Camera Width	Camera Height	Camera Depth	Camera Weight	Battery Life (CIPA)	Weather Sealing (yes/no)	Camera Launch (announced)	Launch Price (USD)	Street Price (USD)	Used Price (USD)	Camera Model
	Sony NEX-C3	4.3 in	2.4 in	1.3 in	7.9 oz	400	n	Jun 2011	599	-		Sony NEX-C3
	Ricoh GR II« »	4.6 in	2.5 in	1.4 in	8.9 oz	320	n	Jun 2015	699			Ricoh GR II
	Sony NEX-3N« »	4.3 in	2.4 in	1.4 in	9.5 oz	480	n	Feb 2013	499	-		Sony NEX-3N
	Sony NEX-5T« »	4.4 in	2.3 in	1.5 in	97.9 oz	330	n	Aug 2013	699	-		Sony NEX-5T
	Sony NEX-5R« »	4.4 in	2.3 in	1.5 in	9.7 oz	330	n	Aug 2012	749	-		Sony NEX-5R
	Sony NEX-6« »	4.7 in	2.6 in	1.7 in	12.2 oz	360	n	Sep 2012	999	-		Sony NEX-6
	Sony NEX-F3« »	4.6 in	2.6 in	1.7 in	11.1 oz	470	n	May 2012	599	-		Sony NEX-F3
	Sony RX100« »	4.0 in	2.3 in	1.4 in	8.5 oz	330	n	Jun 2012	649	-		Sony RX100
	Sony NEX-5N« »	4.4 in	2.3 in	1.5 in	9.5 oz	460	n	Aug 2011	699	-		Sony NEX-5N
	Sony NEX-3« »	4.6 in	2.4 in	1.3 in	10.5 oz	330	n	May 2010	599	-		Sony NEX-3
	Sony NEX-5« »	4.4 in	2.3 in	1.5 in	10.1 oz	330	n	May 2010	699	-		Sony NEX-5
Convert to Metric

The listed prices provide an indication of the market segment that the manufacturer of the cameras have been targeting. The Sony NEX-C3 was launched in the US market at a price of $599. Usually, retail prices stay at first close to the launch price, but after several months, discounts become available. Later in the product cycle and, in particular, when the replacement model is about to appear, further discounting and stock clearance sales often push the camera price considerably down. Then, after the new model is out, very good deals can frequently be found on the pre-owned market.

Sensor comparison with a 35mm slide

The size of the imaging sensor is a crucial determinant of image quality. A large sensor will tend to have larger individual pixels that provide better low-light sensitivity, wider dynamic range, and richer color-depth than smaller pixel-units in a sensor of the same technological generation. Moreover, a large sensor camera will give the photographer more control over depth-of-field in the image and, thus, the ability to better isolate a subject from the background. On the downside, larger sensors tend to be more expensive and lead to bigger and heavier cameras and lenses.

The Sony NEX-C3 features an APS-C sensor and has a format factor (sometimes also referred to as "crop factor") of 1.5. Within the spectrum of camera sensors, this places the Sony NEX-C3 among the medium-sized sensor cameras that aim to strike a balance between image quality and portability.

Consistent information on actual sensor performance is available from DXO Mark for most cameras. This service determines an overall sensor rating, as well as sub-scores for low-light sensitivity ("DXO Sports"), dynamic range ("DXO Landscape"), and color depth ("DXO Portrait"). The following table provides an overview of the physical sensor characteristics, as well as the sensor quality measurements for a selection of comparators.

Feature comparison

Apart from body and sensor, cameras can and do differ across a range of features. The following tables report on some other key feature differences and similarities of the Sony NEX-C3 and comparable cameras. If needed, the dpreview camera hub, for example, contains further detail on the cameras' specs.

Expert reviews

While the comparison of technical specifications can provide a useful overview of the capabilities of different cameras, it remains partial and cannot reveal, for example, the handling experience and imaging performance when actually working with the NEX-C3. User reviews that are available, for instance, at amazon can sometimes shed light on these issues, but such feedback is all too often partial, inconsistent, and inaccurate. This is where reviews by experts come in. The table below summarizes the assessments of some of the best known camera review sites (cameralabs, dpreview, ephotozine, imaging-resource, photographyblog). The detailed reviews can be accessed by clicking on the site logo in the table header.

Review Scores

	Camera Model						Camera Launch (announced)	Launch Price (USD)	Street Price (USD)	Used Price (USD)	Camera Model
	Sony NEX-C3	HiRec	74/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	4/5	Jun 2011	599	-		Sony NEX-C3
	Ricoh GR II« »	-	-	4.5/5	4.5/5	4.5/5	Jun 2015	699			Ricoh GR II
	Sony NEX-3N« »	-	-	4.5/5	4/5	4.5/5	Feb 2013	499	-		Sony NEX-3N
	Sony NEX-5T« »	-	-	4.5/5	-	4.5/5	Aug 2013	699	-		Sony NEX-5T
	Sony NEX-5R« »	-	-	4.5/5	-	4.5/5	Aug 2012	749	-		Sony NEX-5R
	Sony NEX-6« »	HiRec	78/100	4.5/5	5/5	4.5/5	Sep 2012	999	-		Sony NEX-6
	Sony NEX-F3« »	-	74/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	4.5/5	May 2012	599	-		Sony NEX-F3
	Sony RX100« »	HiRec	78/100	4/5	5/5	5/5	Jun 2012	649	-		Sony RX100
	Sony NEX-5N« »	HiRec	79/100	4.5/5	5/5	4.5/5	Aug 2011	699	-		Sony NEX-5N
	Sony NEX-3« »	-	70/100	4.5/5	5/5	4/5	May 2010	599	-		Sony NEX-3
	Sony NEX-5« »	HiRec	71/100	4.5/5	4/5	4/5	May 2010	699	-		Sony NEX-5

Care should be taken when interpreting the review scores above, though. The assessments were made in relation to similar cameras of the same technological generation. Hence, a score should always be seen in the context of the camera's market launch date and its price, and comparisons of ratings among very different cameras or across long time periods have little meaning. It should also be noted that some of the review sites have over time altered the way they render their verdicts.

Camera to camera comparisons

In case you are interested in seeing how this camera compares another one, just use the search menu below. An an alternative, you can also directly jump to any one of the listed comparisons that were previously generated by the CAM-parator tool. If you cannot find the camera you are interested in, please send me an email, and I will try to add information on that model to the database.

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