Sony NEX3 vs Sony NEX-5 — Which Is Better?

The Sony NEX3 and Sony NEX-5 are mirrorless cameras announced together in May 2010, each pairing an APS-C CMOS sensor with the Sony E mount. Any E-mount lens you buy works on either body, so your lens options stay open.

The NEX-5 is the more compact body, at 111 x 59 x 38 mm and 287 g, against 117 x 62 x 33 mm and 297 g for the NEX3. These are close measurements, so both fill the same compact carry role.

For stills photography, the optics are effectively interchangeable. A shared resolution near 14 megapixels, 14.2 MP on the NEX3 against 14.16 MP on the NEX-5, gives both the same room to crop a distant subject or print at normal sizes. The 0.04 MP gap changes nothing in practice.

The remaining stills specifications are shared. Both cameras offer 7 fps bursts, 25 autofocus points, a 1/4000 second maximum shutter, and a native ISO range of 200 to 12800. Neither has in-body stabilisation or a viewfinder, so both frame on the rear screen.

The Sony NEX-5 is the clear choice if video matters, recording Full HD while the NEX3 stops at Standard HD. Clips for a large screen or modern sharing show more detail from the NEX-5. Both record at up to 30 fps, so the difference is resolution, not motion smoothness.

The NEX-5 also records in AVCHD and MP4, while the NEX3 records MPEG-4. AVCHD suits longer Full HD recordings, and MP4 gives a lighter file for quick sharing. For filming alongside stills, the NEX-5 is the clear video choice.

Waist-level and overhead framing work the same way on both cameras, through a shared 3-inch, 920,000-dot tilting screen. Neither screen is touch-sensitive, so settings change through physical controls. The only recorded difference is the screen type label, TFT LCD versus LCD, which leaves the shared size, dot count and tilt unchanged.

Neither camera has a built-in flash, but both accept an external flash unit, which is useful for indoor portraits and dim interiors. Neither offers GPS, WiFi, Bluetooth or weather sealing, so both are offline, fair-weather cameras.

Memory cards, spare batteries and charging routines carry over between the two bodies. Both use the NP-FW50 battery, rated for 330 shots, and accept SD, SDHC and SDXC cards alongside Memory Stick Pro Duo and Pro-HG Duo media. Each has a single card slot, so neither offers in-camera backup.

Neither camera charges over USB, so both rely on an external charger. Existing NP-FW50 batteries and Memory Stick media work in either body.