Canon Rebel
T3i
 vs
Sony
NEX-7

Updated (March, 2013): Compare the Canon Rebel T4i vs Sony NEX-7n

Canon Rebel T3i

89

  
Sony NEX-7

55

  

Reasons to buy the Canon Rebel T3i

Screen flips out
 Flip-out screen
Great for movies
External mic jack
 External mic jack
Record higher quality audio with a microphone
Badge
 Built-in focus motor
Autofocuses with more lenses
 
Runner-up

Sony NEX-7

Reasons to buy the Sony NEX-7

Overall image quality
 Great image quality
81.0
Size
 Really small
Compact 111x59x38 mm
True resolution
 High true resolution
24 MP
Light sensitivity
 High ISO
16,000 ISO
Continuous shooting
 Rapid fire
10 fps
Dynamic range
 Wide dynamic range
13.4 EV
 

differences

Advantages of the Canon T3i
Autofocus Faster autofocus Phase detection vs Contrast detection
Help
 Catch candid moments easily
Lens availability Much more lenses available 162 lenses vs 8 lenses
Help
 Around 20.5x more lenses available
Viewfinder Has an optical viewfinder Pentamirror vs Digital
Help
 Optical viewfinders save battery life and are more detailed
Lowest price Cheaper $549.00 vs $948.00
Help
 The best price we've seen is $399 cheaper (more than 40% less)
Canon Rebel T3i Learn more about
the Canon T3i

Advantages of the Sony NEX-7
Size Significantly smaller 111x59x38 mm vs 133x99x79 mm
Help
 4.2x smaller
Overall image quality Better image quality 81.0 vs 65.0
Help
 More than 20% better image quality
Autofocus Video autofocus Contrast detection vs None
Help
 Automatically focuses shooting video
3D Takes 3D photos Yes vs No
Help
 Combines multiple photos into a 3D image
Panorama Can create panoramas in-camera Yes vs No
Help
 Stitches together multiple photos for a wide perspective
HDR Has in-camera HDR Yes vs No
Help
 Combines multiple exposures to capture high dynamic range
True resolution Significantly higher true resolution 24 MP vs 17.9 MP
Help
 Capture more than 30% more detail in your photos
Dynamic range More dynamic range 13.4 EV vs 11.5 EV
Help
 1.9 f-stops more dynamic range
Light sensitivity Better maximum light sensitivity 16,000 ISO vs 6,400 ISO
Help
 The NEX-7's maximum light sensitivity is 1.3 f-stops better
Continuous shooting Shoots faster 10 fps vs 3.7 fps
Help
 More than 2.5x faster continuous shooting
Thickness Significantly thinner 1.5" vs 3.1"
Help
 2.1x thinner
Color depth Better color depth 24.1 bits vs 22.1 bits
Help
 Distinguishes 2 more bits of color
Weight Lighter 350 g vs 570 g
Help
 Around 40% lighter
Focus points More focus points 25 vs 9
Help
 Set focus accurately within the frame
Startup delay Less startup delay 1200 ms vs 1500 ms
Help
 20% less delay when turning on
Low light performance Lower noise at high ISO 1,016 ISO vs 793 ISO
Help
 The NEX-7 has a slight edge (0.4 f-stops) in low noise, high ISO performance
Viewfinder coverage Slightly better viewfinder coverage 100% vs 95%
Help
 Around 10% better viewfinder coverage
Sensor size Slightly larger sensor APS-C 23.5x15.6mm vs APS-C 22.3x14.9mm
Help
 More than 10% larger sensor
Shutter lag Slightly less shutter lag 223 ms vs 283 ms
Help
 More than 20% less delay when taking photos
Sony NEX-7 Learn more about
the Sony NEX-7
vs

recommendations

Relative to the best recent digital cameras, and ignoring price

Canon Rebel T3i Canon Rebel T3i
89 vs 55
Explain scores
Sony NEX-7 Sony NEX-7
Green arrow Snapsort recommends the Canon Rebel T3i. This recommendation, however, should be taken with a grain of salt since it doesn't always make sense to compare a entry-level DSLR with a mirrorless interchangeable-lens.

similarities

Compared to recent digital cameras

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
External mic jack You can plug a microphone into both of these Help
Record higher quality audio with a microphone
Supports 24p Both support 24p, which is uncommon in cameras similar to these Help
For that film look
Screen flips out Flip-out screens Help
Great for movies
True resolution Capture extremely high resolution images Help
T3i:17.9 MP
NEX-7:24 MP
Sensor size Large sensors Help
T3i:APS-C 22.3x14.9mm
NEX-7:APS-C 23.5x15.6mm
Interchangeable lenses Both support interchangeable lenses, which is uncommon in cameras similar to these Help
Many lenses to choose from
Supports RAW Supports RAW Help
Better editing
Sensor cleaning Both have self cleaning sensors, which is uncommon in cameras similar to these Help
Avoids dust in your photos
External flash Support external flash Help
Better lighting
Viewfinder Viewfinders Help
T3i:Pentamirror
NEX-7:Digital
Sensor type Better sensor types Help
Better in low light
Fastest shutter speed Fast max shutter speeds Help
1/4000 of a second
Image stabilization No image stabilization Help
Risk of blur

dxomark

DXOMark

competitors

Shared Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Nikon D5100

Nikon D5100

Entry-level DSLR

$497 body only

$597 - $805 with 18-55mm lens
Startup delay Has slightly less startup delay
Battery life Has a slightly longer battery life
Thickness Is thicker
Weight Is slightly heavier
Compare the D5100 vs the Rebel T3i
Compare the D5100 vs the NEX-7
Canon Rebel T4i

Canon Rebel T4i

Entry-level DSLR

$669 - $800 body only

$699 - $749 with 18-55mm lens
Touch screen Has a touch screen
Startup delay Has slightly less startup delay
Thickness Is thicker
Weight Is slightly heavier
Compare the Rebel T4i vs the Rebel T3i
Compare the Rebel T4i vs the NEX-7
Canon EOS 60D

Canon EOS 60D

Pro DSLR

$699 - $899 body only

$999 - $1,279 with 18-135mm lens
Weather sealed Has a weather sealed body
Startup delay Has slightly less startup delay
Thickness Is thicker
Weight Is significantly heavier
Compare the EOS 60D vs the Rebel T3i
Compare the EOS 60D vs the NEX-7
Nikon D5200

Nikon D5200

Entry-level DSLR

$697 body only

$797 with 18-55mm lens
Cross type focus points Has slightly more cross-type focus points
Thickness Is thicker
Weight Is slightly heavier
Compare the D5200 vs the Rebel T3i
Compare the D5200 vs the NEX-7
Canon EOS 7D

Canon EOS 7D

Pro DSLR

$1,499 body only

$1,799 with 18-135mm lens
Weather sealed Has a weather sealed body
Startup delay Has slightly less startup delay
Lowest price Is slightly more expensive
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the EOS 7D vs the Rebel T3i
Compare the EOS 7D vs the NEX-7
Nikon D7000

Nikon D7000

Entry-level DSLR

$897 body only

$997 with 18-105mm lens
Weather sealed Has a weather sealed body
Startup delay Has slightly less startup delay
Thickness Is thicker
Weight Is much heavier
Compare the D7000 vs the Rebel T3i
Compare the D7000 vs the NEX-7

Canon Rebel T3i Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Nikon D3200

Nikon D3200

Entry-level DSLR

$547 with 18-55mm lens
Overall image quality Better image quality
Autofocus Video autofocus
Lens focus motor Doesn't have a built-in focus motor
Screen flips out Screen does not flip out
Compare the D3200 vs the Rebel T3i
Canon Rebel T3

Canon Rebel T3

Entry-level DSLR

$332 body only

$429 - $499 with 18-55mm lens
Startup delay Significantly less startup delay
Battery life Longer battery life
Screen size Significantly smaller screen
External mic jack Lacks an external mic jack
Compare the Rebel T3 vs the Rebel T3i
Canon EOS Rebel T2i

Canon Rebel T2i

Entry-level DSLR

$500 body only

$600 with 18-55mm lens
Startup delay Significantly less startup delay
Size Smaller
Screen flips out Screen does not flip out
Compare the Rebel T2i vs the Rebel T3i
Nikon D3100

Nikon D3100

Entry-level DSLR

$447 - $740 with 18-55mm lens
Autofocus Video autofocus
Startup delay Significantly less startup delay
Lens focus motor Doesn't have a built-in focus motor
External mic jack Lacks an external mic jack
Compare the D3100 vs the Rebel T3i

Sony NEX-7 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Sony Alpha NEX-6

Sony Alpha NEX-6

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$748 body only

$898 with 16-50mm lens
Autofocus Faster autofocus
Focus points Many more focus points
External mic jack Lacks an external mic jack
True resolution Much lower true resolution
Compare the Alpha NEX-6 vs the NEX-7
Sony NEX-5N

Sony NEX-5N

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$650 - $699 with 18-55mm lens
Touch screen Has a touch screen
Light sensitivity Better maximum light sensitivity
External mic jack Lacks an external mic jack
True resolution Much lower true resolution
Compare the NEX-5N vs the NEX-7
Olympus OM-D E-M5

Olympus OM-D E-M5

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$999 - $1,114 body only

$1,099 with 14-42mm lens
Screen type Has an OLED screen
Weather sealed Weather sealed
External mic jack Lacks an external mic jack
Supports 24p No 24p support
Compare the OM-D E-M5 vs the NEX-7
Fujifilm X-E1

Fujifilm X-E1

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$999 - $1,000 body only

$1,399 with 18-55mm lens
Screen flips out Screen does not flip out
True resolution Much lower true resolution
Compare the X-E1 vs the NEX-7
Sony Alpha NEX-5

Sony Alpha NEX-5

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$656 - $782 with 18-55mm lens
Startup delay Slightly less startup delay
Weight Lighter
External mic jack Lacks an external mic jack
Supports 24p No 24p support
Compare the Alpha NEX-5 vs the NEX-7

appearance

Canon Rebel T3i Sony NEX-7
Canon Rebel T3i Sony NEX-7
Canon Rebel T3i Sony NEX-7

discussion

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