Canon EOS Digital
Rebel XSi
 vs
Sony Alpha
NEX-3

Updated (June, 2011): Compare the Canon EOS Digital Rebel XSi vs Sony NEX C3

Sony Alpha NEX-3

47
"Most impressive is that it focuses fast enough to track a subject running full speed at the camera"
imaging-resource.com | talking about the NEX-3's video-quality
"The Sony NEX-3 and NEX-5 are unique cameras that will be remembered for their design as well as their excellent image quality/"
imaging-resource.com | talking about the NEX-3's image-quality

Reasons to buy the Sony Alpha NEX-3

Screen resolution
 High resolution screen
920k dots
Size
 Really small
Compact 117x62x33 mm
Light sensitivity
 High ISO
12,800 ISO
Dynamic range
 Wide dynamic range
12 EV
Screen flips out
 Flip-out screen
Great for movies
HDR
 In-camera HDR
Combines multiple exposures
Canon EOS Digital Rebel XSi

35
"Just like the EOS 400D the 450D is primarily made from three materials; a stainless steel chassis, the mirror box which is made of high-strength 'engineering plastic' and the body made of a special lightweight 'engineering plastic' which also provides some electromagnetic shielding. Construction is very good with no creaks or rattles."
dpreview.com | talking about the Rebel XSi's build-quality
"Superb resolution, good per-pixel sharpness"
dpreview.com | talking about the Rebel XSi's image-quality

Reasons to buy the Canon EOS Digital Rebel XSi

Lens availability
 Slightly more lenses available
162 lenses
Badge
 Built-in focus motor
Autofocuses with more lenses
Badge
 Phase detection autofocus
fast and accurate
Viewfinder
 Great viewfinder
Pentamirror
Live view
 Has live view
Preview your photos
Built-in flash
 Built-in flash
External flash not needed

differences

Advantages of the Canon Rebel XSi
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
Built-in flash Built-in flash Yes vs No
Help
 A built-in flash is useful for taking indoor shots where there is little light
Battery life Longer battery life 500 shots vs 330 shots
Help
 More than 50% more shots per battery charge
Viewfinder Has a viewfinder Pentamirror vs None
Help
 A viewfinder can help save battery life by keeping the screen turned off
Startup delay Less startup delay 400 ms vs 1000 ms
Help
 2.5x less delay when turning on
Shutter lag Less shutter lag 160 ms vs 441 ms
Help
 2.8x less delay when taking photos
Lowest price Slightly cheaper $467.50 vs $689.00
Help
 The best price we've seen is $222 cheaper (more than 30% less)
Canon EOS Digital Rebel XSi Learn more about
the Canon Rebel XSi

Advantages of the Sony NEX-3
Screen resolution Much higher resolution screen 920k dots vs 230k dots
Help
 4x higher resolution screen
Screen flips out Has a flip-out screen Yes vs No
Help
 Flip-out screens can be helpful when composing tricky shots or taking movies
Movie format Shoots movies 720p @ 30fps vs None
Help
 Shoots HD (720p) video as well as still pictures
Size Significantly smaller 117x62x33 mm vs 129x98x62 mm
Help
 3.3x smaller
Light sensitivity Better maximum light sensitivity 12,800 ISO vs 800 ISO
Help
 The NEX-3's maximum light sensitivity is 4 f-stops better
3D Takes 3D photos Yes vs No
Help
 Combines multiple photos into a 3D image
HDR Has in-camera HDR Yes vs No
Help
 Combines multiple exposures to capture high dynamic range
Autofocus Video autofocus Contrast detection vs None
Help
 Automatically focuses shooting video
Panorama Can create panoramas in-camera Yes vs No
Help
 Stitches together multiple photos for a wide perspective
Dynamic range More dynamic range 12 EV vs 10.8 EV
Help
 1.2 f-stops more dynamic range
Overall image quality Better image quality 68.0 vs 61.0
Help
 More than 10% better image quality
Storage slots Has more storage slots 2 vs 1
Help
 More slots allows storing more images without switching memory cards
True resolution Higher true resolution 14 MP vs 12.2 MP
Help
 Capture around 20% more detail in your photos
Focus points More focus points 25 vs 9
Help
 Set focus accurately within the frame
Weight Lighter 297 g vs 524 g
Help
 More than 40% lighter
Continuous shooting Shoots faster 7 fps vs 3.5 fps
Help
 2x faster continuous shooting
Thickness Thinner 1.3" vs 2.4"
Help
 Around 50% thinner
Low light performance Slightly lower noise at high ISO 830 ISO vs 692 ISO
Help
 The NEX-3 has a slight edge (0.3 f-stops) in low noise, high ISO performance
Color depth Better color depth 22.1 bits vs 21.9 bits
Help
 Distinguishes 0.2 more bits of color
Sensor size Slightly larger sensor APS-C 23.4x15.6mm vs APS-C 22.2x14.8mm
Help
 More than 10% larger sensor
Sony Alpha NEX-3 Learn more about
the Sony NEX-3
vs

recommendations

Relative to the best recent digital cameras, and ignoring price

Canon EOS Digital Rebel XSi Canon EOS Digital Rebel XSi
35 vs 47
Explain scores
Sony Alpha NEX-3 Sony Alpha NEX-3
Green arrow Snapsort recommends the Sony Alpha NEX-3. 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.

advice

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similarities

Compared to recent digital cameras

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
Sensor size Very large sensors Help
Rebel XSi:APS-C 22.2x14.8mm
NEX-3:APS-C 23.4x15.6mm
Interchangeable lenses Both support interchangeable lenses, which is uncommon in cameras similar to these Help
Many lenses to choose from
Supports RAW RAW support Help
Better editing
External flash Support external flash Help
Better lighting
Sensor cleaning Self cleaning sensors Help
Avoids dust in your photos
Sensor type Better sensor types Help
Better in low light
Fastest shutter speed Fast max shutter speeds Help
1/4000 of a second
Longest exposure Long exposures Help
30 seconds
Image stabilization No image stabilization Help
Risk of blur
Cross type focus points Few cross-type focus points Help
Rebel XSi:1
NEX-3:0
Movie format One shoots movies Help
Rebel XSi:None
NEX-3:720p @ 30fps

dxomark

DXOMark

competitors

Shared Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Canon Rebel T3

Canon Rebel T3

Entry-level DSLR

$333 body only

$489 - $500 with 18-55mm lens
Battery life Has a slightly longer battery life
Sensor cleaning Lacks a self cleaning sensor
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the Rebel T3 vs the EOS Digital Rebel XSi
Compare the Rebel T3 vs the Alpha NEX-3
Canon EOS Rebel T2i

Canon Rebel T2i

Entry-level DSLR

$544 - $949 body only

$649 - $867 with 18-55mm lens
Movie format Records higher quality movies
True resolution Takes significantly higher resolution photos
Thickness Is thicker
Weight Is slightly heavier
Compare the Rebel T2i vs the EOS Digital Rebel XSi
Compare the Rebel T2i vs the Alpha NEX-3
Canon Rebel T3i

Canon Rebel T3i

Entry-level DSLR

$619 - $700 body only

$745 - $1,000 with 18-55mm lens
Movie format Records higher quality movies
True resolution Takes significantly higher resolution photos
Thickness Is thicker
Weight Is significantly heavier
Compare the Rebel T3i vs the EOS Digital Rebel XSi
Compare the Rebel T3i vs the Alpha NEX-3
Nikon D3100

Nikon D3100

Entry-level DSLR

$500 - $547 with 18-55mm lens
Movie format Records higher quality movies
Supports 24p Records movies in 24p
Thickness Is thicker
Weight Is slightly heavier
Compare the D3100 vs the EOS Digital Rebel XSi
Compare the D3100 vs the Alpha NEX-3
Nikon D5100

Nikon D5100

Entry-level DSLR

$500 - $597 body only

$600 - $697 with 18-55mm lens
Overall image quality Has slightly better image quality
Movie format Records higher quality movies
Thickness Is thicker
Weight Is significantly heavier
Compare the D5100 vs the EOS Digital Rebel XSi
Compare the D5100 vs the Alpha NEX-3

Canon EOS Digital Rebel XSi Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Canon EOS Rebel T1i

Canon Rebel T1i

Entry-level DSLR

$471 - $629 body only

$549 - $580 with 18-55mm lens
Movie format Shoots movies
Screen resolution Much higher resolution screen
Battery life Shorter battery life
Color depth Worse color depth
Compare the Rebel T1i vs the EOS Digital Rebel XSi
Canon EOS Digital Rebel XS

Canon EOS Digital Rebel XS

Entry-level DSLR

$348 - $595 body only

$439 with 18-55mm lens
Color depth Better color depth
Light sensitivity Better maximum light sensitivity
Screen size Much smaller screen
Autofocus Slower autofocus
Compare the EOS Digital Rebel XS vs the EOS Digital Rebel XSi
Canon EOS 60D

Canon EOS 60D

Pro DSLR

$848 - $1,304 body only

$1,177 - $1,342 with 18-135mm lens
Movie format Shoots movies
Screen resolution Much higher resolution screen
Size Larger
Weight Heavier
Compare the EOS 60D vs the EOS Digital Rebel XSi

Sony Alpha NEX-3 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Sony Alpha NEX-5

Sony Alpha NEX-5

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$569 with 18-55mm lens
Movie format Higher resolution movies
Dynamic range More dynamic range
External mic jack Lacks an external mic jack
Storage slots Has fewer storage slots
Compare the Alpha NEX-5 vs the Alpha NEX-3
Sony NEX C3

Sony NEX C3

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$548 with 16mm lens
Overall image quality Better image quality
True resolution Higher true resolution
External mic jack Lacks an external mic jack
Storage slots Has fewer storage slots
Compare the NEX C3 vs the Alpha NEX-3
Nikon 1 J1

Nikon 1 J1

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$547 with 10-30mm lens
High-speed framerate Records high-speed movies
Continuous shooting Shoots much faster
External mic jack Lacks an external mic jack
Screen resolution Significantly lower resolution screen
Compare the 1 J1 vs the Alpha NEX-3
Sony NEX-5N

Sony NEX-5N

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$598 - $600 body only

$698 - $700 with 18-55mm lens
Movie format Higher resolution movies
Supports 24p Supports 24p
External mic jack Lacks an external mic jack
Storage slots Has fewer storage slots
Compare the NEX-5N vs the Alpha NEX-3
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF3

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF3

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$433 body only
Movie format Higher resolution movies
Touch screen Has a touch screen
Overall image quality Significantly worse image quality
External mic jack Lacks an external mic jack
Compare the Lumix DMC-GF3 vs the Alpha NEX-3

appearance

Canon EOS Digital Rebel XSi Sony Alpha NEX-3
Canon EOS Digital Rebel XSi Sony Alpha NEX-3
Canon EOS Digital Rebel XSi Sony Alpha NEX-3

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