Sony NEX-3 vs Panasonic SZ8

Sony NEX-3 advantages over Panasonic SZ8

• Larger sensor
  APS-C vs 1/2.33 inch
  More sensor area. Bigger is (generally) better.
• Bigger pixels
  ~ 5.16 vs 1.33 microns
  Better low-light and dynamic range (all else equal)
• Tiltable Screen
  Tiltable vs Fixed
  Tilt the screen for shooting flexbility
• RAW file ability
  Yes vs No
  Gives you more flexibility to develop your photos later
• Longer stills battery life
  More info

  Longer stills battery life

  Cameras with longer battery life can take more photos before exhausting their batteries.

  Special note: The measurement standard for battery life stipulates that if a camera has an internal flash, it must be used for 50% of photos taken. For this reason, comparisons of one camera with an internal flash to another without will not be comparable

  330 vs 200 shots
  Capture more photos
• Manual focus
  Yes vs No
  AF is for the weak. Real photographers focus manually.
• HDMI out
  HDMI out vs None
  Use HDMI output to monitor or review video
• More dots on screen
  922k vs 460k dots
  Can mean greater resolution or a brighter screen
• Hot shoe
  Hot shoe vs None
  Off-camera flashes open new possibilities
• Bulb shutter
  Bulb vs No bulb
  Hold the shutter open manually for long exposures
• Faster JPEG shooting
  2.7 fps vs 1.2 fps
  Faster JPEG shooting (burst mode)
• Faster shutter
  1/4000 vs 1/2000 sec
  Shoot wide open in bright light
• Higher extended ISO
  12800 vs 6400 ISO
  Higher extended ISO can give more low-light flexibility