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Canon 5D MII vs Olympus E-3

Portability
56
Imaging
65
Features
70
Overall
67
Canon EOS 5D Mark II front
 
Olympus E-3 front
Portability
56
Imaging
45
Features
56
Overall
49

Canon 5D MII vs Olympus E-3 Key Specs

Canon 5D MII
(Full Review)
  • 21MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 6400 (Increase to 25600)
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Canon EF Mount
  • 850g - 152 x 114 x 75mm
  • Launched February 2009
  • Older Model is Canon 5D
  • Renewed by Canon 5D MIII
Olympus E-3
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 2.5" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • No Video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 890g - 142 x 116 x 75mm
  • Revealed February 2008
  • Replaced the Olympus E-1
  • Newer Model is Olympus E-5
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Canon 5D MII vs Olympus E-3 Overview

Here, we will be comparing the Canon 5D MII versus Olympus E-3, both Advanced DSLR cameras by rivals Canon and Olympus. There exists a sizable gap among the sensor resolutions of the 5D MII (21MP) and E-3 (10MP) and the 5D MII (Full frame) and E-3 (Four Thirds) have different sensor measurements.

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The 5D MII was unveiled 12 months after the E-3 so they are of a similar age. Both the cameras feature the same body design (Mid-size SLR).

Before going straight to a in-depth comparison, here is a short summary of how the 5D MII matches up vs the E-3 for portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Canon 5D MII over the Olympus E-3

 5D MII E-3 
RevealedFebruary 2009February 2008Newer by 12 months
Screen size3"2.5"Bigger screen (+0.5")
Screen resolution920k230kClearer screen (+690k dot)

Reasons to pick Olympus E-3 over the Canon 5D MII

 E-3 5D MII 
Screen typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating screen
Selfie screen Take selfies

Common features in the Canon 5D MII and Olympus E-3

 5D MII E-3 
Manually focus More exact focus
Touch screen Missing Touch screen

Canon 5D MII vs Olympus E-3 Physical Comparison

When you are going to travel with your camera often, you will want to think about its weight and measurements. The Canon 5D MII enjoys exterior measurements of 152mm x 114mm x 75mm (6.0" x 4.5" x 3.0") along with a weight of 850 grams (1.87 lbs) while the Olympus E-3 has proportions of 142mm x 116mm x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0") accompanied by a weight of 890 grams (1.96 lbs).

Analyze the Canon 5D MII versus Olympus E-3 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you are using at that moment. Below is a front view over all size comparison of the 5D MII versus the E-3.

Canon 5D MII vs Olympus E-3 size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the 5D MII and E-3 is 56 and 56 respectively.

Canon 5D MII vs Olympus E-3 top view buttons comparison

Canon 5D MII vs Olympus E-3 Sensor Comparison

More often than not, it is very tough to picture the gap in sensor dimensions simply by going through technical specs. The picture underneath might give you a clearer sense of the sensor sizing in the 5D MII and E-3.

As you can tell, each of the cameras feature different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The 5D MII using its bigger sensor is going to make achieving shallower depth of field simpler and the Canon 5D MII will provide more detail having an extra 11 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also make it easier to crop photographs way more aggressively. The more modern 5D MII provides an advantage with regard to sensor innovation.

Canon 5D MII vs Olympus E-3 sensor size comparison

Canon 5D MII vs Olympus E-3 Screen and ViewFinder

Canon 5D MII vs Olympus E-3 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photography Glossary

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Canon 5D MII Portrait photography highlights
Olympus E-3 Portrait photography highlights
79
focusing manually
good megapixels (21MP)
sensor size is big (Full frame)
includes face detect autofocus
supports RAW files
57
manual focus
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
low megapixels (10 megapixels)
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Street Comparison

Canon 5D MII Street photography information
Olympus E-3 Street photography information
59
sensor size is big (Full frame)
supports RAW files
environment proof
screen is fixed
does not have image stabilization
70
fully articulated screen
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
weather proofing
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Sports Comparison

Canon 5D MII Sports photography factors
Olympus E-3 Sports photography factors
70
high shutter speed (1/8,000s)
good megapixels (21 megapixels)
sensor size is big (Full frame)
includes tracking focus
environment proof
sensor has phase detect autofocus
slow frames per second (4.0 frames/s)
does not have image stabilization
58
maximum shutter speed is high (1/8,000 seconds)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
weather proofing
has phase detect auto focus
max fps low (5.0 frames per second)
low megapixels (10MP)
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Travel Comparison

Canon 5D MII as a Travel photography camera
Olympus E-3 as a Travel photography camera
55
environment proof
good megapixels (21 megapixels)
doesn't have Time Lapse recording
display isn't selfie friendly
55
weather proofing
has built in flash
screen is selfie friendly
does not have Timelapse recording
low megapixels (10 megapixels)
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Canon 5D MII
Landscape photography with Olympus E-3
70
focusing manually
interchangeable lenses (Canon EF mount)
screen is a good size (3")
good megapixels (21 megapixels)
sensor size is big (Full frame)
supports RAW files
environment proof
does not have image stabilization
doesn't have Time Lapse recording
56
manual focus
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
weather proofing
screen is somewhat small (2.5")
low megapixels (10MP)
does not have Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Canon 5D MII Vlogging information
Olympus E-3 Vlogging information
29
includes face detect autofocus
good video quality (1920 x 1080 pxls)
includes mic support
display isn't selfie friendly
does not have image stabilization
18
can't shoot video
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Canon 5D MII vs Olympus E-3 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Canon 5D MII and Olympus E-3
 Canon EOS 5D Mark IIOlympus E-3
General Information
Company Canon Olympus
Model type Canon EOS 5D Mark II Olympus E-3
Class Advanced DSLR Advanced DSLR
Launched 2009-02-13 2008-02-20
Physical type Mid-size SLR Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Chip Digic 4 TruePic III
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Full frame Four Thirds
Sensor measurements 36 x 24mm 17.3 x 13mm
Sensor area 864.0mm² 224.9mm²
Sensor resolution 21MP 10MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 4:3
Maximum resolution 5616 x 3744 3648 x 2736
Maximum native ISO 6400 3200
Maximum boosted ISO 25600 -
Min native ISO 100 100
RAW format
Min boosted ISO 50 -
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch focus
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Live view autofocus
Face detect autofocus
Contract detect autofocus
Phase detect autofocus
Total focus points 9 11
Lens
Lens support Canon EF Micro Four Thirds
Amount of lenses 250 45
Crop factor 1 2.1
Screen
Type of display Fixed Type Fully Articulated
Display sizing 3" 2.5"
Resolution of display 920k dots 230k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Display tech TFT liquid-crystal color LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentaprism) Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder coverage 98 percent 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification 0.71x 0.58x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 30 secs 60 secs
Maximum shutter speed 1/8000 secs 1/8000 secs
Continuous shooting rate 4.0 frames/s 5.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance no built-in flash 13.00 m
Flash modes no built-in flash Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Maximum flash synchronize 1/200 secs 1/250 secs
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) -
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 None
Video file format H.264 -
Microphone port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 850 grams (1.87 lbs) 890 grams (1.96 lbs)
Physical dimensions 152 x 114 x 75mm (6.0" x 4.5" x 3.0") 142 x 116 x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 79 56
DXO Color Depth rating 23.7 21.6
DXO Dynamic range rating 11.9 10.5
DXO Low light rating 1815 571
Other
Battery life 850 photographs -
Form of battery Battery Pack -
Battery ID LP-E6 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 12 sec)
Time lapse recording
Storage type Compact Flash (Type I or II), UDMA, Microdrive Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card
Card slots Single Single
Retail price $1,190 $670