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Canon 5D MIII vs Olympus E-3

Portability
55
Imaging
68
Features
74
Overall
70
Canon EOS 5D Mark III front
 
Olympus E-3 front
Portability
56
Imaging
45
Features
56
Overall
49

Canon 5D MIII vs Olympus E-3 Key Specs

Canon 5D MIII
(Full Review)
  • 22MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3.2" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 25600 (Boost to 102400)
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Canon EF Mount
  • 950g - 152 x 116 x 76mm
  • Revealed May 2012
  • Succeeded the Canon 5D MII
  • Newer Model is Canon 5D MIV
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
  • Older Model is Olympus E-1
  • Successor is Olympus E-5
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Canon 5D MIII vs Olympus E-3 Overview

Lets look a bit more in depth at the Canon 5D MIII and Olympus E-3, both Advanced DSLR cameras by rivals Canon and Olympus. There exists a large gap among the sensor resolutions of the 5D MIII (22MP) and E-3 (10MP) and the 5D MIII (Full frame) and E-3 (Four Thirds) possess different sensor sizing.

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The 5D MIII was announced 4 years later than the E-3 and that is a fairly serious difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both the cameras come with the identical body type (Mid-size SLR).

Before getting through a detailed comparison, below is a quick view of how the 5D MIII scores against the E-3 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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

 5D MIII E-3 
RevealedMay 2012February 2008Fresher by 52 months
Screen dimension3.2"2.5"Bigger screen (+0.7")
Screen resolution1040k230kSharper screen (+810k dot)

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

 E-3 5D MIII 
Screen typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating screen
Selfie screen Easy selfies

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

 5D MIII E-3 
Manual focus Very precise focus
Touch screen Neither features Touch screen

Canon 5D MIII vs Olympus E-3 Physical Comparison

For those who are aiming to carry your camera often, you need to take into account its weight and measurements. The Canon 5D MIII enjoys outer dimensions of 152mm x 116mm x 76mm (6.0" x 4.6" x 3.0") along with a weight of 950 grams (2.09 lbs) whilst the Olympus E-3 has proportions of 142mm x 116mm x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0") along with a weight of 890 grams (1.96 lbs).

Compare the Canon 5D MIII and Olympus E-3 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you use at that time. Below is the front view dimensions comparison of the 5D MIII and the E-3.

Canon 5D MIII vs Olympus E-3 size comparison

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability score of the 5D MIII and E-3 is 55 and 56 respectively.

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

Canon 5D MIII vs Olympus E-3 Sensor Comparison

Quite often, it is tough to picture the gap in sensor sizing merely by going through technical specs. The visual below will help provide you a clearer sense of the sensor dimensions in the 5D MIII and E-3.

As you can tell, each of the cameras have got different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The 5D MIII using its bigger sensor is going to make getting shallower DOF less difficult and the Canon 5D MIII will provide more detail with its extra 12MP. Higher resolution can also enable you to crop shots much more aggressively. The newer 5D MIII should have an edge in sensor technology.

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

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

Canon 5D MIII vs Olympus E-3 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Canon 5D MIII Portrait photography details
Olympus E-3 Portrait photography details
80
manual focus
decent megapixels (22MP)
large sensor size (Full frame)
features face detection focusing
exports RAW formats
57
manual focus
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
low megapixels (10 megapixels)
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Street Comparison

Canon 5D MIII Street photography advice
Olympus E-3 Street photography advice
58
large sensor size (Full frame)
exports RAW formats
weather proofing
very good high ISO (25,600)
screen is fixed
no image stabilization
heavier than competition in class (950 grams)
70
screen articulates
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
weather proof
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Sports Comparison

Canon 5D MIII Sports photography details
Olympus E-3 Sports photography details
71
great max shutter speed (1/8,000 seconds)
decent megapixels (22MP)
large sensor size (Full frame)
features tracking autofocus
weather proofing
has phase detect AF
max fps low (6.0 frames per second)
no image stabilization
58
maximum shutter speed is high (1/8,000s)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
weather proof
comes with phase detect autofocus
slow fps (5.0 frames per second)
low megapixels (10 megapixels)
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Canon 5D MIII
Travel photography with Olympus E-3
51
weather proofing
decent megapixels (22MP)
missing Time Lapse recording
heavier than competition in class (950 grams)
doesn't have selfie friendly screen
55
weather proof
has built in flash
screen is selfie friendly
no Timelapse recording
low megapixels (10 megapixels)
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Landscape Comparison

Canon 5D MIII Landscape photography information
Olympus E-3 Landscape photography information
73
manual focus
change lenses (Canon EF mount)
screen size is decent (3.2 inch)
decent megapixels (22 megapixels)
large sensor size (Full frame)
very good high ISO (25,600)
exports RAW formats
weather proofing
has double storage slots
no image stabilization
missing Time Lapse recording
56
manual focus
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
weather proof
tiny screen (2.5")
low megapixels (10 megapixels)
no Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Canon 5D MIII as a Vlogging camera
Olympus E-3 as a Vlogging camera
27
features face detection focusing
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
has external mic port
doesn't have selfie friendly screen
no image stabilization
heavier than competition in class (950g)
18
can't record video
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Canon 5D MIII vs Olympus E-3 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Canon 5D MIII and Olympus E-3
 Canon EOS 5D Mark IIIOlympus E-3
General Information
Brand Canon Olympus
Model type Canon EOS 5D Mark III Olympus E-3
Class Advanced DSLR Advanced DSLR
Revealed 2012-05-22 2008-02-20
Body design Mid-size SLR Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Processor Digic 5+ TruePic III
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Full frame Four Thirds
Sensor measurements 36 x 24mm 17.3 x 13mm
Sensor surface area 864.0mm² 224.9mm²
Sensor resolution 22 megapixel 10 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 4:3
Highest Possible resolution 5760 x 3840 3648 x 2736
Maximum native ISO 25600 3200
Maximum enhanced ISO 102400 -
Minimum native ISO 100 100
RAW data
Minimum enhanced ISO 50 -
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch to focus
Continuous AF
Single AF
Tracking AF
AF selectice
AF center weighted
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Total focus points 61 11
Cross type focus points 41 -
Lens
Lens support Canon EF Micro Four Thirds
Available lenses 250 45
Crop factor 1 2.1
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fully Articulated
Display diagonal 3.2 inches 2.5 inches
Resolution of display 1,040k dot 230k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Display tech Clear View II TFT LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentaprism) Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification 0.71x 0.58x
Features
Minimum shutter speed 30 seconds 60 seconds
Fastest shutter speed 1/8000 seconds 1/8000 seconds
Continuous shutter speed 6.0fps 5.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change WB
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
External flash
AEB
White balance bracketing
Fastest flash sync 1/200 seconds 1/250 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (29.97, 25, 23.976 fps fps), 1280 x 720 (59.94, 50 fps), 640 x 480 (25, 30 fps) -
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 None
Video format H.264 -
Microphone input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless Optional None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS Optional None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 950 gr (2.09 pounds) 890 gr (1.96 pounds)
Dimensions 152 x 116 x 76mm (6.0" x 4.6" x 3.0") 142 x 116 x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 81 56
DXO Color Depth rating 24.0 21.6
DXO Dynamic range rating 11.7 10.5
DXO Low light rating 2293 571
Other
Battery life 950 shots -
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 media Compact Flash Type I (UDMA compatible), SD/SDHC/SDXC Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card
Storage slots Two One
Price at release $2,780 $670