Nikon D70s vs Olympus E-3

Let's look much closer at the Nikon D70s and Olympus E-3, both Advanced DSLR cameras by rivals Nikon and Olympus. There is a substantial difference among the resolutions of the D70s (6MP) and E-3 (10MP) and the D70s (APS-C) and E-3 (Four Thirds) have different sensor dimensions.

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The D70s was unveiled 3 years before the E-3 and that is a fairly big difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Each of these cameras feature the same body design (Mid-size SLR).

Before diving straight to a thorough comparison, here is a brief highlight of how the D70s grades against the E-3 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Below is a preview of the gallery images for Nikon D70s & Olympus E-3. The full galleries are viewable at Nikon D70s Gallery & Olympus E-3 Gallery.

If you're planning to carry your camera often, you will have to factor in its weight and proportions. The Nikon D70s offers outside dimensions of 140mm x 111mm x 78mm (5.5" x 4.4" x 3.1") having a weight of 679 grams (1.50 lbs) while the Olympus E-3 has measurements of 142mm x 116mm x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0") with a weight of 890 grams (1.96 lbs).

Compare the Nikon D70s and Olympus E-3 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you choose at that time. Underneath is a front view physical size comparison of the D70s vs the E-3.

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability grade of the D70s and E-3 is 61 and 56 respectively.

In many cases, it is difficult to picture the difference in sensor sizing only by looking through a spec sheet. The graphic below should give you a more clear sense of the sensor dimensions in the D70s and E-3.

As you can see, both cameras come with different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The D70s having a bigger sensor is going to make shooting shallow depth of field less difficult and the Olympus E-3 will render greater detail having an extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution will enable you to crop pictures a good deal more aggressively. The older D70s will be disadvantaged in sensor tech.