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Olympus E-1 vs Sony NEX-3

Portability
59
Imaging
38
Features
36
Overall
37
Olympus E-1 front
 
Sony Alpha NEX-3 front
Portability
89
Imaging
54
Features
55
Overall
54

Olympus E-1 vs Sony NEX-3 Key Specs

Olympus E-1
(Full Review)
  • 5MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 1.8" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • No Video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 735g - 141 x 104 x 81mm
  • Introduced November 2003
  • Later Model is Olympus E-3
Sony NEX-3
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 200 - 12800
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 297g - 117 x 62 x 33mm
  • Released June 2010
  • Updated by Sony NEX-C3
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Olympus E-1 vs Sony NEX-3 Overview

Below, we are evaluating the Olympus E-1 vs Sony NEX-3, former being a Pro DSLR while the other is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by companies Olympus and Sony. There is a substantial difference among the sensor resolutions of the E-1 (5MP) and NEX-3 (14MP) and the E-1 (Four Thirds) and NEX-3 (APS-C) use totally different sensor size.

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The E-1 was announced 7 years earlier than the NEX-3 and that is a fairly big difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Each of these cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-1 being a Large SLR camera and the Sony NEX-3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before getting straight into a more detailed comparison, below is a quick synopsis of how the E-1 matches up versus the NEX-3 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Photography Glossary
	
	

Reasons to pick Olympus E-1 over the Sony NEX-3

 E-1 NEX-3 

Reasons to pick Sony NEX-3 over the Olympus E-1

 NEX-3 E-1 
ReleasedJune 2010November 2003More recent by 79 months
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display dimension3"1.8"Larger display (+1.2")
Display resolution920k134kSharper display (+786k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-1 and Sony NEX-3

 E-1 NEX-3 
Manual focus Dial precise focus
Selfie screen Neither includes selfie screen
Touch friendly display Neither includes Touch friendly display

Olympus E-1 vs Sony NEX-3 Physical Comparison

If you are looking to lug around your camera often, you have to factor in its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-1 features physical measurements of 141mm x 104mm x 81mm (5.6" x 4.1" x 3.2") and a weight of 735 grams (1.62 lbs) whilst the Sony NEX-3 has measurements of 117mm x 62mm x 33mm (4.6" x 2.4" x 1.3") with a weight of 297 grams (0.65 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus E-1 vs Sony NEX-3 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Always remember, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you are using at that moment. The following is the front view size comparison of the E-1 compared to the NEX-3.

Olympus E-1 vs Sony NEX-3 size comparison

Factoring in size and weight, the portability rating of the E-1 and NEX-3 is 59 and 89 respectively.

Olympus E-1 vs Sony NEX-3 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-1 vs Sony NEX-3 Sensor Comparison

Generally, it's hard to envision the gap in sensor measurements purely by viewing a spec sheet. The photograph underneath may offer you a far better sense of the sensor sizing in the E-1 and NEX-3.

As you can see, both the cameras posses different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The E-1 having a smaller sensor will make getting shallow DOF more challenging and the Sony NEX-3 will provide you with extra detail with its extra 9 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also let you crop photos somewhat more aggressively. The older E-1 will be behind in sensor innovation.

Olympus E-1 vs Sony NEX-3 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-1 vs Sony NEX-3 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-1 vs Sony NEX-3 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-1 as a Portrait photography camera
Sony NEX-3 as a Portrait photography camera
46
has manual focus
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
doesn't have liveview
low megapixels (5 megapixels)
72
manual focus
sensor resolution is decent (14 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
has face detect autofocus
supports RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-1 Street photography advice
Sony NEX-3 Street photography advice
57
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
environment proofing
lighter than competitors in class (735g)
screen does not articulate
no image stabilization
76
screen tilts up and down
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
supports RAW files
does not have image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-1 as a Sports photography camera
Sony NEX-3 as a Sports photography camera
40
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
environment proofing
comes with phase detect autofocus
doesn't have liveview
painfully slow continuous shooting (3.0 frames per second)
no image stabilization
low megapixels (5 megapixels)
52
sensor resolution is decent (14MP)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
does not have image stabilization
has no phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-1 Travel photography highlights
Sony NEX-3 Travel photography highlights
47
lighter than competitors in class (735g)
environment proofing
lack of Time Lapse mode
low megapixels (5 megapixels)
display is not selfie friendly
59
sensor resolution is decent (14MP)
lack of Timelapse mode
does not have a selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-1 as a Landscape photography camera
Sony NEX-3 as a Landscape photography camera
46
has manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
environment proofing
screen is small (1.8 inches)
doesn't have liveview
no image stabilization
low megapixels (5MP)
lack of Time Lapse mode
68
manual focus
change lenses (Sony E mount)
screen size is good (3 inch)
sensor resolution is decent (14 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
supports RAW files
does not have image stabilization
lack of Timelapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-1 Vlogging features
Sony NEX-3 Vlogging features
9
can't shoot video
27
has face detect autofocus
does not have a selfie friendly screen
does not have image stabilization
video resolution low (1280 x 720 resolution)
lack of microphone socket
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Olympus E-1 vs Sony NEX-3 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-1 and Sony NEX-3
 Olympus E-1Sony Alpha NEX-3
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Sony
Model Olympus E-1 Sony Alpha NEX-3
Category Pro DSLR Entry-Level Mirrorless
Introduced 2003-11-29 2010-06-07
Physical type Large SLR Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Processor Chip - Bionz
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds APS-C
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 23.4 x 15.6mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 365.0mm²
Sensor resolution 5 megapixel 14 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 2560 x 1920 4592 x 3056
Highest native ISO 3200 12800
Minimum native ISO 100 200
RAW support
Autofocusing
Manual focus
AF touch
Continuous AF
Single AF
AF tracking
Selective AF
AF center weighted
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Number of focus points 3 25
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds Sony E
Total lenses 45 121
Focal length multiplier 2.1 1.5
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Tilting
Screen diagonal 1.8 inch 3 inch
Resolution of screen 134k dots 920k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Screen tech - TFT Xtra Fine LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentaprism) None
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.48x -
Features
Min shutter speed 60 secs 30 secs
Max shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/4000 secs
Continuous shutter rate 3.0fps 7.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range no built-in flash 12.00 m
Flash settings Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in
External flash
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Max flash synchronize 1/180 secs 1/160 secs
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions - 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution None 1280x720
Video file format - MPEG-4
Microphone port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless None Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 735g (1.62 lb) 297g (0.65 lb)
Dimensions 141 x 104 x 81mm (5.6" x 4.1" x 3.2") 117 x 62 x 33mm (4.6" x 2.4" x 1.3")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score not tested 68
DXO Color Depth score not tested 22.1
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 12.0
DXO Low light score not tested 830
Other
Battery life - 330 photographs
Style of battery - Battery Pack
Battery model - NPFW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10sec (3 images))
Time lapse shooting
Storage type Compact Flash (Type I or II) SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Card slots Single Single
Launch pricing $1,700 $0