Olympus E-1 vs Sony NEX-C3

Let's look much closer at the Olympus E-1 and Sony NEX-C3, former being a Pro DSLR while the latter is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by brands Olympus and Sony. There is a sizable difference among the image resolutions of the E-1 (5MP) and NEX-C3 (16MP) and the E-1 (Four Thirds) and NEX-C3 (APS-C) posses totally different sensor sizes.

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The E-1 was released 8 years earlier than the NEX-C3 and that is a fairly significant difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both of these cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-1 being a Large SLR camera and the Sony NEX-C3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before getting straight to a complete comparison, here is a brief overview of how the E-1 grades vs the NEX-C3 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

The following is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus E-1 & Sony Alpha NEX-C3. The complete galleries are provided at Olympus E-1 Gallery & Sony NEX-C3 Gallery.

If you are intending to lug around your camera often, you have to factor in its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-1 comes with outer 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-C3 has measurements of 110mm x 60mm x 33mm (4.3" x 2.4" x 1.3") and a weight of 225 grams (0.50 lbs).

Examine the Olympus E-1 and Sony NEX-C3 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you use at the time. Underneath is a front view scale comparison of the E-1 and the NEX-C3.

Looking at size and weight, the portability grade of the E-1 and NEX-C3 is 59 and 91 respectively.

Usually, it can be hard to visualise the gap in sensor measurements simply by going through specifications. The graphic underneath will offer you a clearer sense of the sensor sizing in the E-1 and NEX-C3.

Plainly, both of the cameras feature different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The E-1 due to its smaller sensor will make shooting shallower DOF more difficult and the Sony NEX-C3 will show greater detail as a result of its extra 11MP. Higher resolution can also make it easier to crop photographs way more aggressively. The older E-1 will be behind with regard to sensor tech.