Olympus E-1 vs Sony NEX-C3
59 Imaging
37 Features
36 Overall
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91 Imaging
56 Features
57 Overall
56
Olympus E-1 vs Sony NEX-C3 Key Specs
(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
- Released November 2003
- Updated by Olympus E-3
(Full Review)
- 16MP - APS-C Sensor
- 3" Tilting Screen
- ISO 100 - 12800
- 1280 x 720 video
- Sony E Mount
- 225g - 110 x 60 x 33mm
- Announced August 2011
- Earlier Model is Sony NEX-3
- New Model is Sony NEX-F3
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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.
Samsung Releases Faster Versions of EVO MicroSD CardsThe 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.
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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.
Reasons to pick Olympus E-1 over the Sony NEX-C3
| E-1 | NEX-C3 |
|---|
Reasons to pick Sony NEX-C3 over the Olympus E-1
| NEX-C3 | E-1 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Announced | August 2011 | November 2003 | More recent by 94 months | |
| Screen type | Tilting | Fixed | Tilting screen | |
| Screen size | 3" | 1.8" | Bigger screen (+1.2") | |
| Screen resolution | 920k | 134k | Sharper screen (+786k dot) |
Common features in the Olympus E-1 and Sony NEX-C3
| E-1 | NEX-C3 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manual focus | Dial exact focusing | |||
| Selfie screen | Lack of selfie screen | |||
| Touch screen | Neither comes with Touch screen |
Olympus E-1 vs Sony NEX-C3 Physical Comparison
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.
Olympus E-1 vs Sony NEX-C3 Sensor Comparison
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.
Olympus E-1 vs Sony NEX-C3 Screen and ViewFinder
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Olympus E-1 vs Sony NEX-C3 Specifications
| Olympus E-1 | Sony Alpha NEX-C3 | |
|---|---|---|
| General Information | ||
| Company | Olympus | Sony |
| Model | Olympus E-1 | Sony Alpha NEX-C3 |
| Type | Pro DSLR | Entry-Level Mirrorless |
| Released | 2003-11-29 | 2011-08-22 |
| Body design | Large SLR | Rangefinder-style mirrorless |
| Sensor Information | ||
| Chip | - | Bionz |
| Sensor type | CCD | CMOS |
| Sensor size | Four Thirds | APS-C |
| Sensor dimensions | 17.3 x 13mm | 23.4 x 15.6mm |
| Sensor area | 224.9mm² | 365.0mm² |
| Sensor resolution | 5MP | 16MP |
| Anti aliasing filter | ||
| Aspect ratio | 4:3 | 3:2 and 16:9 |
| Peak resolution | 2560 x 1920 | 4912 x 3264 |
| Highest native ISO | 3200 | 12800 |
| Min native ISO | 100 | 100 |
| RAW files | ||
| Autofocusing | ||
| Manual focus | ||
| Touch focus | ||
| Autofocus continuous | ||
| Single autofocus | ||
| Autofocus tracking | ||
| Autofocus selectice | ||
| Autofocus center weighted | ||
| Multi area autofocus | ||
| Live view autofocus | ||
| Face detection focus | ||
| Contract detection focus | ||
| Phase detection focus | ||
| Number of focus points | 3 | 25 |
| Lens | ||
| Lens mounting type | Micro Four Thirds | Sony E |
| Amount of lenses | 45 | 121 |
| Crop factor | 2.1 | 1.5 |
| Screen | ||
| Range of screen | Fixed Type | Tilting |
| Screen size | 1.8 inch | 3 inch |
| Screen resolution | 134 thousand dot | 920 thousand dot |
| Selfie friendly | ||
| Liveview | ||
| Touch display | ||
| Screen technology | - | TFT Xtra Fine LCD |
| Viewfinder Information | ||
| Viewfinder | Optical (pentaprism) | None |
| Viewfinder coverage | 100% | - |
| Viewfinder magnification | 0.48x | - |
| Features | ||
| Min shutter speed | 60s | 30s |
| Max shutter speed | 1/4000s | 1/4000s |
| Continuous shutter speed | 3.0fps | 6.0fps |
| Shutter priority | ||
| Aperture priority | ||
| Manual exposure | ||
| Exposure compensation | Yes | Yes |
| Custom white balance | ||
| Image stabilization | ||
| Integrated flash | ||
| Flash range | no built-in flash | no built-in flash |
| Flash modes | Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in |
| External flash | ||
| Auto exposure bracketing | ||
| White balance bracketing | ||
| Max flash sync | 1/180s | 1/160s |
| Exposure | ||
| Multisegment exposure | ||
| Average exposure | ||
| Spot exposure | ||
| Partial exposure | ||
| AF area exposure | ||
| Center weighted exposure | ||
| 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 |
| Mic input | ||
| Headphone input | ||
| 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 | ||
| Environment seal | ||
| Water proof | ||
| Dust proof | ||
| Shock proof | ||
| Crush proof | ||
| Freeze proof | ||
| Weight | 735g (1.62 pounds) | 225g (0.50 pounds) |
| Physical dimensions | 141 x 104 x 81mm (5.6" x 4.1" x 3.2") | 110 x 60 x 33mm (4.3" x 2.4" x 1.3") |
| DXO scores | ||
| DXO Overall score | not tested | 73 |
| DXO Color Depth score | not tested | 22.7 |
| DXO Dynamic range score | not tested | 12.2 |
| DXO Low light score | not tested | 1083 |
| Other | ||
| Battery life | - | 400 images |
| Battery format | - | Battery Pack |
| Battery model | - | NPFW50 |
| Self timer | Yes (2 or 12 sec) | Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10 sec 3 or 5 images) |
| Time lapse feature | ||
| Storage media | Compact Flash (Type I or II) | SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo |
| Storage slots | 1 | 1 |
| Price at release | $1,700 | $343 |