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Olympus E-3 vs Olympus E-M1 II

Portability
56
Imaging
44
Features
56
Overall
48
Olympus E-3 front
 
Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II front
Portability
68
Imaging
59
Features
93
Overall
72

Olympus E-3 vs Olympus E-M1 II Key Specs

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
  • Launched February 2008
  • Succeeded the Olympus E-1
  • Refreshed by Olympus E-5
Olympus E-M1 II
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 4096 x 2160 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 574g - 134 x 91 x 67mm
  • Revealed September 2016
  • Succeeded the Olympus E-M1
  • Refreshed by Olympus E-M1 III
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Olympus E-3 vs Olympus E-M1 II Overview

Following is a in-depth assessment of the Olympus E-3 vs Olympus E-M1 II, former is a Advanced DSLR while the latter is a Pro Mirrorless and they are both sold by Olympus. There exists a substantial gap among the sensor resolutions of the E-3 (10MP) and E-M1 II (20MP) but both cameras posses the identical sensor measurements (Four Thirds).

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The E-3 was unveiled 9 years earlier than the E-M1 II which is a fairly big difference as far as camera technology is concerned. The two cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-3 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Olympus E-M1 II being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before going straight to a in depth comparison, here is a simple highlight of how the E-3 grades vs the E-M1 II when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-3 over the Olympus E-M1 II

 E-3 E-M1 II 

Reasons to pick Olympus E-M1 II over the Olympus E-3

 E-M1 II E-3 
RevealedSeptember 2016February 2008More modern by 104 months
Screen size3"2.5"Bigger screen (+0.5")
Screen resolution1037k230kClearer screen (+807k dot)
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Common features in the Olympus E-3 and Olympus E-M1 II

 E-3 E-M1 II 
Focus manually Dial exact focus
Screen typeFully ArticulatedFully ArticulatedFully Articulated screen
Selfie screen Both good for selfies

Olympus E-3 vs Olympus E-M1 II Physical Comparison

For anybody who is looking to carry around your camera often, you will want to factor in its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-3 enjoys outer dimensions of 142mm x 116mm x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0") accompanied by a weight of 890 grams (1.96 lbs) whilst the Olympus E-M1 II has proportions of 134mm x 91mm x 67mm (5.3" x 3.6" x 2.6") accompanied by a weight of 574 grams (1.27 lbs).

See the Olympus E-3 vs Olympus E-M1 II in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you are utilising at the time. Below is a front view dimension comparison of the E-3 compared to the E-M1 II.

Olympus E-3 vs Olympus E-M1 II size comparison

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-3 and E-M1 II is 56 and 68 respectively.

Olympus E-3 vs Olympus E-M1 II top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-3 vs Olympus E-M1 II Sensor Comparison

More often than not, its tough to visualise the difference in sensor sizes only by viewing a spec sheet. The picture underneath might offer you a much better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-3 and E-M1 II.

Clearly, each of the cameras come with the identical sensor size albeit not the same resolution. You can count on the Olympus E-M1 II to render extra detail having an extra 10MP. Higher resolution can also help you crop photographs a good deal more aggressively. The more aged E-3 will be behind when it comes to sensor tech.

Olympus E-3 vs Olympus E-M1 II sensor size comparison

Olympus E-3 vs Olympus E-M1 II Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-3 vs Olympus E-M1 II Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photography Glossary

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus E-3
Portrait photography with Olympus E-M1 II
56
focusing manually
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
resolution not great (10 megapixels)
75
has manual focus
decent MP (20MP)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
has face detection focusing
saves RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus E-3
Street photography with Olympus E-M1 II
69
screen articulates
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
weather proofing
78
screen articulates fully
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
has touch focus
environment proofing
lighter than average in class (574 grams)
very good ISO range (25,600)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-3 Sports photography highlights
Olympus E-M1 II Sports photography highlights
57
max shutter speed is good (1/8,000s)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
weather proofing
sensor has phase detect auto focus
painfully slow continuous shooting (5.0 fps)
resolution not great (10 megapixels)
74
max shutter speed is good (1/8,000 seconds)
silent shutter (1/32,000 seconds)
max fps high (60.0 frames per second)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent MP (20 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
has tracking autofocus
environment proofing
has phase detect AF
terrible battery (350 per charge)
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-3 Travel photography details
Olympus E-M1 II Travel photography details
55
weather proofing
flash built-in
screen is selfie friendly
lack of Time Lapse mode
resolution not great (10MP)
72
lighter than average in class (574g)
environment proofing
has touch focus
decent MP (20MP)
selfie friendly screen
terrible battery (350 per charge)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-3 as a Landscape photography camera
Olympus E-M1 II as a Landscape photography camera
56
focusing manually
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
weather proofing
small screen (2.5 inch)
resolution not great (10 megapixels)
lack of Time Lapse mode
76
has manual focus
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen is a decent size (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent MP (20MP)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
doesnt have anti aliasing filter
very good ISO range (25,600)
saves RAW formats
environment proofing
has double storage slots
terrible battery (350 CIPA)
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus E-3
Vlogging with Olympus E-M1 II
18
no video recording
79
selfie friendly screen
touchscreen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
has face detection focusing
video res high (4096 x 2160 resolution)
has external mic port
lighter than average in class (574g)
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Olympus E-3 vs Olympus E-M1 II Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-3 and Olympus E-M1 II
 Olympus E-3Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II
General Information
Make Olympus Olympus
Model type Olympus E-3 Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II
Class Advanced DSLR Pro Mirrorless
Launched 2008-02-20 2016-09-19
Body design Mid-size SLR SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Chip TruePic III TruePic VIII
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds Four Thirds
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 17.4 x 13mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 226.2mm²
Sensor resolution 10MP 20MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 4:3
Highest resolution 3648 x 2736 5184 x 3888
Highest native ISO 3200 25600
Lowest native ISO 100 200
RAW files
Lowest boosted ISO - 64
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
AF touch
Continuous AF
AF single
AF tracking
AF selectice
AF center weighted
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Total focus points 11 121
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds Micro Four Thirds
Amount of lenses 45 107
Focal length multiplier 2.1 2.1
Screen
Range of screen Fully Articulated Fully Articulated
Screen diagonal 2.5" 3"
Screen resolution 230 thousand dot 1,037 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentaprism) Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 2,360 thousand dot
Viewfinder coverage 100% 100%
Viewfinder magnification 0.58x 0.74x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60 seconds 60 seconds
Maximum shutter speed 1/8000 seconds 1/8000 seconds
Maximum silent shutter speed - 1/32000 seconds
Continuous shooting speed 5.0 frames/s 60.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 13.00 m 9.10 m (at ISO 100)
Flash modes Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Redeye, Fill-in, Flash Off, Red-eye Slow sync.(1st curtain), Slow sync.(1st curtain), Slow sync.(2nd curtain), Manual
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Maximum flash sync 1/250 seconds 1/250 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions - 4096 x 2160 @ 24p / 237 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM, 3840 x 2160 @ 30p / 102 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM
Highest video resolution None 4096x2160
Video file format - MOV, H.264
Mic jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 3.0 (5 GBit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 890 grams (1.96 lbs) 574 grams (1.27 lbs)
Physical dimensions 142 x 116 x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0") 134 x 91 x 67mm (5.3" x 3.6" x 2.6")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 56 80
DXO Color Depth rating 21.6 23.7
DXO Dynamic range rating 10.5 12.8
DXO Low light rating 571 1312
Other
Battery life - 350 shots
Form of battery - Battery Pack
Battery ID - BLH-1
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 12 secs, custom)
Time lapse feature
Storage media Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC slots
Storage slots Single Two
Cost at launch $670 $1,700