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Olympus E-3 vs Olympus E-M1 III

Portability
56
Imaging
45
Features
56
Overall
49
Olympus E-3 front
 
Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III front
Portability
67
Imaging
62
Features
96
Overall
75

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

Olympus E-3
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 2.5" Fully Articulated Display
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • No Video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 890g - 142 x 116 x 75mm
  • Introduced February 2008
  • Older Model is Olympus E-1
  • Successor is Olympus E-5
Olympus E-M1 III
(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
  • 580g - 134 x 91 x 69mm
  • Revealed February 2020
  • Succeeded the Olympus E-M1 II
Photography Glossary

Olympus E-3 vs Olympus E-M1 III Overview

In this write-up, we will be reviewing the Olympus E-3 vs Olympus E-M1 III, former being a Advanced DSLR while the latter is a Pro Mirrorless and both are created by Olympus. There exists a sizable gap between the sensor resolutions of the E-3 (10MP) and E-M1 III (20MP) but they use the same exact sensor measurements (Four Thirds).

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The E-3 was launched 13 years before the E-M1 III and that is quite a significant difference as far as technology is concerned. Each of these cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-3 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Olympus E-M1 III being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before delving in to a detailed comparison, below is a short highlight of how the E-3 scores versus the E-M1 III with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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

 E-3 E-M1 III 

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

 E-M1 III E-3 
RevealedFebruary 2020February 2008More recent by 145 months
Screen sizing3"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 III

 E-3 E-M1 III 
Manual focus More accurate focusing
Screen typeFully ArticulatedFully ArticulatedFully Articulated screen
Selfie screen Both are selfie friendly

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

If you are looking to lug around your camera frequently, you're going to have to factor in its weight and volume. The Olympus E-3 provides exterior dimensions of 142mm x 116mm x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0") and a weight of 890 grams (1.96 lbs) while the Olympus E-M1 III has sizing of 134mm x 91mm x 69mm (5.3" x 3.6" x 2.7") with a weight of 580 grams (1.28 lbs).

Check out the Olympus E-3 vs Olympus E-M1 III in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you choose during that time. The following is the front view dimension comparison of the E-3 versus the E-M1 III.

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

Using dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-3 and E-M1 III is 56 and 67 respectively.

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

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

Typically, it can be hard to visualise the difference between sensor measurements merely by looking at specs. The graphic below will offer you a clearer sense of the sensor sizes in the E-3 and E-M1 III.

All in all, both of these cameras enjoy the same exact sensor sizing albeit not the same megapixels. You can expect the Olympus E-M1 III to give more detail utilizing its extra 10 Megapixels. Higher resolution will make it easier to crop shots far more aggressively. The older E-3 is going to be behind in sensor innovation.

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

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

Olympus E-3 vs Olympus E-M1 III Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-3 as a Portrait photography camera
Olympus E-M1 III as a Portrait photography camera
57
manual focus
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
megapixel count low (10MP)
77
has manual focus
good MP (20 megapixels)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
offers face detect focus
saves RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-3 Street photography highlights
Olympus E-M1 III Street photography highlights
70
screen can move to multiple angles
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
weather proofing
78
screen articulates fully
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
has touch focus
environment proof
good high ISO (25,600)
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus E-3
Sports photography with Olympus E-M1 III
58
maximum shutter speed is high (1/8,000s)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
weather proofing
comes with phase detect autofocus
continuous shooting slow (5.0 fps)
megapixel count low (10 megapixels)
81
maximum shutter speed is high (1/8,000s)
quiet shooting (1/32,000s)
high max fps (60.0 frames/s)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good MP (20 megapixels)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
offers tracking focus
environment proof
has phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus E-3
Travel photography with Olympus E-M1 III
55
weather proofing
flash built-in
selfie friendly display
lack of Time Lapse function
megapixel count low (10 megapixels)
79
environment proof
connects via bluetooth
has touch focus
good MP (20 megapixels)
selfie friendly display
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-3 as a Landscape photography camera
Olympus E-M1 III as a Landscape photography camera
56
manual focus
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
weather proofing
small screen (2.5 inch)
megapixel count low (10MP)
lack of Time Lapse function
81
has manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
nice screen size (3")
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good MP (20MP)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
does not have low pass filter
good high ISO (25,600)
saves RAW formats
environment proof
has dual storage slots
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-3 Vlogging advice
Olympus E-M1 III Vlogging advice
18
can't record video
79
selfie friendly display
touchscreen enabled
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
offers face detect focus
high quality video (4096 x 2160 resolution)
has microphone jack
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Olympus E-3 vs Olympus E-M1 III Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-3 and Olympus E-M1 III
 Olympus E-3Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Olympus
Model type Olympus E-3 Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III
Category Advanced DSLR Pro Mirrorless
Introduced 2008-02-20 2020-02-11
Body design Mid-size SLR SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Processor TruePic III TruePic IX
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds Four Thirds
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 17.4 x 13mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 226.2mm²
Sensor resolution 10 megapixel 20 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 4:3
Maximum resolution 3648 x 2736 5184 x 3888
Maximum native ISO 3200 25600
Min native ISO 100 200
RAW support
Min boosted ISO - 64
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Total focus points 11 121
Cross type focus points - 121
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds Micro Four Thirds
Available lenses 45 107
Focal length multiplier 2.1 2.1
Screen
Display type Fully Articulated Fully Articulated
Display size 2.5 inch 3 inch
Resolution of display 230k dot 1,037k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentaprism) Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 2,360k dot
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification 0.58x 0.74x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60s 60s
Maximum shutter speed 1/8000s 1/8000s
Maximum quiet shutter speed - 1/32000s
Continuous shooting speed 5.0 frames per second 60.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 13.00 m no built-in flash
Flash settings 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 1/250s 1/250s
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions - 4096 x 2160 @ 24p / 237 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM3840 x 2160 @ 30p / 102 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM3840 x 2160 @ 25p / 102 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM3840 x 2160 @ 23.98p / 102 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM1920 x 1080 @ 60p, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM1920 x 1080 @ 50p, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM1920 x 1080 @ 30p, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM1920 x 1080 @ 25p, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM1920 x 1080 @ 23.98p, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM
Maximum video resolution None 4096x2160
Video data format - MPEG-4, H.264
Microphone input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 3.1 Gen 1 (5 GBit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 890 grams (1.96 lb) 580 grams (1.28 lb)
Dimensions 142 x 116 x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0") 134 x 91 x 69mm (5.3" x 3.6" x 2.7")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 56 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 21.6 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 10.5 not tested
DXO Low light rating 571 not tested
Other
Battery life - 420 pictures
Battery format - Battery Pack
Battery ID - BLH-1
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 12 secs, custom)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC slots (UHS-II on first slot)
Storage slots 1 2
Retail cost $670 $1,800