Olympus E-3 vs Olympus E-M1 III

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.

This is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus E-3 & Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III. The complete galleries are available at Olympus E-3 Gallery & Olympus E-M1 III Gallery.

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.

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.

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

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.