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Olympus E-3 vs Olympus E-M5 III

Portability
56
Imaging
44
Features
56
Overall
48
Olympus E-3 front
 
Olympus OM-D E-M5 III front
Portability
80
Imaging
62
Features
88
Overall
72

Olympus E-3 vs Olympus E-M5 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 Max Shutter
  • No Video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 890g - 142 x 116 x 75mm
  • Released February 2008
  • Superseded the Olympus E-1
  • New Model is Olympus E-5
Olympus E-M5 III
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 4096 x 2160 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 414g - 125 x 85 x 50mm
  • Released October 2019
  • Previous Model is Olympus E-M5 II
  • New Model is OM System OM-5
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Olympus E-3 vs Olympus E-M5 III Overview

Lets look a bit more closely at the Olympus E-3 versus Olympus E-M5 III, former is a Advanced DSLR while the latter is a Advanced Mirrorless and they are both produced by Olympus. There is a large difference between the image resolutions of the E-3 (10MP) and E-M5 III (20MP) but they come with the exact same sensor dimensions (Four Thirds).

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The E-3 was introduced 12 years prior to the E-M5 III which is quite a serious difference as far as tech is concerned. Each of the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-3 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Olympus E-M5 III being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before getting in to a in depth comparison, below is a quick overview of how the E-3 scores vs the E-M5 III when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-3 over the Olympus E-M5 III

 E-3 E-M5 III 

Reasons to pick Olympus E-M5 III over the Olympus E-3

 E-M5 III E-3 
ReleasedOctober 2019February 2008Newer by 141 months
Screen dimension3"2.5"Bigger screen (+0.5")
Screen resolution1040k230kClearer screen (+810k dot)
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Common features in the Olympus E-3 and Olympus E-M5 III

 E-3 E-M5 III 
Manual focus More accurate focus
Screen typeFully ArticulatedFully ArticulatedFully Articulated screen
Selfie screen Both good for selfies

Olympus E-3 vs Olympus E-M5 III Physical Comparison

When you are intending to travel with your camera, you will have to take into account its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-3 has got outside measurements of 142mm x 116mm x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0") having a weight of 890 grams (1.96 lbs) whilst the Olympus E-M5 III has dimensions of 125mm x 85mm x 50mm (4.9" x 3.3" x 2.0") accompanied by a weight of 414 grams (0.91 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-3 versus Olympus E-M5 III in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you use at the time. The following is the front view dimension comparison of the E-3 against the E-M5 III.

Olympus E-3 vs Olympus E-M5 III size comparison

Taking into account size and weight, the portability rating of the E-3 and E-M5 III is 56 and 80 respectively.

Olympus E-3 vs Olympus E-M5 III top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-3 vs Olympus E-M5 III Sensor Comparison

Oftentimes, its difficult to see the gap between sensor dimensions merely by checking specifications. The picture underneath will provide you a much better sense of the sensor measurements in the E-3 and E-M5 III.

To sum up, both cameras posses the exact same sensor measurements albeit not the same resolution. You can count on the Olympus E-M5 III to resolve extra detail using its extra 10MP. Higher resolution will also let you crop photographs somewhat more aggressively. The more aged E-3 is going to be disadvantaged in sensor tech.

Olympus E-3 vs Olympus E-M5 III sensor size comparison

Olympus E-3 vs Olympus E-M5 III Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-3 vs Olympus E-M5 III Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photography Glossary

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-3 Portrait photography highlights
Olympus E-M5 III Portrait photography highlights
56
you can focus manually
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
sensor resolution low (10MP)
77
manual focus
resolution is good (20 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
offers face detection autofocus
exports RAW files
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus E-3
Street photography with Olympus E-M5 III
69
screen articulates
image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
environment sealing
83
screen articulates fully
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
features touch to focus
environment sealing
above average ISO range (25,600)
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus E-3
Sports photography with Olympus E-M5 III
57
maximum shutter speed is high (1/8,000s)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
environment sealing
sensor has phase detect autofocus
continuous shooting slow (5.0 fps)
sensor resolution low (10 megapixels)
76
maximum shutter speed is high (1/8,000s)
quiet shooting (1/32,000s)
max frames per second high (30.0 fps)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
resolution is good (20 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
offers tracking autofocus
environment sealing
supports phase detect autofocus
low battery power (310 CIPA)
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-3 Travel photography features
Olympus E-M5 III Travel photography features
55
environment sealing
has built in flash
selfie friendly screen
does not have Timelapse mode
sensor resolution low (10MP)
77
environment sealing
supports bluetooth
features touch to focus
resolution is good (20MP)
selfie friendly display
low battery power (310 shots)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-3 Landscape photography info
Olympus E-M5 III Landscape photography info
56
you can focus manually
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
environment sealing
screen is somewhat small (2.5 inches)
sensor resolution low (10MP)
does not have Timelapse mode
77
manual focus
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen is a good size (3")
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
resolution is good (20 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
above average ISO range (25,600)
exports RAW files
environment sealing
low battery power (310 CIPA)
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus E-3
Vlogging with Olympus E-M5 III
18
lack of video recording
84
selfie friendly display
built-in touchscreen
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
offers face detection autofocus
great video quality (4096 x 2160 pixels)
comes with external mic socket
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Olympus E-3 vs Olympus E-M5 III Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-3 and Olympus E-M5 III
 Olympus E-3Olympus OM-D E-M5 III
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Olympus
Model Olympus E-3 Olympus OM-D E-M5 III
Class Advanced DSLR Advanced Mirrorless
Released 2008-02-20 2019-10-17
Physical type Mid-size SLR SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Powered by TruePic III TruePic VIII
Sensor type CMOS MOS
Sensor size Four Thirds Four Thirds
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 17.4 x 13mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 226.2mm²
Sensor resolution 10 megapixel 20 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 3648 x 2736 5184 x 3888
Maximum native ISO 3200 25600
Lowest native ISO 100 200
RAW files
Lowest boosted ISO - 64
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch to focus
AF continuous
AF single
AF tracking
Selective AF
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Number of focus points 11 121
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds Micro Four Thirds
Number of lenses 45 107
Focal length multiplier 2.1 2.1
Screen
Type of display Fully Articulated Fully Articulated
Display diagonal 2.5 inch 3 inch
Resolution of display 230 thousand dots 1,040 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentaprism) Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 2,360 thousand dots
Viewfinder coverage 100% 100%
Viewfinder magnification 0.58x 0.68x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60s 60s
Highest shutter speed 1/8000s 1/8000s
Highest quiet shutter speed - 1/32000s
Continuous shooting rate 5.0 frames per sec 30.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 13.00 m no built-in flash
Flash options Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Auto, redeye, fill, off, redeye slow sync, slow sync, 2nd-curtain slow sync, manual
External flash
AEB
WB bracketing
Highest flash synchronize 1/250s 1/250s
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions - 4096 x 2160 @ 24p / 237 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM
Maximum video resolution None 4096x2160
Video format - MPEG-4, H.264
Mic port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 890g (1.96 pounds) 414g (0.91 pounds)
Dimensions 142 x 116 x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0") 125 x 85 x 50mm (4.9" x 3.3" x 2.0")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 56 not tested
DXO Color Depth score 21.6 not tested
DXO Dynamic range score 10.5 not tested
DXO Low light score 571 not tested
Other
Battery life - 310 pictures
Style of battery - Battery Pack
Battery model - BLN-1
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 secs, custom)
Time lapse feature
Storage type Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-II supported)
Card slots One One
Retail cost $670 $1,199