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Olympus E-3 vs Olympus SP-820UZ

Portability
56
Imaging
44
Features
56
Overall
48
Olympus E-3 front
 
Olympus Stylus SP-820UZ front
Portability
69
Imaging
38
Features
29
Overall
34

Olympus E-3 vs Olympus SP-820UZ 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
  • Revealed February 2008
  • Superseded the Olympus E-1
  • Successor is Olympus E-5
Olympus SP-820UZ
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 6400
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 22-896mm (F3.4-5.7) lens
  • 485g - 117 x 78 x 93mm
  • Announced August 2012
  • Earlier Model is Olympus SP-820UZ
  • Successor is Olympus SP-820UZ
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Olympus E-3 vs Olympus SP-820UZ Overview

In this write-up, we are reviewing the Olympus E-3 and Olympus SP-820UZ, former being a Advanced DSLR while the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom and both are sold by Olympus. There exists a large gap between the sensor resolutions of the E-3 (10MP) and SP-820UZ (14MP) and the E-3 (Four Thirds) and SP-820UZ (1/2.3") come with different sensor measurements.

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The E-3 was launched 5 years earlier than the SP-820UZ and that is quite a serious difference as far as technology is concerned. Both of the cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-3 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Olympus SP-820UZ being a Compact camera.

Before we go in to a in-depth comparison, below is a brief highlight of how the E-3 scores vs the SP-820UZ for portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-3 over the Olympus SP-820UZ

 E-3 SP-820UZ 
Manually focus Dial accurate focusing
Display typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating display
Selfie screen Easy selfies

Reasons to pick Olympus SP-820UZ over the Olympus E-3

 SP-820UZ E-3 
AnnouncedAugust 2012February 2008More recent by 54 months
Display sizing3"2.5"Larger display (+0.5")
Display resolution460k230kCrisper display (+230k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-3 and Olympus SP-820UZ

 E-3 SP-820UZ 
Touch display Missing Touch display

Olympus E-3 vs Olympus SP-820UZ Physical Comparison

For those who are aiming to lug around your camera frequently, you should factor its weight and volume. The Olympus E-3 has external 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) and the Olympus SP-820UZ has sizing of 117mm x 78mm x 93mm (4.6" x 3.1" x 3.7") having a weight of 485 grams (1.07 lbs).

Compare the Olympus E-3 and Olympus SP-820UZ in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you have at the time. Here is the front view measurement comparison of the E-3 vs the SP-820UZ.

Olympus E-3 vs Olympus SP-820UZ size comparison

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-3 and SP-820UZ is 56 and 69 respectively.

Olympus E-3 vs Olympus SP-820UZ top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-3 vs Olympus SP-820UZ Sensor Comparison

Normally, it's hard to picture the contrast between sensor measurements merely by reading through specifications. The visual underneath will give you a much better sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-3 and SP-820UZ.

To sum up, each of the cameras offer different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The E-3 featuring a larger sensor is going to make getting shallower depth of field less difficult and the Olympus SP-820UZ will give you extra detail utilizing its extra 4MP. Greater resolution will make it easier to crop pics a little more aggressively. The older E-3 is going to be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor innovation.

Olympus E-3 vs Olympus SP-820UZ sensor size comparison

Olympus E-3 vs Olympus SP-820UZ Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-3 vs Olympus SP-820UZ Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus E-3
Portrait photography with Olympus SP-820UZ
56
manual focus
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
resolution not great (10MP)
34
good megapixels (14 megapixels)
offers face detect focusing
lack of manual focus
manual mode not possible
can't use external flash
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-3 Street photography info
Olympus SP-820UZ Street photography info
69
screen articulates
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
weather proof
37
no moving screen
does not have image stabilization
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
more heavy than competitors in class (485g)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-3 Sports photography factors
Olympus SP-820UZ Sports photography factors
57
maximum shutter speed is high (1/8,000 seconds)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
weather proof
supports phase detect autofocus
max frames per second very slow (5.0 frames/s)
resolution not great (10MP)
33
long zoom range (22-896mm 40.7 x zoom)
good megapixels (14MP)
very slow continuous shooting (2.0 fps)
lack of shutter priority mode
does not have image stabilization
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
has no phase detect AF
Photography Glossary

Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus E-3
Travel photography with Olympus SP-820UZ
55
weather proof
has built in flash
selfie friendly display
does not have Timelapse recording
resolution not great (10 megapixels)
55
good megapixels (14 megapixels)
built-in flash
quite wide (22mm)
very long zoom (896mm)
lack of Timelapse function
more heavy than competitors in class (485 grams)
doesn't have selfie friendly display
sluggish max aperture (f3.4)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-3 Landscape photography highlights
Olympus SP-820UZ Landscape photography highlights
56
manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
weather proof
screen is small (2.5 inch)
resolution not great (10 megapixels)
does not have Timelapse recording
35
quite wide (22mm)
screen is a good size (3 inch)
good megapixels (14 megapixels)
lack of manual focus
cannot change lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f3.4)
manual mode not possible
does not have image stabilization
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
lack of Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-3 Vlogging info
Olympus SP-820UZ Vlogging info
18
can't shoot video
25
quite wide (22mm)
offers face detect focusing
video res high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
sluggish max aperture (f3.4)
doesn't have selfie friendly display
does not have image stabilization
lack of microphone port
more heavy than competitors in class (485g)
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Olympus E-3 vs Olympus SP-820UZ Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-3 and Olympus SP-820UZ
 Olympus E-3Olympus Stylus SP-820UZ
General Information
Make Olympus Olympus
Model Olympus E-3 Olympus Stylus SP-820UZ
Type Advanced DSLR Small Sensor Superzoom
Revealed 2008-02-20 2012-08-21
Body design Mid-size SLR Compact
Sensor Information
Processor TruePic III -
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 10MP 14MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 4:3 and 16:9
Full resolution 3648 x 2736 4288 x 3216
Max native ISO 3200 6400
Minimum native ISO 100 80
RAW files
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch to focus
Continuous AF
Single AF
AF tracking
Selective AF
AF center weighted
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Number of focus points 11 -
Cross focus points - -
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 22-896mm (40.7x)
Maximal aperture - f/3.4-5.7
Macro focus range - 1cm
Available lenses 45 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.8
Screen
Range of display Fully Articulated Fixed Type
Display size 2.5 inches 3 inches
Resolution of display 230k dot 460k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Display tech - TFT Color LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentaprism) None
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.58x -
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60 seconds 4 seconds
Maximum shutter speed 1/8000 seconds 1/2000 seconds
Continuous shooting speed 5.0 frames per sec 2.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Set WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 13.00 m 15.00 m
Flash modes Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Maximum flash sync 1/250 seconds -
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions - 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30, 120 fps), 320 x 180 (30, 240 fps)
Max video resolution None 1920x1080
Video data format - MPEG-4, H.264
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 890 gr (1.96 lb) 485 gr (1.07 lb)
Dimensions 142 x 116 x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0") 117 x 78 x 93mm (4.6" x 3.1" x 3.7")
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
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 12 sec, pet auto shutter)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card SD/SDHC/SDXC
Storage slots Single Single
Retail price $670 $299