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Olympus E-3 vs Olympus VG-160

Portability
56
Imaging
44
Features
56
Overall
48
Olympus E-3 front
 
Olympus VG-160 front
Portability
96
Imaging
37
Features
26
Overall
32

Olympus E-3 vs Olympus VG-160 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
  • Announced February 2008
  • Old Model is Olympus E-1
  • Refreshed by Olympus E-5
Olympus VG-160
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 1600
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 26-130mm (F2.8-6.5) lens
  • 125g - 96 x 57 x 19mm
  • Announced January 2012
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Olympus E-3 vs Olympus VG-160 Overview

Here is a detailed assessment of the Olympus E-3 vs Olympus VG-160, former being a Advanced DSLR while the latter is a Small Sensor Compact and they are both designed by Olympus. There is a substantial difference among the sensor resolutions of the E-3 (10MP) and VG-160 (14MP) and the E-3 (Four Thirds) and VG-160 (1/2.3") have different sensor sizing.

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The E-3 was manufactured 4 years before the VG-160 and that is a fairly big difference as far as camera tech is concerned. The two cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-3 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Olympus VG-160 being a Compact camera.

Before going straight to a in depth comparison, here is a concise introduction of how the E-3 matches up versus the VG-160 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-3 over the Olympus VG-160

 E-3 VG-160 
Focus manually Very accurate focusing
Screen typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating screen
Selfie screen Take selfies

Reasons to pick Olympus VG-160 over the Olympus E-3

 VG-160 E-3 
AnnouncedJanuary 2012February 2008Fresher by 47 months
Screen dimensions3"2.5"Bigger screen (+0.5")

Common features in the Olympus E-3 and Olympus VG-160

 E-3 VG-160 
Screen resolution230k230kIdentical screen resolution
Touch screen Neither contains Touch screen

Olympus E-3 vs Olympus VG-160 Physical Comparison

For those who are planning to carry your camera frequently, you should factor in its weight and size. The Olympus E-3 has got physical measurements 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 VG-160 has specifications of 96mm x 57mm x 19mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.7") and a weight of 125 grams (0.28 lbs).

Check out the Olympus E-3 vs Olympus VG-160 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you have at the time. Following is a front view overall size comparison of the E-3 against the VG-160.

Olympus E-3 vs Olympus VG-160 size comparison

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability grade of the E-3 and VG-160 is 56 and 96 respectively.

Olympus E-3 vs Olympus VG-160 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-3 vs Olympus VG-160 Sensor Comparison

Generally, it's tough to picture the difference in sensor sizing only by seeing specifications. The visual here may give you a greater sense of the sensor measurements in the E-3 and VG-160.

To sum up, each of the cameras provide different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The E-3 due to its bigger sensor is going to make shooting bokeh simpler and the Olympus VG-160 will show more detail due to its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also enable you to crop pictures more aggressively. The older E-3 will be disadvantaged in sensor innovation.

Olympus E-3 vs Olympus VG-160 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-3 vs Olympus VG-160 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-3 vs Olympus VG-160 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-3 Portrait photography details
Olympus VG-160 Portrait photography details
56
has manual focus
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
megapixel count low (10 megapixels)
33
MP count decent (14MP)
features face detect autofocus
lack of manual focus
manual mode not available
cannot use external flash
small sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-3 Street photography highlights
Olympus VG-160 Street photography highlights
69
screen can move to multiple angles
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
weather proofing
56
lighter than others in class (125 grams)
no moving screen
no image stabilization
small sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-3 Sports photography features
Olympus VG-160 Sports photography features
57
high shutter speed (1/8,000 seconds)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
weather proofing
comes with phase detect AF
very slow continuous shooting (5.0 frames per second)
megapixel count low (10 megapixels)
26
MP count decent (14 megapixels)
no shutter priority mode
no image stabilization
small sensor size (1/2.3")
terrible battery life (165 per charge)
lacks phase detect autofocus
Photography Glossary

Travel Comparison

Olympus E-3 Travel photography features
Olympus VG-160 Travel photography features
55
weather proofing
flash built-in
selfie friendly display
no Time Lapse recording
megapixel count low (10 megapixels)
65
lighter than others in class (125 grams)
MP count decent (14MP)
has built in flash
pretty wide (26mm)
does not have Time Lapse recording
terrible battery life (165 CIPA)
screen isn't selfie friendly
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.8)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-3 Landscape photography details
Olympus VG-160 Landscape photography details
56
has manual focus
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
weather proofing
screen is small (2.5 inches)
megapixel count low (10MP)
no Time Lapse recording
36
pretty wide (26mm)
pretty good screen size (3 inches)
MP count decent (14MP)
lack of manual focus
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.8)
manual mode not available
no image stabilization
small sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks RAW files
terrible battery life (165 CIPA)
does not have Time Lapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-3 Vlogging advice
Olympus VG-160 Vlogging advice
18
lack of video recording
30
pretty wide (26mm)
features face detect autofocus
lighter than others in class (125 grams)
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.8)
screen isn't selfie friendly
no image stabilization
video resolution low (1280 x 720 pixels)
does not have mic port
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Olympus E-3 vs Olympus VG-160 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-3 and Olympus VG-160
 Olympus E-3Olympus VG-160
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Olympus
Model Olympus E-3 Olympus VG-160
Class Advanced DSLR Small Sensor Compact
Announced 2008-02-20 2012-01-10
Body design Mid-size SLR Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Chip TruePic III -
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 10MP 14MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 4:3
Peak resolution 3648 x 2736 4288 x 3216
Highest native ISO 3200 1600
Min native ISO 100 80
RAW data
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Number of focus points 11 -
Cross focus points - -
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 26-130mm (5.0x)
Largest aperture - f/2.8-6.5
Macro focus range - 7cm
Total lenses 45 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.8
Screen
Screen type Fully Articulated Fixed Type
Screen size 2.5" 3"
Resolution of screen 230 thousand dot 230 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Screen technology - TFT Color LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentaprism) None
Viewfinder coverage 100% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.58x -
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60 secs 4 secs
Fastest shutter speed 1/8000 secs 1/2000 secs
Continuous shutter speed 5.0 frames/s -
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 13.00 m 4.80 m
Flash settings Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in
Hot shoe
AEB
WB bracketing
Fastest flash sync 1/250 secs -
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions - 1280 x 720 (30,15 fps), 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 180 (30,15 fps)
Highest video resolution None 1280x720
Video format - Motion JPEG
Mic 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
Environment seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 890g (1.96 lbs) 125g (0.28 lbs)
Physical dimensions 142 x 116 x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0") 96 x 57 x 19mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.7")
DXO scores
DXO Overall 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 - 165 photographs
Type of battery - Battery Pack
Battery model - LI-70B
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 12 sec)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card SD/SDHC
Storage slots One One
Cost at release $670 $90