Olympus E-3 vs Olympus VH-515
56 Imaging
44 Features
56 Overall
48


95 Imaging
36 Features
34 Overall
35
Olympus E-3 vs Olympus VH-515 Key Specs
(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
- Introduced February 2008
- Superseded the Olympus E-1
- Newer Model is Olympus E-5
(Full Review)
- 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
- 3" Fixed Display
- ISO 100 - 1600
- Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
- 1920 x 1080 video
- 26-130mm (F2.8-6.5) lens
- 152g - 102 x 60 x 21mm
- Released August 2012

Olympus E-3 vs Olympus VH-515 Overview
Let's look much closer at the Olympus E-3 vs Olympus VH-515, former is a Advanced DSLR while the other is a Small Sensor Compact and both of them are built by Olympus. The resolution of the E-3 (10MP) and the VH-515 (12MP) is fairly close but the E-3 (Four Thirds) and VH-515 (1/2.3") come with different sensor sizing.

The E-3 was released 5 years prior to the VH-515 which is a fairly big difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both of these cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-3 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Olympus VH-515 being a Compact camera.
Before delving straight into a in-depth comparison, below is a brief summation of how the E-3 scores against the VH-515 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Olympus E-3 vs Olympus VH-515 Gallery
The following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus E-3 & Olympus VH-515. The complete galleries are viewable at Olympus E-3 Gallery & Olympus VH-515 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus E-3 over the Olympus VH-515
E-3 | VH-515 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Manual focus | ![]() | Very accurate focusing | ||
Display type | Fully Articulated | ![]() | Fixed | Fully Articulating display |
Selfie screen | ![]() | Easy selfies |
Reasons to pick Olympus VH-515 over the Olympus E-3
VH-515 | E-3 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Released | August 2012 | ![]() | February 2008 | More modern by 54 months |
Display dimension | 3" | ![]() | 2.5" | Larger display (+0.5") |
Display resolution | 460k | ![]() | 230k | Clearer display (+230k dot) |
Touch friendly display | ![]() | Easily navigate |
Common features in the Olympus E-3 and Olympus VH-515
E-3 | VH-515 |
---|
Olympus E-3 vs Olympus VH-515 Physical Comparison
If you're aiming to carry around your camera often, you should take into account its weight and size. The Olympus E-3 provides outside dimensions of 142mm x 116mm x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0") and a weight of 890 grams (1.96 lbs) whilst the Olympus VH-515 has specifications of 102mm x 60mm x 21mm (4.0" x 2.4" x 0.8") having a weight of 152 grams (0.34 lbs).
Check the Olympus E-3 vs Olympus VH-515 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you are utilizing at the time. Below is the front view measurements comparison of the E-3 compared to the VH-515.

Using size and weight, the portability score of the E-3 and VH-515 is 56 and 95 respectively.

Olympus E-3 vs Olympus VH-515 Sensor Comparison
Often, it is hard to picture the difference in sensor sizes simply by viewing specs. The image underneath will give you a greater sense of the sensor sizes in the E-3 and VH-515.
As you can plainly see, both cameras have got different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The E-3 featuring a larger sensor is going to make achieving shallow depth of field easier and the Olympus VH-515 will result in more detail as a result of its extra 2MP. Greater resolution can also help you crop images much more aggressively. The more aged E-3 will be disadvantaged with regard to sensor innovation.

Olympus E-3 vs Olympus VH-515 Screen and ViewFinder


Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison

Street Comparison

Sports Comparison

Travel Comparison

Landscape Comparison

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-3 vs Olympus VH-515 Specifications
Olympus E-3 | Olympus VH-515 | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Brand Name | Olympus | Olympus |
Model type | Olympus E-3 | Olympus VH-515 |
Class | Advanced DSLR | Small Sensor Compact |
Introduced | 2008-02-20 | 2012-08-21 |
Physical type | Mid-size SLR | Compact |
Sensor Information | ||
Processor Chip | TruePic III | TruePic III+ |
Sensor type | CMOS | BSI-CMOS |
Sensor size | Four Thirds | 1/2.3" |
Sensor measurements | 17.3 x 13mm | 6.17 x 4.55mm |
Sensor surface area | 224.9mm² | 28.1mm² |
Sensor resolution | 10 megapixel | 12 megapixel |
Anti alias filter | ||
Aspect ratio | 4:3 | 4:3 and 16:9 |
Maximum resolution | 3648 x 2736 | 4608 x 3456 |
Maximum native ISO | 3200 | 1600 |
Min native ISO | 100 | 100 |
RAW photos | ||
Autofocusing | ||
Manual focusing | ||
Touch to focus | ||
Continuous autofocus | ||
Single autofocus | ||
Autofocus tracking | ||
Selective autofocus | ||
Autofocus center weighted | ||
Autofocus multi area | ||
Autofocus live view | ||
Face detection focus | ||
Contract detection focus | ||
Phase detection focus | ||
Total focus points | 11 | - |
Lens | ||
Lens support | Micro Four Thirds | fixed lens |
Lens zoom range | - | 26-130mm (5.0x) |
Maximum aperture | - | f/2.8-6.5 |
Macro focusing range | - | 5cm |
Total lenses | 45 | - |
Crop factor | 2.1 | 5.8 |
Screen | ||
Screen type | Fully Articulated | Fixed Type |
Screen sizing | 2.5 inches | 3 inches |
Screen resolution | 230k dots | 460k dots |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch functionality | ||
Screen tech | - | TFT Color LCD |
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder type | Optical (pentaprism) | None |
Viewfinder coverage | 100 percent | - |
Viewfinder magnification | 0.58x | - |
Features | ||
Slowest shutter speed | 60 secs | 4 secs |
Maximum shutter speed | 1/8000 secs | 1/2000 secs |
Continuous shooting rate | 5.0 frames/s | 2.0 frames/s |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Manually set exposure | ||
Exposure compensation | Yes | - |
Custom white balance | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Built-in flash | ||
Flash distance | 13.00 m | 4.70 m |
Flash modes | Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in |
External flash | ||
AEB | ||
White balance bracketing | ||
Maximum flash synchronize | 1/250 secs | - |
Exposure | ||
Multisegment | ||
Average | ||
Spot | ||
Partial | ||
AF area | ||
Center weighted | ||
Video features | ||
Supported video resolutions | - | 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30,15 fps), 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 180 (30,15 fps) |
Maximum video resolution | None | 1920x1080 |
Video format | - | MPEG-4, H.264 |
Microphone port | ||
Headphone port | ||
Connectivity | ||
Wireless | None | Eye-Fi Connected |
Bluetooth | ||
NFC | ||
HDMI | ||
USB | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) |
GPS | None | None |
Physical | ||
Environment sealing | ||
Water proofing | ||
Dust proofing | ||
Shock proofing | ||
Crush proofing | ||
Freeze proofing | ||
Weight | 890g (1.96 lb) | 152g (0.34 lb) |
Dimensions | 142 x 116 x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0") | 102 x 60 x 21mm (4.0" x 2.4" x 0.8") |
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 ID | - | LI-50B |
Self timer | Yes (2 or 12 sec) | Yes (2 or 12 sec) |
Time lapse feature | ||
Storage type | Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card | SD/SDHC/SDXC |
Card slots | Single | Single |
Cost at launch | $670 | $648 |