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Olympus E-3 vs Ricoh GXR A12 50mm F2.5 Macro

Portability
56
Imaging
43
Features
56
Overall
48
Olympus E-3 front
 
Ricoh GXR A12 50mm F2.5 Macro front
Portability
77
Imaging
51
Features
31
Overall
43

Olympus E-3 vs Ricoh GXR A12 50mm F2.5 Macro 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 Max Shutter
  • No Video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 890g - 142 x 116 x 75mm
  • Revealed February 2008
  • Superseded the Olympus E-1
  • Replacement is Olympus E-5
Ricoh GXR A12 50mm F2.5 Macro
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 200 - 3200
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 50mm (F2.5) lens
  • 453g - 114 x 70 x 77mm
  • Launched November 2009
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Olympus E-3 vs Ricoh GXR A12 50mm F2.5 Macro Overview

Below is a extended review of the Olympus E-3 vs Ricoh GXR A12 50mm F2.5 Macro, former being a Advanced DSLR while the other is a Advanced Mirrorless by rivals Olympus and Ricoh. The image resolution of the E-3 (10MP) and the GXR A12 50mm F2.5 Macro (12MP) is fairly similar but the E-3 (Four Thirds) and GXR A12 50mm F2.5 Macro (APS-C) possess totally different sensor sizes.

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The E-3 was revealed 20 months earlier than the GXR A12 50mm F2.5 Macro making the cameras a generation apart from each other. Each of the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-3 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Ricoh GXR A12 50mm F2.5 Macro being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before going straight into a more detailed comparison, below is a short summary of how the E-3 matches up against the GXR A12 50mm F2.5 Macro with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-3 over the Ricoh GXR A12 50mm F2.5 Macro

 E-3 GXR A12 50mm F2.5 Macro 
Display typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating display
Selfie screen Easy selfies

Reasons to pick Ricoh GXR A12 50mm F2.5 Macro over the Olympus E-3

 GXR A12 50mm F2.5 Macro E-3 
LaunchedNovember 2009February 2008More recent by 20 months
Display dimension3"2.5"Larger display (+0.5")
Display resolution920k230kSharper display (+690k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-3 and Ricoh GXR A12 50mm F2.5 Macro

 E-3 GXR A12 50mm F2.5 Macro 
Manual focus Very exact focus
Touch friendly display Missing Touch friendly display

Olympus E-3 vs Ricoh GXR A12 50mm F2.5 Macro Physical Comparison

For those who are going to lug around your camera, you will have to factor in its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-3 has external measurements 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 Ricoh GXR A12 50mm F2.5 Macro has proportions of 114mm x 70mm x 77mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 3.0") along with a weight of 453 grams (1.00 lbs).

Compare the Olympus E-3 vs Ricoh GXR A12 50mm F2.5 Macro in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you are utilising at that moment. Following is the front view size comparison of the E-3 vs the GXR A12 50mm F2.5 Macro.

Olympus E-3 vs Ricoh GXR A12 50mm F2.5 Macro size comparison

Looking at size and weight, the portability score of the E-3 and GXR A12 50mm F2.5 Macro is 56 and 77 respectively.

Olympus E-3 vs Ricoh GXR A12 50mm F2.5 Macro top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-3 vs Ricoh GXR A12 50mm F2.5 Macro Sensor Comparison

Usually, it is very tough to envision the difference between sensor measurements only by reviewing specs. The graphic below may offer you a clearer sense of the sensor measurements in the E-3 and GXR A12 50mm F2.5 Macro.

All in all, both the cameras have got different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The E-3 having a tinier sensor will make achieving shallower depth of field harder and the Ricoh GXR A12 50mm F2.5 Macro will offer you more detail because of its extra 2MP. Greater resolution will enable you to crop pics much more aggressively. The older E-3 is going to be behind when it comes to sensor tech.

Olympus E-3 vs Ricoh GXR A12 50mm F2.5 Macro sensor size comparison

Olympus E-3 vs Ricoh GXR A12 50mm F2.5 Macro Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-3 vs Ricoh GXR A12 50mm F2.5 Macro Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-3 Portrait photography information
Ricoh GXR A12 50mm F2.5 Macro Portrait photography information
55
focusing manually
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
resolution not great (10MP)
54
focusing manually
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
supports RAW formats
doesn't have liveview
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-3 Street photography highlights
Ricoh GXR A12 50mm F2.5 Macro Street photography highlights
69
fully articulated screen
image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
environment proofing
61
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
supports RAW formats
screen does not articulate
does not have image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-3 Sports photography advice
Ricoh GXR A12 50mm F2.5 Macro Sports photography advice
57
max shutter speed is good (1/8,000s)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
environment proofing
comes with phase detect auto focus
slow fps (5.0 frames/s)
resolution not great (10MP)
31
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
focal length is fixed (50mm)
doesn't have liveview
slow continuous shooting (3.0 frames per second)
does not have image stabilization
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
terrible battery pack (320 shots)
does not have phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus E-3
Travel photography with Ricoh GXR A12 50mm F2.5 Macro
55
environment proofing
flash built-in
selfie friendly screen
no Timelapse mode
resolution not great (10 megapixels)
49
built-in flash
terrible battery pack (320 CIPA)
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
does not posses selfie friendly screen
sluggish max aperture (f2.5)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-3 as a Landscape photography camera
Ricoh GXR A12 50mm F2.5 Macro as a Landscape photography camera
56
focusing manually
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
environment proofing
tiny screen (2.5 inch)
resolution not great (10 megapixels)
no Timelapse mode
46
focusing manually
decent sized screen (3 inches)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
supports RAW formats
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
focal length is fixed (50mm)
sluggish max aperture (f2.5)
doesn't have liveview
does not have image stabilization
sensor resolution low (12MP)
terrible battery pack (320 per charge)
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-3 Vlogging details
Ricoh GXR A12 50mm F2.5 Macro Vlogging details
18
can't shoot video
20
sluggish max aperture (f2.5)
does not posses selfie friendly screen
does not have image stabilization
video resolution low (1280 x 720 resolution)
lack of external mic socket
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Olympus E-3 vs Ricoh GXR A12 50mm F2.5 Macro Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-3 and Ricoh GXR A12 50mm F2.5 Macro
 Olympus E-3Ricoh GXR A12 50mm F2.5 Macro
General Information
Company Olympus Ricoh
Model type Olympus E-3 Ricoh GXR A12 50mm F2.5 Macro
Category Advanced DSLR Advanced Mirrorless
Revealed 2008-02-20 2009-11-10
Physical type Mid-size SLR Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Chip TruePic III GR engine III
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds APS-C
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 23.6 x 15.7mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 370.5mm²
Sensor resolution 10MP 12MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Highest Possible resolution 3648 x 2736 4288 x 2848
Maximum native ISO 3200 3200
Lowest native ISO 100 200
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch to focus
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Total focus points 11 -
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 50mm (1x)
Maximal aperture - f/2.5
Macro focusing distance - 1cm
Amount of lenses 45 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 1.5
Screen
Screen type Fully Articulated Fixed Type
Screen size 2.5 inch 3 inch
Screen resolution 230k dots 920k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentaprism) Electronic (optional)
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.58x -
Features
Min shutter speed 60 secs 180 secs
Max shutter speed 1/8000 secs 1/3200 secs
Continuous shutter rate 5.0fps 3.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 13.00 m 3.00 m
Flash modes Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Manual
External flash
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Max flash synchronize 1/250 secs -
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions - 1280 x 720 (24 fps), 640 x 480 (24 fps), 320 x 240 (24 fps)
Maximum video resolution None 1280x720
Video data format - Motion JPEG
Mic port
Headphone port
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 sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 890g (1.96 pounds) 453g (1.00 pounds)
Dimensions 142 x 116 x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0") 114 x 70 x 77mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 3.0")
DXO scores
DXO Overall 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 life - 320 photographs
Form of battery - Battery Pack
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10 sec (3 images) )
Time lapse recording
Storage type Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card SD/SDHC, Internal
Card slots One One
Launch cost $670 $566