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Olympus E-3 vs Sony A7R IV

Portability
56
Imaging
44
Features
56
Overall
48
Olympus E-3 front
 
Sony Alpha A7R IV front
Portability
62
Imaging
81
Features
93
Overall
85

Olympus E-3 vs Sony A7R IV 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 Maximum Shutter
  • No Video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 890g - 142 x 116 x 75mm
  • Launched February 2008
  • Replaced the Olympus E-1
  • Replacement is Olympus E-5
Sony A7R IV
(Full Review)
  • 61MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 32000 (Expand to 102800)
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 665g - 129 x 96 x 78mm
  • Introduced July 2019
  • Superseded the Sony A7R III
  • Renewed by Sony A7R V
Photography Glossary

Olympus E-3 vs Sony A7R IV Overview

Here, we will be comparing the Olympus E-3 vs Sony A7R IV, one being a Advanced DSLR and the latter is a Pro Mirrorless by companies Olympus and Sony. There exists a sizeable gap among the resolutions of the E-3 (10MP) and A7R IV (61MP) and the E-3 (Four Thirds) and A7R IV (Full frame) provide totally different sensor sizing.

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The E-3 was brought out 12 years before the A7R IV and that is a fairly large gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-3 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Sony A7R IV being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before we go right into a detailed comparison, here is a brief highlight of how the E-3 grades versus the A7R IV when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-3 over the Sony A7R IV

 E-3 A7R IV 
Screen typeFully ArticulatedTiltingFully Articulating screen
Selfie screen Take selfies

Reasons to pick Sony A7R IV over the Olympus E-3

 A7R IV E-3 
IntroducedJuly 2019February 2008More recent by 138 months
Screen size3"2.5"Bigger screen (+0.5")
Screen resolution1440k230kSharper screen (+1210k dot)
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Common features in the Olympus E-3 and Sony A7R IV

 E-3 A7R IV 
Manually focus Very accurate focusing

Olympus E-3 vs Sony A7R IV Physical Comparison

For anybody who is intending to lug around your camera, you'll have to factor its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-3 comes with external dimensions of 142mm x 116mm x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0") having a weight of 890 grams (1.96 lbs) while the Sony A7R IV has proportions of 129mm x 96mm x 78mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 3.1") and a weight of 665 grams (1.47 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-3 vs Sony A7R IV in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary depending on the lens you are utilising at the time. Here is a front view measurement comparison of the E-3 against the A7R IV.

Olympus E-3 vs Sony A7R IV size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-3 and A7R IV is 56 and 62 respectively.

Olympus E-3 vs Sony A7R IV top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-3 vs Sony A7R IV Sensor Comparison

Quite often, its difficult to see the contrast in sensor measurements just by seeing a spec sheet. The photograph below will help offer you a greater sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-3 and A7R IV.

As you can see, both the cameras feature different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The E-3 due to its smaller sensor will make getting bokeh more challenging and the Sony A7R IV will produce greater detail having its extra 51 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also enable you to crop photographs way more aggressively. The older E-3 will be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor technology.

Olympus E-3 vs Sony A7R IV sensor size comparison

Olympus E-3 vs Sony A7R IV Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-3 vs Sony A7R IV Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-3 Portrait photography information
Sony A7R IV Portrait photography information
56
you can focus manually
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
sensor resolution low (10MP)
88
manual focus
MP count high (61MP)
sensor size is large (Full frame)
comes with face detection focus
delivers RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-3 Street photography features
Sony A7R IV Street photography features
69
screen can move to multiple angles
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
environment proof
79
tilting screen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is large (Full frame)
delivers RAW files
has focus by touch
environment sealing
great ISO range (32,000)
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus E-3
Sports photography with Sony A7R IV
57
maximum shutter speed is high (1/8,000s)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
environment proof
supports phase detect auto focus
continuous shooting slow (5.0 frames/s)
sensor resolution low (10 megapixels)
90
great max shutter speed (1/8,000s)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
MP count high (61 megapixels)
sensor size is large (Full frame)
comes with tracking autofocus
environment sealing
better than average battery life (670 shots)
has phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus E-3
Travel photography with Sony A7R IV
55
environment proof
flash built-in
selfie friendly screen
no Time Lapse recording
sensor resolution low (10MP)
74
better than average battery life (670 CIPA)
environment sealing
has bluetooth
has focus by touch
MP count high (61MP)
display isn't selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-3 as a Landscape photography camera
Sony A7R IV as a Landscape photography camera
56
you can focus manually
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
environment proof
screen is somewhat small (2.5")
sensor resolution low (10MP)
no Time Lapse recording
88
manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Sony E mount)
good sized screen (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
MP count high (61MP)
sensor size is large (Full frame)
no anti-alias filter
great ISO range (32,000)
delivers RAW files
environment sealing
better than average battery life (670 CIPA)
2 card slots
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus E-3
Vlogging with Sony A7R IV
18
no video shooting
37
built-in touchscreen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
comes with face detection focus
video resolution high (3840 x 2160 pxls)
has external microphone support
display isn't selfie friendly
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Olympus E-3 vs Sony A7R IV Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-3 and Sony A7R IV
 Olympus E-3Sony Alpha A7R IV
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Sony
Model Olympus E-3 Sony Alpha A7R IV
Class Advanced DSLR Pro Mirrorless
Launched 2008-02-20 2019-07-16
Physical type Mid-size SLR SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Powered by TruePic III Bionz X
Sensor type CMOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds Full frame
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 35.8 x 23.8mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 852.0mm²
Sensor resolution 10 megapixels 61 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 3648 x 2736 9504 x 6336
Highest native ISO 3200 32000
Highest enhanced ISO - 102800
Lowest native ISO 100 100
RAW files
Lowest enhanced ISO - 50
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Continuous AF
AF single
AF tracking
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Number of focus points 11 567
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds Sony E
Number of lenses 45 121
Focal length multiplier 2.1 1
Screen
Type of display Fully Articulated Tilting
Display sizing 2.5 inches 3 inches
Display resolution 230 thousand dots 1,440 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentaprism) Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 5,760 thousand dots
Viewfinder coverage 100% 100%
Viewfinder magnification 0.58x 0.78x
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60 seconds 30 seconds
Fastest shutter speed 1/8000 seconds 1/8000 seconds
Continuous shutter rate 5.0fps 10.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 13.00 m no built-in flash
Flash options Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Flash off, Autoflash, Fill-flash, Slow Sync., Rear Sync., Red-eye reduction, Wireless, Hi-speed sync.
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Fastest flash synchronize 1/250 seconds 1/250 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions - 3840 x 2160 @ 30p / 100 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM
Highest video resolution None 3840x2160
Video format - MPEG-4, XAVC S, H.264
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 3.1 Gen 1(5 GBit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 890 grams (1.96 lbs) 665 grams (1.47 lbs)
Physical dimensions 142 x 116 x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0") 129 x 96 x 78mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 3.1")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score 56 99
DXO Color Depth score 21.6 26.0
DXO Dynamic range score 10.5 14.8
DXO Low light score 571 3344
Other
Battery life - 670 images
Battery style - Battery Pack
Battery model - NP-FZ100
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes
Time lapse shooting
Storage type Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-II compatible)
Card slots Single Dual
Cost at release $670 $3,498