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Olympus E-3 vs Sony A9

Portability
56
Imaging
44
Features
56
Overall
48
Olympus E-3 front
 
Sony Alpha A9 front
Portability
65
Imaging
73
Features
93
Overall
81

Olympus E-3 vs Sony A9 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
  • Introduced February 2008
  • Older Model is Olympus E-1
  • Successor is Olympus E-5
Sony A9
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 100 - 51200 (Push to 204800)
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 673g - 127 x 96 x 63mm
  • Announced April 2017
  • Refreshed by Sony A9 II
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Olympus E-3 vs Sony A9 Overview

In this write-up, we are matching up the Olympus E-3 vs Sony A9, one is a Advanced DSLR and the other is a Pro Mirrorless by competitors Olympus and Sony. There exists a crucial gap between the image resolutions of the E-3 (10MP) and A9 (24MP) and the E-3 (Four Thirds) and A9 (Full frame) feature totally different sensor sizing.

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The E-3 was unveiled 10 years before the A9 which is quite a serious gap as far as technology is concerned. Both of these cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-3 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Sony A9 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before diving in to a comprehensive comparison, below is a concise synopsis of how the E-3 scores vs the A9 for portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-3 over the Sony A9

 E-3 A9 
Display typeFully ArticulatedTiltingFully Articulating display
Selfie screen Easy selfies

Reasons to pick Sony A9 over the Olympus E-3

 A9 E-3 
AnnouncedApril 2017February 2008Newer by 111 months
Display sizing3"2.5"Larger display (+0.5")
Display resolution1440k230kSharper display (+1210k dot)
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Common features in the Olympus E-3 and Sony A9

 E-3 A9 
Manually focus More precise focus

Olympus E-3 vs Sony A9 Physical Comparison

When you are going to travel with your camera frequently, you'll need to think about its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-3 provides exterior measurements of 142mm x 116mm x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0") and a weight of 890 grams (1.96 lbs) and the Sony A9 has proportions of 127mm x 96mm x 63mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.5") and a weight of 673 grams (1.48 lbs).

See the Olympus E-3 vs Sony A9 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Always remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary depending on the lens you are utilizing at the time. Below is the front view over all size comparison of the E-3 against the A9.

Olympus E-3 vs Sony A9 size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-3 and A9 is 56 and 65 respectively.

Olympus E-3 vs Sony A9 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-3 vs Sony A9 Sensor Comparison

Quite often, it's tough to envision the contrast between sensor dimensions just by going over specs. The pic below may give you a more clear sense of the sensor measurements in the E-3 and A9.

As you can plainly see, the 2 cameras offer different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The E-3 having a tinier sensor will make shooting shallow DOF more challenging and the Sony A9 will offer you greater detail having an extra 14MP. Greater resolution can also allow you to crop photos a little more aggressively. The more aged E-3 is going to be behind with regard to sensor tech.

Olympus E-3 vs Sony A9 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-3 vs Sony A9 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-3 vs Sony A9 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photography Glossary

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-3 Portrait photography information
Sony A9 Portrait photography information
56
manual focus
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
low resolution (10 megapixels)
83
manual focus
decent MP (24 megapixels)
big sensor size (Full frame)
has face detect focus
exports RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-3 Street photography highlights
Sony A9 Street photography highlights
69
fully articulated screen
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
environment proofing
79
screen tilts up and down
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
big sensor size (Full frame)
exports RAW formats
offers touch to focus
weather proof
above average ISO range (51,200)
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus E-3
Sports photography with Sony A9
57
high shutter speed (1/8,000 seconds)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
environment proofing
comes with phase detect auto focus
continuous shooting slow (5.0 frames per second)
low resolution (10MP)
86
high shutter speed (1/8,000s)
silent shutter (1/32,000s)
high frames per second (20.0 fps)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent MP (24MP)
big sensor size (Full frame)
has tracking focus
weather proof
great battery power (650 shots)
sensor has phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-3 Travel photography factors
Sony A9 Travel photography factors
55
environment proofing
flash built-in
selfie friendly display
does not have Timelapse mode
low resolution (10MP)
73
great battery power (650 shots)
weather proof
connects via bluetooth
offers touch to focus
decent MP (24 megapixels)
doesn't posses selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus E-3
Landscape photography with Sony A9
56
manual focus
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
environment proofing
small screen (2.5 inch)
low resolution (10 megapixels)
does not have Timelapse mode
85
manual focus
swap lenses (Sony E mount)
decent sized screen (3 inches)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent MP (24MP)
big sensor size (Full frame)
above average ISO range (51,200)
exports RAW formats
weather proof
great battery power (650 CIPA)
two card slots
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-3 as a Vlogging camera
Sony A9 as a Vlogging camera
18
can't shoot video
36
touchscreen enabled
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
has face detect focus
high quality video (3840 x 2160 resolution)
includes mic socket
doesn't posses selfie friendly screen
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Olympus E-3 vs Sony A9 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-3 and Sony A9
 Olympus E-3Sony Alpha A9
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Sony
Model type Olympus E-3 Sony Alpha A9
Class Advanced DSLR Pro Mirrorless
Introduced 2008-02-20 2017-04-19
Physical type Mid-size SLR SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Processor TruePic III BIONZ X
Sensor type CMOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds Full frame
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 35.6 x 23.8mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 847.3mm²
Sensor resolution 10MP 24MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 3648 x 2736 6000 x 4000
Maximum native ISO 3200 51200
Maximum boosted ISO - 204800
Lowest native ISO 100 100
RAW format
Lowest boosted ISO - 50
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
AF continuous
Single AF
Tracking AF
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Total focus points 11 693
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds Sony E
Available lenses 45 121
Crop factor 2.1 1
Screen
Screen type Fully Articulated Tilting
Screen size 2.5 inch 3 inch
Screen resolution 230k dots 1,440k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentaprism) Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 3,686k dots
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification 0.58x 0.78x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 seconds 30 seconds
Highest shutter speed 1/8000 seconds 1/8000 seconds
Highest silent shutter speed - 1/32000 seconds
Continuous shooting rate 5.0 frames/s 20.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 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
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Highest flash synchronize 1/250 seconds -
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Maximum video resolution None 3840x2160
Video file format - MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264
Mic port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
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 lbs) 673g (1.48 lbs)
Dimensions 142 x 116 x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0") 127 x 96 x 63mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.5")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 56 92
DXO Color Depth rating 21.6 24.9
DXO Dynamic range rating 10.5 13.3
DXO Low light rating 571 3517
Other
Battery life - 650 photographs
Style of battery - Battery Pack
Battery ID - NP-FZ100
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2, 5, 10 secs + continuous)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC slots (UHS-II compatible)
Card slots One Two
Launch price $670 $4,498