Olympus E-3 vs Sony A100
56 Imaging
44 Features
56 Overall
48
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64 Imaging
48 Features
38 Overall
44
Olympus E-3 vs Sony A100 Key Specs
(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
- Old Model is Olympus E-1
- Newer Model is Olympus E-5
(Full Review)
- 10MP - APS-C Sensor
- 2.5" Fixed Screen
- ISO 100 - 1600
- Sensor based Image Stabilization
- No Video
- Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
- 638g - 133 x 95 x 71mm
- Revealed July 2006
- Old Model is Konica Minolta 5D
- Replacement is Sony A550
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Olympus E-3 vs Sony A100 Overview
Lets look a bit more closely at the Olympus E-3 versus Sony A100, former is a Advanced DSLR while the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by competitors Olympus and Sony. The sensor resolution of the E-3 (10MP) and the A100 (10MP) is pretty similar but the E-3 (Four Thirds) and A100 (APS-C) come with totally different sensor measurements.
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The E-3 was unveiled 19 months after the A100 which makes the cameras a generation away from each other. Both the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-3 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Sony A100 being a Compact SLR camera.
Before delving in to a step-by-step comparison, below is a short highlight of how the E-3 grades against the A100 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.
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Olympus E-3 vs Sony A100 Gallery
This is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus E-3 & Sony Alpha DSLR-A100. The full galleries are viewable at Olympus E-3 Gallery & Sony A100 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus E-3 over the Sony A100
E-3 | A100 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Revealed | February 2008 | ![]() | July 2006 | More modern by 19 months |
Screen type | Fully Articulated | ![]() | Fixed | Fully Articulating screen |
Selfie screen | ![]() | Easy selfies |
Reasons to pick Sony A100 over the Olympus E-3
A100 | E-3 |
---|
Common features in the Olympus E-3 and Sony A100
E-3 | A100 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Manually focus | ![]() | More exact focus | ||
Screen dimension | 2.5" | ![]() | 2.5" | Identical screen measurements |
Screen resolution | 230k | ![]() | 230k | Same screen resolution |
Touch screen | ![]() | Missing Touch screen |
Olympus E-3 vs Sony A100 Physical Comparison
When you are going to carry around your camera frequently, you 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") with a weight of 890 grams (1.96 lbs) and the Sony A100 has proportions of 133mm x 95mm x 71mm (5.2" x 3.7" x 2.8") along with a weight of 638 grams (1.41 lbs).
Contrast the Olympus E-3 versus Sony A100 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you have attached at that moment. Here is the front view proportions comparison of the E-3 against the A100.
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Looking at size and weight, the portability rating of the E-3 and A100 is 56 and 64 respectively.
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Olympus E-3 vs Sony A100 Sensor Comparison
Often, it can be tough to envision the gap between sensor sizes purely by going over technical specs. The picture here may give you a much better sense of the sensor sizing in the E-3 and A100.
As you have seen, both cameras posses the exact same MP albeit not the same sensor sizes. The E-3 provides the tinier sensor which will make achieving shallow depth of field more difficult. The newer E-3 will have an advantage with regard to sensor tech.
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Olympus E-3 vs Sony A100 Screen and ViewFinder
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Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison
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Street Comparison
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Sports Comparison
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Travel Comparison
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Landscape Comparison
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Vlogging Comparison
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Olympus E-3 vs Sony A100 Specifications
Olympus E-3 | Sony Alpha DSLR-A100 | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Company | Olympus | Sony |
Model | Olympus E-3 | Sony Alpha DSLR-A100 |
Class | Advanced DSLR | Entry-Level DSLR |
Introduced | 2008-02-20 | 2006-07-31 |
Physical type | Mid-size SLR | Compact SLR |
Sensor Information | ||
Chip | TruePic III | - |
Sensor type | CMOS | CCD |
Sensor size | Four Thirds | APS-C |
Sensor measurements | 17.3 x 13mm | 23.6 x 15.8mm |
Sensor surface area | 224.9mm² | 372.9mm² |
Sensor resolution | 10 megapixel | 10 megapixel |
Anti aliasing filter | ||
Aspect ratio | 4:3 | 3:2 |
Highest resolution | 3648 x 2736 | 3872 x 2592 |
Highest native ISO | 3200 | 1600 |
Min native ISO | 100 | 100 |
RAW data | ||
Autofocusing | ||
Focus manually | ||
AF touch | ||
Continuous AF | ||
AF single | ||
Tracking AF | ||
AF selectice | ||
AF center weighted | ||
AF multi area | ||
Live view AF | ||
Face detection focusing | ||
Contract detection focusing | ||
Phase detection focusing | ||
Number of focus points | 11 | 9 |
Lens | ||
Lens mounting type | Micro Four Thirds | Sony/Minolta Alpha |
Amount of lenses | 45 | 143 |
Crop factor | 2.1 | 1.5 |
Screen | ||
Type of screen | Fully Articulated | Fixed Type |
Screen size | 2.5" | 2.5" |
Resolution of screen | 230k dots | 230k dots |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch capability | ||
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder type | Optical (pentaprism) | Optical (pentamirror) |
Viewfinder coverage | 100 percent | 95 percent |
Viewfinder magnification | 0.58x | 0.55x |
Features | ||
Slowest shutter speed | 60 secs | 30 secs |
Maximum shutter speed | 1/8000 secs | 1/4000 secs |
Continuous shooting rate | 5.0 frames/s | 3.0 frames/s |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Expose Manually | ||
Exposure compensation | Yes | Yes |
Custom WB | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Integrated flash | ||
Flash range | 13.00 m | - |
Flash modes | Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye | Auto, Fill-in, Red-Eye reduction, Slow Sync, Off |
Hot shoe | ||
Auto exposure bracketing | ||
White balance bracketing | ||
Maximum flash synchronize | 1/250 secs | 1/160 secs |
Exposure | ||
Multisegment metering | ||
Average metering | ||
Spot metering | ||
Partial metering | ||
AF area metering | ||
Center weighted metering | ||
Video features | ||
Highest video resolution | None | None |
Microphone 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 | ||
Environment sealing | ||
Water proof | ||
Dust proof | ||
Shock proof | ||
Crush proof | ||
Freeze proof | ||
Weight | 890 grams (1.96 pounds) | 638 grams (1.41 pounds) |
Dimensions | 142 x 116 x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0") | 133 x 95 x 71mm (5.2" x 3.7" x 2.8") |
DXO scores | ||
DXO All around score | 56 | 61 |
DXO Color Depth score | 21.6 | 22.0 |
DXO Dynamic range score | 10.5 | 11.2 |
DXO Low light score | 571 | 476 |
Other | ||
Battery model | - | NP-FM55H |
Self timer | Yes (2 or 12 sec) | Yes (2 or 10 sec) |
Time lapse feature | ||
Type of storage | Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card | Compact Flash (Type I or II) |
Card slots | Single | Single |
Pricing at launch | $670 | $1,000 |