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Olympus E-3 vs Sony A230

Portability
56
Imaging
44
Features
56
Overall
48
Olympus E-3 front
 
Sony Alpha DSLR-A230 front
Portability
69
Imaging
50
Features
40
Overall
46

Olympus E-3 vs Sony A230 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 Max Shutter
  • No Video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 890g - 142 x 116 x 75mm
  • Launched February 2008
  • Previous Model is Olympus E-1
  • Newer Model is Olympus E-5
Sony A230
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • No Video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 490g - 128 x 97 x 68mm
  • Released May 2009
  • Replaced the Sony A200
  • Newer Model is Sony A290
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Olympus E-3 vs Sony A230 Overview

Following is a detailed overview of the Olympus E-3 and Sony A230, former is a Advanced DSLR while the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by brands Olympus and Sony. The sensor resolution of the E-3 (10MP) and the A230 (10MP) is very similar but the E-3 (Four Thirds) and A230 (APS-C) provide different sensor dimensions.

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The E-3 was announced 15 months prior to the A230 making them a generation away from one another. Each of these cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-3 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Sony A230 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before getting right into a comprehensive comparison, here is a short highlight of how the E-3 scores vs the A230 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-3 over the Sony A230

 E-3 A230 
Display typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating display
Selfie screen Take selfies

Reasons to pick Sony A230 over the Olympus E-3

 A230 E-3 
ReleasedMay 2009February 2008More modern by 15 months
Display size2.7"2.5"Larger display (+0.2")

Common features in the Olympus E-3 and Sony A230

 E-3 A230 
Manual focus Very accurate focus
Display resolution230k230kEqual display resolution
Touch display No Touch display

Olympus E-3 vs Sony A230 Physical Comparison

In case you're intending to carry around your camera often, you'll need to think about its weight and volume. The Olympus E-3 has external measurements of 142mm x 116mm x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0") accompanied by a weight of 890 grams (1.96 lbs) and the Sony A230 has sizing of 128mm x 97mm x 68mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.7") having a weight of 490 grams (1.08 lbs).

Compare the Olympus E-3 and Sony A230 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you are employing at that time. The following is a front view physical size comparison of the E-3 versus the A230.

Olympus E-3 vs Sony A230 size comparison

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-3 and A230 is 56 and 69 respectively.

Olympus E-3 vs Sony A230 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-3 vs Sony A230 Sensor Comparison

Quite often, its difficult to visualize the difference between sensor sizes simply by going over technical specs. The pic below will help offer you a clearer sense of the sensor measurements in the E-3 and A230.

As you can tell, the two cameras come with the identical megapixels but different sensor sizes. The E-3 has got the tinier sensor which should make obtaining bokeh harder. The more aged E-3 is going to be behind with regard to sensor tech.

Olympus E-3 vs Sony A230 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-3 vs Sony A230 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-3 vs Sony A230 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-3 Portrait photography details
Sony A230 Portrait photography details
56
has manual focus
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
sensor resolution low (10 megapixels)
54
manual focus
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
exports RAW files
no liveview feature
low MP (10MP)
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-3 Street photography information
Sony A230 Street photography information
69
screen articulates
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
weather sealing
67
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
exports RAW files
no moving screen
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-3 Sports photography highlights
Sony A230 Sports photography highlights
57
maximum shutter speed is high (1/8,000 seconds)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
weather sealing
supports phase detect auto focus
painfully slow continuous shooting (5.0 fps)
sensor resolution low (10 megapixels)
46
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
sensor has phase detect autofocus
no liveview feature
slow continuous shooting (3.0 frames/s)
low MP (10 megapixels)
low battery power (230 shots)
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-3 as a Travel photography camera
Sony A230 as a Travel photography camera
55
weather sealing
built-in flash
screen is selfie friendly
does not have Timelapse function
sensor resolution low (10 megapixels)
45
has built in flash
missing Time Lapse function
low battery power (230 CIPA)
low MP (10MP)
doesn't feature selfie friendly display
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus E-3
Landscape photography with Sony A230
56
has manual focus
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
weather sealing
screen is somewhat small (2.5 inches)
sensor resolution low (10 megapixels)
does not have Timelapse function
51
manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
exports RAW files
screen is somewhat small (2.7 inches)
no liveview feature
low MP (10 megapixels)
low battery power (230 per charge)
missing Time Lapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus E-3
Vlogging with Sony A230
18
can't record video
9
no video
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Olympus E-3 vs Sony A230 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-3 and Sony A230
 Olympus E-3Sony Alpha DSLR-A230
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Sony
Model Olympus E-3 Sony Alpha DSLR-A230
Class Advanced DSLR Entry-Level DSLR
Launched 2008-02-20 2009-05-18
Body design Mid-size SLR Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Processor Chip TruePic III Bionz
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds APS-C
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 23.5 x 15.7mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 369.0mm²
Sensor resolution 10 megapixel 10 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 3:2 and 16:9
Highest resolution 3648 x 2736 3872 x 2592
Highest native ISO 3200 3200
Minimum native ISO 100 100
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch to focus
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Live view autofocus
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Number of focus points 11 9
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds Sony/Minolta Alpha
Total lenses 45 143
Focal length multiplier 2.1 1.5
Screen
Display type Fully Articulated Fixed Type
Display sizing 2.5" 2.7"
Resolution of display 230k dot 230k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentaprism) Optical (pentamirror)
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent 95 percent
Viewfinder magnification 0.58x 0.55x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60s 30s
Highest shutter speed 1/8000s 1/4000s
Continuous shooting speed 5.0fps 3.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range 13.00 m 10.00 m
Flash settings Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Wireless
External flash
AEB
WB bracketing
Highest flash sync 1/250s 1/160s
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Highest video resolution None None
Mic jack
Headphone jack
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 seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 890g (1.96 lbs) 490g (1.08 lbs)
Physical dimensions 142 x 116 x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0") 128 x 97 x 68mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.7")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 56 63
DXO Color Depth score 21.6 22.3
DXO Dynamic range score 10.5 11.4
DXO Low light score 571 531
Other
Battery life - 230 photographs
Style of battery - Battery Pack
Battery model - NP-FH50
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Storage media Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card SD/ SDHC, Memory Stick Pro Duo
Storage slots 1 1
Retail pricing $670 $569