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Olympus E-3 vs Sony A330

Portability
56
Imaging
44
Features
56
Overall
48
Olympus E-3 front
 
Sony Alpha DSLR-A330 front
Portability
67
Imaging
50
Features
50
Overall
50

Olympus E-3 vs Sony A330 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 Maximum Shutter
  • No Video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 890g - 142 x 116 x 75mm
  • Announced February 2008
  • Previous Model is Olympus E-1
  • New Model is Olympus E-5
Sony A330
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 2.7" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • No Video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 529g - 128 x 97 x 71mm
  • Launched May 2009
  • Superseded the Sony A300
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Olympus E-3 vs Sony A330 Overview

Let's look a bit more closely at the Olympus E-3 versus Sony A330, one is a Advanced DSLR and the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by companies Olympus and Sony. The image resolution of the E-3 (10MP) and the A330 (10MP) is relatively well matched but the E-3 (Four Thirds) and A330 (APS-C) have different sensor dimensions.

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The E-3 was released 15 months earlier than the A330 which makes them a generation away from one another. Both of these cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-3 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Sony A330 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before going right into a more detailed comparison, here is a short summary of how the E-3 matches up against the A330 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-3 over the Sony A330

 E-3 A330 
Screen typeFully ArticulatedTiltingFully Articulating screen
Selfie screen Take selfies

Reasons to pick Sony A330 over the Olympus E-3

 A330 E-3 
LaunchedMay 2009February 2008More modern by 15 months
Screen size2.7"2.5"Bigger screen (+0.2")

Common features in the Olympus E-3 and Sony A330

 E-3 A330 
Manually focus Dial accurate focusing
Screen resolution230k230kExact same screen resolution
Touch friendly screen No Touch friendly screen

Olympus E-3 vs Sony A330 Physical Comparison

If you are planning to carry around your camera, you will want to consider its weight and size. The Olympus E-3 offers outer dimensions of 142mm x 116mm x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0") accompanied by a weight of 890 grams (1.96 lbs) whilst the Sony A330 has specifications of 128mm x 97mm x 71mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.8") and a weight of 529 grams (1.17 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-3 versus Sony A330 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Do not forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ depending on the lens you use at the time. Underneath is a front view over all size comparison of the E-3 against the A330.

Olympus E-3 vs Sony A330 size comparison

Using dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-3 and A330 is 56 and 67 respectively.

Olympus E-3 vs Sony A330 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-3 vs Sony A330 Sensor Comparison

Normally, it can be tough to imagine the contrast between sensor sizes simply by looking at a spec sheet. The image below will provide you a stronger sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-3 and A330.

As you can see, both cameras feature the identical megapixels albeit different sensor sizes. The E-3 contains the tinier sensor which should make achieving shallow depth of field more difficult. The more aged E-3 is going to be behind with regard to sensor tech.

Olympus E-3 vs Sony A330 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-3 vs Sony A330 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-3 vs Sony A330 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-3 Portrait photography highlights
Sony A330 Portrait photography highlights
56
has manual focus
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
low MP (10MP)
62
you can focus manually
good sensor size (APS-C)
supports face detect focus
supports RAW files
low MP (10 megapixels)
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-3 Street photography details
Sony A330 Street photography details
69
screen can move to multiple angles
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
weather proof
75
has a tilting screen
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (APS-C)
supports RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus E-3
Sports photography with Sony A330
57
max shutter speed is good (1/8,000s)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
weather proof
has phase detect auto focus
max fps low (5.0 fps)
low MP (10 megapixels)
50
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (APS-C)
comes with phase detect auto focus
slow continuous shooting (3.0 frames/s)
low MP (10MP)
low battery pack (230 CIPA)
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-3 Travel photography features
Sony A330 Travel photography features
55
weather proof
built-in flash
selfie friendly screen
does not have Time Lapse function
low MP (10MP)
44
built-in flash
lack of Time Lapse function
low battery pack (230 shots)
low MP (10 megapixels)
does not have selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-3 Landscape photography info
Sony A330 Landscape photography info
56
has manual focus
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
weather proof
screen is somewhat small (2.5 inch)
low MP (10 megapixels)
does not have Time Lapse function
54
you can focus manually
swap lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (APS-C)
supports RAW files
screen is somewhat small (2.7 inch)
low MP (10MP)
low battery pack (230 per charge)
lack of Time Lapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-3 Vlogging information
Sony A330 Vlogging information
18
no video
9
no video recording
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Olympus E-3 vs Sony A330 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-3 and Sony A330
 Olympus E-3Sony Alpha DSLR-A330
General Information
Company Olympus Sony
Model Olympus E-3 Sony Alpha DSLR-A330
Type Advanced DSLR Entry-Level DSLR
Announced 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 megapixels 10 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 3648 x 2736 3872 x 2592
Highest native ISO 3200 3200
Lowest native ISO 100 100
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Manual focus
AF touch
AF continuous
Single AF
AF tracking
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
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
Range of screen Fully Articulated Tilting
Screen sizing 2.5 inch 2.7 inch
Resolution of screen 230k dot 230k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentaprism) Optical (pentamirror)
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent 95 percent
Viewfinder magnification 0.58x 0.49x
Features
Min shutter speed 60 secs 30 secs
Max shutter speed 1/8000 secs 1/4000 secs
Continuous shutter speed 5.0 frames per second 3.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 13.00 m 10.00 m
Flash options Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Wireless
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Max flash sync 1/250 secs 1/160 secs
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Highest video resolution None None
Mic input
Headphone input
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 890 gr (1.96 lbs) 529 gr (1.17 lbs)
Physical dimensions 142 x 116 x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0") 128 x 97 x 71mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.8")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score 56 64
DXO Color Depth score 21.6 22.4
DXO Dynamic range score 10.5 11.5
DXO Low light score 571 535
Other
Battery life - 230 images
Battery format - Battery Pack
Battery model - NP-FH50
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Storage media Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card SD/ SDHC, Memory Stick Pro Duo
Storage slots One One
Launch cost $670 $545