Olympus E-3 vs Sony A580

Let's look more closely at the Olympus E-3 vs Sony A580, former is a Advanced DSLR while the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by competitors Olympus and Sony. There exists a considerable gap between the image resolutions of the E-3 (10MP) and A580 (16MP) and the E-3 (Four Thirds) and A580 (APS-C) offer different sensor measurements.

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The E-3 was unveiled 4 years before the A580 which is quite a large difference as far as technology is concerned. Both the cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-3 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Sony A580 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before diving straight to a in depth comparison, here is a brief overview of how the E-3 scores against the A580 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Below is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus E-3 & Sony Alpha DSLR-A580. The full galleries are viewable at Olympus E-3 Gallery & Sony A580 Gallery.

If you are intending to travel with your camera, you have to think about its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-3 comes with exterior dimensions of 142mm x 116mm x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0") having a weight of 890 grams (1.96 lbs) whilst the Sony A580 has measurements of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") and a weight of 599 grams (1.32 lbs).

Check the Olympus E-3 vs Sony A580 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you are working with at the time. Below is a front view proportions comparison of the E-3 and the A580.

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-3 and A580 is 56 and 64 respectively.

Quite often, it is tough to imagine the difference between sensor dimensions simply by checking specs. The pic below will help offer you a clearer sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-3 and A580.

All in all, each of these cameras have different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The E-3 having a tinier sensor is going to make shooting shallower depth of field tougher and the Sony A580 will resolve greater detail having an extra 6MP. Greater resolution will let you crop pics a bit more aggressively. The more aged E-3 is going to be behind when it comes to sensor technology.