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Olympus E-3 vs Sony A580

Portability
56
Imaging
45
Features
56
Overall
49
Olympus E-3 front
 
Sony Alpha DSLR-A580 front
Portability
64
Imaging
57
Features
82
Overall
67

Olympus E-3 vs Sony A580 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
  • Announced February 2008
  • Superseded the Olympus E-1
  • Refreshed by Olympus E-5
Sony A580
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 100 - 12800 (Bump to 25600)
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 599g - 137 x 104 x 84mm
  • Revealed May 2011
  • Superseded the Sony A100
Photography Glossary

Olympus E-3 vs Sony A580 Overview

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.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-3 over the Sony A580

 E-3 A580 
Display typeFully ArticulatedTiltingFully Articulating display
Selfie screen Take selfies

Reasons to pick Sony A580 over the Olympus E-3

 A580 E-3 
RevealedMay 2011February 2008Newer by 39 months
Display dimensions3"2.5"Larger display (+0.5")
Display resolution922k230kSharper display (+692k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-3 and Sony A580

 E-3 A580 
Focus manually Dial precise focus
Touch friendly display Lacking Touch friendly display

Olympus E-3 vs Sony A580 Physical Comparison

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. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

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.

Olympus E-3 vs Sony A580 size comparison

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

Olympus E-3 vs Sony A580 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-3 vs Sony A580 Sensor Comparison

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.

Olympus E-3 vs Sony A580 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-3 vs Sony A580 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-3 vs Sony A580 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-3 Portrait photography advice
Sony A580 Portrait photography advice
57
you can focus manually
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
low megapixels (10 megapixels)
74
has manual focus
MP count decent (16 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
includes face detection focus
saves RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-3 as a Street photography camera
Sony A580 as a Street photography camera
70
fully articulated screen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
environment proofing
75
tilting screen
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus E-3
Sports photography with Sony A580
58
maximum shutter speed is high (1/8,000s)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
environment proofing
has phase detect autofocus
continuous shooting slow (5.0 fps)
low megapixels (10MP)
78
image stabilization (Sensor based)
MP count decent (16 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
includes tracking autofocus
better than average battery (1,050 per charge)
supports phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus E-3
Travel photography with Sony A580
55
environment proofing
built-in flash
selfie friendly screen
missing Timelapse mode
low megapixels (10MP)
61
better than average battery (1,050 shots)
MP count decent (16 megapixels)
flash built-in
lack of Timelapse recording
doesn't have a selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus E-3
Landscape photography with Sony A580
56
you can focus manually
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
environment proofing
small screen (2.5")
low megapixels (10 megapixels)
missing Timelapse mode
74
has manual focus
change lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
screen is a decent size (3 inches)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
MP count decent (16MP)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
better than average battery (1,050 CIPA)
2 card slots
lack of Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-3 Vlogging highlights
Sony A580 Vlogging highlights
18
no video
34
image stabilization (Sensor based)
includes face detection focus
high res video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
comes with external microphone support
doesn't have a selfie friendly screen
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Olympus E-3 vs Sony A580 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-3 and Sony A580
 Olympus E-3Sony Alpha DSLR-A580
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Sony
Model type Olympus E-3 Sony Alpha DSLR-A580
Category Advanced DSLR Entry-Level DSLR
Announced 2008-02-20 2011-05-26
Physical type Mid-size SLR Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Powered by TruePic III Bionz
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds APS-C
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 10 megapixel 16 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 3:2 and 16:9
Highest resolution 3648 x 2736 4912 x 3264
Highest native ISO 3200 12800
Highest boosted ISO - 25600
Lowest native ISO 100 100
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch to focus
AF continuous
AF single
AF tracking
AF selectice
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Total focus points 11 15
Cross type focus points - 3
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds Sony/Minolta Alpha
Number of lenses 45 143
Focal length multiplier 2.1 1.5
Screen
Screen type Fully Articulated Tilting
Screen size 2.5 inch 3 inch
Screen resolution 230k dots 922k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentaprism) Optical (pentamirror)
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent 95 percent
Viewfinder magnification 0.58x 0.53x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60 secs 30 secs
Maximum shutter speed 1/8000 secs 1/4000 secs
Continuous shooting rate 5.0 frames per sec 7.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 13.00 m 12.00 m
Flash options Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless
External flash
AEB
WB 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
Supported video resolutions - 1920 x 1080 (60, 29.97 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30fps), 640 x 424 (29.97 fps)
Highest video resolution None 1920x1080
Video file format - MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 890g (1.96 lb) 599g (1.32 lb)
Physical dimensions 142 x 116 x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0") 137 x 104 x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 56 80
DXO Color Depth rating 21.6 23.8
DXO Dynamic range rating 10.5 13.3
DXO Low light rating 571 1121
Other
Battery life - 1050 photos
Form of battery - Battery Pack
Battery ID - NP-FM500H
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Storage type Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Card slots Single Two
Price at launch $670 $848