Olympus E-3 vs Sony NEX-7

Lets take a closer look at the Olympus E-3 and Sony NEX-7, former being a Advanced DSLR while the other is a Advanced Mirrorless by rivals Olympus and Sony. There is a considerable difference between the image resolutions of the E-3 (10MP) and NEX-7 (24MP) and the E-3 (Four Thirds) and NEX-7 (APS-C) provide totally different sensor sizing.

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The E-3 was released 4 years before the NEX-7 and that is quite a large difference as far as tech is concerned. Each of these cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-3 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Sony NEX-7 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before diving straight to a full comparison, here is a simple summation of how the E-3 matches up against the NEX-7 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Below is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus E-3 & Sony Alpha NEX-7. The complete galleries are viewable at Olympus E-3 Gallery & Sony NEX-7 Gallery.

If you are looking to lug around your camera regularly, you need to think about its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-3 comes with outer measurements of 142mm x 116mm x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0") with a weight of 890 grams (1.96 lbs) while the Sony NEX-7 has proportions of 120mm x 67mm x 43mm (4.7" x 2.6" x 1.7") accompanied by a weight of 400 grams (0.88 lbs).

Compare the Olympus E-3 and Sony NEX-7 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you are using at that moment. Here is a front view dimensions comparison of the E-3 versus the NEX-7.

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability score of the E-3 and NEX-7 is 56 and 84 respectively.

In many cases, its difficult to see the difference between sensor measurements merely by reviewing specifications. The visual here will offer you a clearer sense of the sensor measurements in the E-3 and NEX-7.

Plainly, each of these cameras feature different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The E-3 due to its tinier sensor will make shooting shallower DOF more challenging and the Sony NEX-7 will deliver more detail as a result of its extra 14 Megapixels. Greater resolution will allow you to crop pics way more aggressively. The older E-3 is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor innovation.