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Olympus E-3 vs Sony NEX-7

Portability
56
Imaging
44
Features
56
Overall
48
Olympus E-3 front
 
Sony Alpha NEX-7 front
Portability
84
Imaging
63
Features
71
Overall
66

Olympus E-3 vs Sony NEX-7 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 Maximum Shutter
  • No Video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 890g - 142 x 116 x 75mm
  • Launched February 2008
  • Old Model is Olympus E-1
  • Updated by Olympus E-5
Sony NEX-7
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 100 - 16000
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 400g - 120 x 67 x 43mm
  • Launched December 2011
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Olympus E-3 vs Sony NEX-7 Overview

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.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-3 over the Sony NEX-7

 E-3 NEX-7 
Display typeFully ArticulatedTiltingFully Articulating display
Selfie screen Take selfies

Reasons to pick Sony NEX-7 over the Olympus E-3

 NEX-7 E-3 
LaunchedDecember 2011February 2008More recent by 46 months
Display size3"2.5"Larger display (+0.5")
Display resolution921k230kClearer display (+691k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-3 and Sony NEX-7

 E-3 NEX-7 
Manual focus More exact focusing
Touch display Neither comes with Touch display

Olympus E-3 vs Sony NEX-7 Physical Comparison

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. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

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.

Olympus E-3 vs Sony NEX-7 size comparison

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

Olympus E-3 vs Sony NEX-7 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-3 vs Sony NEX-7 Sensor Comparison

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.

Olympus E-3 vs Sony NEX-7 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-3 vs Sony NEX-7 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-3 vs Sony NEX-7 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-3 Portrait photography highlights
Sony NEX-7 Portrait photography highlights
56
has manual focus
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
low MP (10 megapixels)
77
you can focus manually
MP count good (24 megapixels)
good sensor size (APS-C)
includes face detect autofocus
delivers RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-3 Street photography details
Sony NEX-7 Street photography details
69
screen can move to multiple angles
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
environment sealing
76
has a tilting screen
good sensor size (APS-C)
delivers RAW files
lack of image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-3 Sports photography details
Sony NEX-7 Sports photography details
57
max shutter speed is good (1/8,000 seconds)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
environment sealing
comes with phase detect auto focus
slow fps (5.0 frames/s)
low MP (10 megapixels)
61
MP count good (24MP)
good sensor size (APS-C)
better than average battery life (430 CIPA)
lack of image stabilization
doesn't have phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-3 Travel photography features
Sony NEX-7 Travel photography features
55
environment sealing
built-in flash
display is selfie friendly
no Time Lapse mode
low MP (10 megapixels)
70
better than average battery life (430 CIPA)
MP count good (24 megapixels)
built-in flash
missing Time Lapse recording
does not offer selfie friendly display
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-3 Landscape photography info
Sony NEX-7 Landscape photography info
56
has manual focus
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
environment sealing
screen is small (2.5")
low MP (10MP)
no Time Lapse mode
72
you can focus manually
interchangeable lenses (Sony E mount)
screen size is good (3")
MP count good (24 megapixels)
good sensor size (APS-C)
delivers RAW files
better than average battery life (430 shots)
lack of image stabilization
missing Time Lapse recording
Photography Glossary

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-3 as a Vlogging camera
Sony NEX-7 as a Vlogging camera
18
no video
35
includes face detect autofocus
video res high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
does have mic support
does not offer selfie friendly display
lack of image stabilization
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Olympus E-3 vs Sony NEX-7 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-3 and Sony NEX-7
 Olympus E-3Sony Alpha NEX-7
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Sony
Model Olympus E-3 Sony Alpha NEX-7
Type Advanced DSLR Advanced Mirrorless
Launched 2008-02-20 2011-12-13
Physical type Mid-size SLR Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Processor Chip TruePic III Bionz
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds APS-C
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 10 megapixel 24 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 3:2 and 16:9
Max resolution 3648 x 2736 6000 x 4000
Max native ISO 3200 16000
Min native ISO 100 100
RAW format
Autofocusing
Manual focus
AF touch
Continuous AF
Single AF
AF tracking
Selective AF
AF center weighted
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Number of focus points 11 25
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds Sony E
Total lenses 45 121
Focal length multiplier 2.1 1.5
Screen
Display type Fully Articulated Tilting
Display sizing 2.5 inch 3 inch
Resolution of display 230k dots 921k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentaprism) Electronic
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification 0.58x 0.73x
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60 secs 30 secs
Fastest shutter speed 1/8000 secs 1/4000 secs
Continuous shutter rate 5.0 frames per second 10.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 13.00 m 6.00 m
Flash options Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless
Hot shoe
AEB
White balance bracketing
Fastest flash synchronize 1/250 secs 1/160 secs
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions - 1920 x 1080 (60, 24 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Max video resolution None 1920x1080
Video data format - MPEG-4, AVCHD
Mic 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 proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 890 grams (1.96 lb) 400 grams (0.88 lb)
Physical dimensions 142 x 116 x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0") 120 x 67 x 43mm (4.7" x 2.6" x 1.7")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score 56 81
DXO Color Depth score 21.6 24.1
DXO Dynamic range score 10.5 13.4
DXO Low light score 571 1016
Other
Battery life - 430 pictures
Battery style - Battery Pack
Battery model - NPFW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10sec (3 or 5 images))
Time lapse recording
Type of storage Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Card slots One One
Retail cost $670 $699