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Olympus E-3 vs Sony NEX-C3

Portability
56
Imaging
44
Features
56
Overall
48
Olympus E-3 front
 
Sony Alpha NEX-C3 front
Portability
91
Imaging
56
Features
57
Overall
56

Olympus E-3 vs Sony NEX-C3 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 Max Shutter
  • No Video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 890g - 142 x 116 x 75mm
  • Introduced February 2008
  • Replaced the Olympus E-1
  • Refreshed by Olympus E-5
Sony NEX-C3
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 100 - 12800
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 225g - 110 x 60 x 33mm
  • Introduced August 2011
  • Succeeded the Sony NEX-3
  • New Model is Sony NEX-F3
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Olympus E-3 vs Sony NEX-C3 Overview

Here, we are reviewing the Olympus E-3 vs Sony NEX-C3, former is a Advanced DSLR while the other is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by rivals Olympus and Sony. There is a substantial difference between the sensor resolutions of the E-3 (10MP) and NEX-C3 (16MP) and the E-3 (Four Thirds) and NEX-C3 (APS-C) offer totally different sensor size.

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The E-3 was manufactured 4 years earlier than the NEX-C3 which is quite a big 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-C3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before getting right into a in depth comparison, here is a quick highlight of how the E-3 grades against the NEX-C3 for portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-3 over the Sony NEX-C3

 E-3 NEX-C3 
Display typeFully ArticulatedTiltingFully Articulating display
Selfie screen Take selfies

Reasons to pick Sony NEX-C3 over the Olympus E-3

 NEX-C3 E-3 
IntroducedAugust 2011February 2008More modern by 42 months
Display size3"2.5"Larger display (+0.5")
Display resolution920k230kCrisper display (+690k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-3 and Sony NEX-C3

 E-3 NEX-C3 
Manually focus More accurate focusing
Touch display Neither offers Touch display

Olympus E-3 vs Sony NEX-C3 Physical Comparison

For anyone who is intending to carry around your camera often, you're going to have to take into account its weight and size. The Olympus E-3 offers outside 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-C3 has specifications of 110mm x 60mm x 33mm (4.3" x 2.4" x 1.3") accompanied by a weight of 225 grams (0.50 lbs).

See the Olympus E-3 vs Sony NEX-C3 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into account, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you have attached at the time. Underneath is a front view proportions comparison of the E-3 vs the NEX-C3.

Olympus E-3 vs Sony NEX-C3 size comparison

Looking at size and weight, the portability grade of the E-3 and NEX-C3 is 56 and 91 respectively.

Olympus E-3 vs Sony NEX-C3 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-3 vs Sony NEX-C3 Sensor Comparison

Often, it is hard to visualise the difference between sensor sizes purely by looking at technical specs. The pic below will help give you a more clear sense of the sensor measurements in the E-3 and NEX-C3.

As you can tell, each of the cameras feature different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The E-3 featuring a tinier sensor will make achieving shallower DOF more difficult and the Sony NEX-C3 will give greater detail due to its extra 6MP. Greater resolution will also let you crop images way more aggressively. The more aged E-3 is going to be behind with regard to sensor tech.

Olympus E-3 vs Sony NEX-C3 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-3 vs Sony NEX-C3 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-3 vs Sony NEX-C3 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-3 Portrait photography advice
Sony NEX-C3 Portrait photography advice
56
manual focus
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
low megapixels (10MP)
73
manual focus
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
exports RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-3 Street photography info
Sony NEX-C3 Street photography info
69
screen articulates
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
weather proofing
79
tilting screen
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
exports RAW files
lighter than competitors (225 grams)
no image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-3 as a Sports photography camera
Sony NEX-C3 as a Sports photography camera
57
maximum shutter speed is high (1/8,000s)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
weather proofing
sensor has phase detect autofocus
painfully slow continuous shooting (5.0 frames per second)
low megapixels (10 megapixels)
53
resolution is good (16MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
better than average battery power (400 per charge)
max frames per second very slow (6.0 frames per second)
no image stabilization
lacks phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-3 as a Travel photography camera
Sony NEX-C3 as a Travel photography camera
55
weather proofing
has built in flash
screen is selfie friendly
doesn't have Timelapse recording
low megapixels (10MP)
71
better than average battery power (400 shots)
lighter than competitors (225 grams)
resolution is good (16MP)
doesn't have Time Lapse recording
doesn't feature selfie friendly display
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-3 Landscape photography features
Sony NEX-C3 Landscape photography features
56
manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
weather proofing
screen is small (2.5 inches)
low megapixels (10MP)
doesn't have Timelapse recording
70
manual focus
switch lenses (Sony E mount)
screen size is good (3")
resolution is good (16MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
exports RAW files
better than average battery power (400 CIPA)
no image stabilization
doesn't have Time Lapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-3 as a Vlogging camera
Sony NEX-C3 as a Vlogging camera
18
no video shooting
27
lighter than competitors (225g)
doesn't feature selfie friendly display
no image stabilization
low quality video (1280 x 720 resolution)
doesn't have mic port
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Olympus E-3 vs Sony NEX-C3 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-3 and Sony NEX-C3
 Olympus E-3Sony Alpha NEX-C3
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Sony
Model Olympus E-3 Sony Alpha NEX-C3
Category Advanced DSLR Entry-Level Mirrorless
Introduced 2008-02-20 2011-08-22
Body design Mid-size SLR Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Processor TruePic III Bionz
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds APS-C
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 23.4 x 15.6mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 365.0mm²
Sensor resolution 10MP 16MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 3:2 and 16:9
Highest resolution 3648 x 2736 4912 x 3264
Highest native ISO 3200 12800
Minimum native ISO 100 100
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Autofocus center weighted
Autofocus multi area
Live view autofocus
Face detect autofocus
Contract detect autofocus
Phase detect autofocus
Number of focus points 11 25
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds Sony E
Available lenses 45 121
Focal length multiplier 2.1 1.5
Screen
Display type Fully Articulated Tilting
Display diagonal 2.5 inches 3 inches
Resolution of display 230 thousand dot 920 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Display technology - TFT Xtra Fine LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentaprism) None
Viewfinder coverage 100% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.58x -
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60s 30s
Highest shutter speed 1/8000s 1/4000s
Continuous shooting speed 5.0 frames/s 6.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 13.00 m no built-in flash
Flash settings Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in
External flash
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Highest flash sync 1/250s 1/160s
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions - 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution None 1280x720
Video format - MPEG-4
Mic jack
Headphone jack
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 seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 890 gr (1.96 pounds) 225 gr (0.50 pounds)
Physical dimensions 142 x 116 x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0") 110 x 60 x 33mm (4.3" x 2.4" x 1.3")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 56 73
DXO Color Depth score 21.6 22.7
DXO Dynamic range score 10.5 12.2
DXO Low light score 571 1083
Other
Battery life - 400 photographs
Battery form - Battery Pack
Battery model - NPFW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10 sec 3 or 5 images)
Time lapse recording
Storage media Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots Single Single
Retail pricing $670 $343