Olympus E-3 vs Sony NEX-C3

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.

Here is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus E-3 & Sony Alpha NEX-C3. The entire galleries are viewable at Olympus E-3 Gallery & Sony NEX-C3 Gallery.

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.

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.

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

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.