Olympus E-3 vs Sony H20

Following is a complete analysis of the Olympus E-3 and Sony H20, one is a Advanced DSLR and the other is a Small Sensor Compact by companies Olympus and Sony. The image resolution of the E-3 (10MP) and the H20 (10MP) is very well matched but the E-3 (Four Thirds) and H20 (1/2.3") come with different sensor dimensions.

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The E-3 was launched 14 months prior to the H20 making the cameras a generation away from one another. Both of these cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-3 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Sony H20 being a Compact camera.

Before getting through a step-by-step comparison, below is a concise synopsis of how the E-3 scores against the H20 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Here is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus E-3 and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H20. The complete galleries are available at Olympus E-3 Gallery and Sony H20 Gallery.

In case you're going to carry around your camera often, you need to factor in its weight and size. The Olympus E-3 comes with exterior measurements of 142mm x 116mm x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0") with a weight of 890 grams (1.96 lbs) and the Sony H20 has specifications of 107mm x 69mm x 47mm (4.2" x 2.7" x 1.9") accompanied by a weight of 250 grams (0.55 lbs).

Look at the Olympus E-3 and Sony H20 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Keep in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary dependant on the lens you have at the time. Underneath is the front view scale comparison of the E-3 and the H20.

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-3 and H20 is 56 and 87 respectively.

Typically, its difficult to imagine the gap between sensor sizes merely by checking technical specs. The picture below will provide you a clearer sense of the sensor sizing in the E-3 and H20.

As you can tell, each of these cameras enjoy the same exact megapixel count but different sensor sizes. The E-3 includes the larger sensor which is going to make achieving shallower DOF simpler. The more aged E-3 is going to be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor innovation.