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Olympus E-3 vs Sony H20

Portability
56
Imaging
44
Features
56
Overall
48
Olympus E-3 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H20 front
Portability
87
Imaging
33
Features
29
Overall
31

Olympus E-3 vs Sony H20 Key Specs

Olympus E-3
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 2.5" Fully Articulated Screen
  • 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
  • Earlier Model is Olympus E-1
  • New Model is Olympus E-5
Sony H20
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 38-380mm (F3.5-4.4) lens
  • 250g - 107 x 69 x 47mm
  • Announced May 2009
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Olympus E-3 vs Sony H20 Overview

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.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-3 over the Sony H20

 E-3 H20 
Display typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating display
Selfie screen Easy selfies

Reasons to pick Sony H20 over the Olympus E-3

 H20 E-3 
AnnouncedMay 2009February 2008More modern by 14 months
Display sizing3"2.5"Larger display (+0.5")

Common features in the Olympus E-3 and Sony H20

 E-3 H20 
Focus manually Dial precise focusing
Display resolution230k230kExact same display resolution
Touch display No Touch display

Olympus E-3 vs Sony H20 Physical Comparison

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. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

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.

Olympus E-3 vs Sony H20 size comparison

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

Olympus E-3 vs Sony H20 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-3 vs Sony H20 Sensor Comparison

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.

Olympus E-3 vs Sony H20 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-3 vs Sony H20 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-3 vs Sony H20 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-3 Portrait photography information
Sony H20 Portrait photography information
56
has manual focus
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
resolution not great (10MP)
27
you can focus manually
no external flash support
low MP (10MP)
small sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus E-3
Street photography with Sony H20
69
screen articulates fully
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
weather sealing
51
built in image stabilization (Optical)
screen does not articulate
small sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
more heavy than average (250 grams)
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus E-3
Sports photography with Sony H20
57
great max shutter speed (1/8,000 seconds)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
weather sealing
supports phase detect autofocus
painfully slow continuous shooting (5.0 frames/s)
resolution not great (10MP)
26
built in image stabilization (Optical)
max frames per second very slow (2.0 fps)
low MP (10 megapixels)
small sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-3 Travel photography info
Sony H20 Travel photography info
55
weather sealing
has built in flash
screen is selfie friendly
doesn't have Timelapse function
resolution not great (10MP)
51
flash built-in
great reach (380mm)
doesn't have Timelapse recording
more heavy than average (250g)
low MP (10 megapixels)
screen is not selfie friendly
wide angle not fantastic (38mm)
sluggish max aperture (f3.5)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-3 Landscape photography features
Sony H20 Landscape photography features
56
has manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
weather sealing
tiny screen (2.5")
resolution not great (10 megapixels)
doesn't have Timelapse function
36
you can focus manually
nice screen size (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not fantastic (38mm)
sluggish max aperture (f3.5)
low MP (10MP)
small sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
doesn't have Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-3 Vlogging factors
Sony H20 Vlogging factors
18
no video recording
23
built in image stabilization (Optical)
wide angle not fantastic (38mm)
sluggish max aperture (f3.5)
screen is not selfie friendly
low quality video (1280 x 720 pixels)
doesn't have microphone jack
more heavy than average (250g)
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Olympus E-3 vs Sony H20 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-3 and Sony H20
 Olympus E-3Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H20
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Sony
Model type Olympus E-3 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H20
Category Advanced DSLR Small Sensor Compact
Introduced 2008-02-20 2009-05-14
Body design Mid-size SLR Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Chip TruePic III -
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 10MP 10MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 3648 x 2736 3648 x 2736
Maximum native ISO 3200 3200
Min native ISO 100 100
RAW support
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch focus
Continuous autofocus
Single autofocus
Tracking autofocus
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Total focus points 11 9
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 38-380mm (10.0x)
Largest aperture - f/3.5-4.4
Macro focusing distance - 2cm
Total lenses 45 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.8
Screen
Range of screen Fully Articulated Fixed Type
Screen sizing 2.5 inch 3 inch
Resolution of screen 230 thousand dot 230 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentaprism) None
Viewfinder coverage 100% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.58x -
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60s 30s
Maximum shutter speed 1/8000s 1/2000s
Continuous shooting speed 5.0 frames/s 2.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 13.00 m 7.10 m
Flash options Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction, Slow Sync, Front Curtain, Rear Curtain
External flash
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Maximum flash sync 1/250s -
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions - 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution None 1280x720
Microphone input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 890 gr (1.96 pounds) 250 gr (0.55 pounds)
Dimensions 142 x 116 x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0") 107 x 69 x 47mm (4.2" x 2.7" x 1.9")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 56 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 21.6 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 10.5 not tested
DXO Low light rating 571 not tested
Other
Battery ID - NP-BG1
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Storage media Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card Memory Stick Duo / Pro Duo, Internal
Storage slots 1 1
Price at launch $670 $249