Olympus E-3 vs Sony HX300

Below, we are evaluating the Olympus E-3 vs Sony HX300, former being a Advanced DSLR while the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom by rivals Olympus and Sony. There exists a substantial gap among the sensor resolutions of the E-3 (10MP) and HX300 (20MP) and the E-3 (Four Thirds) and HX300 (1/2.3") use different sensor sizes.

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The E-3 was announced 6 years before the HX300 and that is a fairly big difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both of the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-3 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Sony HX300 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera.

Before diving straight into a step-by-step comparison, below is a brief summation of how the E-3 matches up versus the HX300 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Here is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus E-3 & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX300. The whole galleries are available at Olympus E-3 Gallery & Sony HX300 Gallery.

If you're intending to lug around your camera frequently, you're going to have to consider its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-3 comes with exterior measurements of 142mm x 116mm x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0") along with a weight of 890 grams (1.96 lbs) whilst the Sony HX300 has measurements of 130mm x 103mm x 93mm (5.1" x 4.1" x 3.7") having a weight of 623 grams (1.37 lbs).

See the Olympus E-3 vs Sony HX300 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you have chosen during that time. Below is the front view sizing comparison of the E-3 against the HX300.

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-3 and HX300 is 56 and 63 respectively.

Normally, it can be tough to visualize the difference in sensor measurements merely by looking through technical specs. The graphic below might give you a greater sense of the sensor measurements in the E-3 and HX300.

As you have seen, both of the cameras posses different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The E-3 using its larger sensor is going to make getting shallow depth of field easier and the Sony HX300 will render greater detail with its extra 10MP. Greater resolution will also enable you to crop images somewhat more aggressively. The older E-3 will be behind with regard to sensor tech.