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Olympus E-3 vs Sony HX7V

Portability
56
Imaging
44
Features
56
Overall
48
Olympus E-3 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX7V front
Portability
92
Imaging
39
Features
37
Overall
38

Olympus E-3 vs Sony HX7V 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 Maximum Shutter
  • No Video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 890g - 142 x 116 x 75mm
  • Announced February 2008
  • Succeeded the Olympus E-1
  • Newer Model is Olympus E-5
Sony HX7V
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 125 - 3200
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 25-250mm (F3.5-5.5) lens
  • 208g - 102 x 58 x 29mm
  • Launched July 2011
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Olympus E-3 vs Sony HX7V Overview

Following is a in-depth analysis of the Olympus E-3 and Sony HX7V, one is a Advanced DSLR and the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by rivals Olympus and Sony. There is a crucial difference between the sensor resolutions of the E-3 (10MP) and HX7V (16MP) and the E-3 (Four Thirds) and HX7V (1/2.3") possess totally different sensor size.

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The E-3 was revealed 4 years earlier than the HX7V which is quite a serious gap as far as tech is concerned. Each of the cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-3 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Sony HX7V being a Compact camera.

Before we go in to a full comparison, below is a simple overview of how the E-3 grades against the HX7V with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-3 over the Sony HX7V

 E-3 HX7V 
Focus manually Very exact focus
Screen typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating screen
Selfie screen Easy selfies

Reasons to pick Sony HX7V over the Olympus E-3

 HX7V E-3 
LaunchedJuly 2011February 2008More modern by 41 months
Screen sizing3"2.5"Bigger screen (+0.5")
Screen resolution921k230kClearer screen (+691k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-3 and Sony HX7V

 E-3 HX7V 
Touch friendly screen Neither features Touch friendly screen

Olympus E-3 vs Sony HX7V Physical Comparison

If you are looking to carry around your camera, you will want to factor in its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-3 enjoys physical 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 HX7V has dimensions of 102mm x 58mm x 29mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.1") along with a weight of 208 grams (0.46 lbs).

Examine the Olympus E-3 and Sony HX7V in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Always remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ dependant on the lens you are working with at that time. The following is the front view dimensions comparison of the E-3 compared to the HX7V.

Olympus E-3 vs Sony HX7V size comparison

Taking into account size and weight, the portability rating of the E-3 and HX7V is 56 and 92 respectively.

Olympus E-3 vs Sony HX7V top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-3 vs Sony HX7V Sensor Comparison

Often, it can be hard to see the difference between sensor sizes only by going over a spec sheet. The picture below will provide you a far better sense of the sensor measurements in the E-3 and HX7V.

Clearly, each of these cameras offer different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The E-3 using its bigger sensor will make getting shallower depth of field easier and the Sony HX7V will offer greater detail because of its extra 6MP. Higher resolution will also allow you to crop photographs a little more aggressively. The more aged E-3 is going to be behind with regard to sensor innovation.

Olympus E-3 vs Sony HX7V sensor size comparison

Olympus E-3 vs Sony HX7V Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-3 vs Sony HX7V Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-3 Portrait photography advice
Sony HX7V Portrait photography advice
56
you can focus manually
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
MP count low (10MP)
30
decent MP (16MP)
no manual focus
manual exposure not possible
external flash not possible
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-3 as a Street photography camera
Sony HX7V as a Street photography camera
69
screen articulates
image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
environment proofing
56
image stabilization (Optical)
no moving screen
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-3 Sports photography information
Sony HX7V Sports photography information
57
great max shutter speed (1/8,000 seconds)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
environment proofing
has phase detect auto focus
painfully slow continuous shooting (5.0 frames/s)
MP count low (10MP)
39
image stabilization (Optical)
decent MP (16 megapixels)
lack of shutter priority mode
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
does not have phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-3 Travel photography advice
Sony HX7V Travel photography advice
55
environment proofing
has built in flash
selfie friendly screen
doesn't have Time Lapse mode
MP count low (10 megapixels)
67
decent MP (16 megapixels)
has built in flash
rather wide (25mm)
long reach (250mm)
doesn't have Time Lapse recording
doesn't have a selfie friendly screen
slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-3 as a Landscape photography camera
Sony HX7V as a Landscape photography camera
56
you can focus manually
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
environment proofing
small screen (2.5 inch)
MP count low (10MP)
doesn't have Time Lapse mode
42
rather wide (25mm)
nice screen size (3 inches)
image stabilization (Optical)
decent MP (16 megapixels)
no manual focus
can't switch lenses (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
manual exposure not possible
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
doesn't have Time Lapse recording
Photography Glossary

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-3 Vlogging info
Sony HX7V Vlogging info
18
can't shoot video
32
rather wide (25mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
doesn't have a selfie friendly screen
doesn't have external mic support
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Olympus E-3 vs Sony HX7V Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-3 and Sony HX7V
 Olympus E-3Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX7V
General Information
Brand Olympus Sony
Model type Olympus E-3 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX7V
Type Advanced DSLR Small Sensor Compact
Announced 2008-02-20 2011-07-19
Physical type Mid-size SLR Compact
Sensor Information
Powered by TruePic III BIONZ
Sensor type CMOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 10 megapixels 16 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 4:3 and 16:9
Highest resolution 3648 x 2736 4608 x 3456
Highest native ISO 3200 3200
Minimum native ISO 100 125
RAW images
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch to focus
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Tracking autofocus
Selective autofocus
Autofocus center weighted
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Total focus points 11 9
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 25-250mm (10.0x)
Highest aperture - f/3.5-5.5
Number of lenses 45 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.8
Screen
Screen type Fully Articulated Fixed Type
Screen sizing 2.5 inches 3 inches
Screen resolution 230k dots 921k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Screen technology - XtraFine LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentaprism) None
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.58x -
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60 secs 30 secs
Maximum shutter speed 1/8000 secs 1/1600 secs
Continuous shooting rate 5.0 frames per second 10.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes -
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 13.00 m 4.80 m
Flash modes Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Auto, On, Off, Slow Sync
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Maximum flash synchronize 1/250 secs -
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions - 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution None 1920x1080
Video file format - MPEG-4, AVCHD
Mic support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None BuiltIn
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 890 grams (1.96 pounds) 208 grams (0.46 pounds)
Dimensions 142 x 116 x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0") 102 x 58 x 29mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.1")
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, Portrait 1/2)
Time lapse shooting
Storage type Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Duo/Memory Stick Pro Duo, Memory Stick Pro-HG Duo
Card slots One One
Launch price $670 $499