Olympus E-3 vs Sony HX80
56 Imaging
44 Features
56 Overall
48
91 Imaging
43 Features
60 Overall
49
Olympus E-3 vs Sony HX80 Key Specs
(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
- Launched February 2008
- Old Model is Olympus E-1
- Replacement is Olympus E-5
(Full Review)
- 18MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
- 3" Tilting Screen
- ISO 80 - 3200 (Increase to 12800)
- Optical Image Stabilization
- 1920 x 1080 video
- 24-720mm (F3.5-6.4) lens
- 245g - 102 x 58 x 36mm
- Launched March 2016
Apple Innovates by Creating Next-Level Optical Stabilization for iPhone Olympus E-3 vs Sony HX80 Overview
On this page, we will be evaluating the Olympus E-3 vs Sony HX80, former being a Advanced DSLR while the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by rivals Olympus and Sony. There is a large difference between the image resolutions of the E-3 (10MP) and HX80 (18MP) and the E-3 (Four Thirds) and HX80 (1/2.3") offer different sensor size.
Snapchat Adds Watermarks to AI-Created ImagesThe E-3 was unveiled 9 years earlier than the HX80 and that is quite a serious difference as far as tech is concerned. Each of these cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-3 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Sony HX80 being a Compact camera.
Before getting into a detailed comparison, here is a concise highlight of how the E-3 grades versus the HX80 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.
Samsung Releases Faster Versions of EVO MicroSD Cards Olympus E-3 vs Sony HX80 Gallery
This is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus E-3 & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX80. The full galleries are provided at Olympus E-3 Gallery & Sony HX80 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus E-3 over the Sony HX80
| E-3 | HX80 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manually focus | More precise focus | |||
| Screen type | Fully Articulated | Tilting | Fully Articulating screen |
Reasons to pick Sony HX80 over the Olympus E-3
| HX80 | E-3 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Launched | March 2016 | February 2008 | Fresher by 97 months | |
| Screen dimensions | 3" | 2.5" | Bigger screen (+0.5") | |
| Screen resolution | 921k | 230k | Clearer screen (+691k dot) |
Common features in the Olympus E-3 and Sony HX80
| E-3 | HX80 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Selfie screen | Both are selfie friendly | |||
| Touch screen | Neither provides Touch screen |
Olympus E-3 vs Sony HX80 Physical Comparison
For anybody who is looking to carry your camera regularly, you will have to factor in its weight and volume. The Olympus E-3 provides outside dimensions of 142mm x 116mm x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0") and a weight of 890 grams (1.96 lbs) and the Sony HX80 has sizing of 102mm x 58mm x 36mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.4") accompanied by a weight of 245 grams (0.54 lbs).
Analyze the Olympus E-3 vs Sony HX80 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Remember that, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you have attached at that time. Here is a front view sizing comparison of the E-3 vs the HX80.

Factoring in size and weight, the portability grade of the E-3 and HX80 is 56 and 91 respectively.
Olympus E-3 vs Sony HX80 Sensor Comparison
Usually, it can be difficult to picture the contrast between sensor sizing only by checking technical specs. The graphic below will provide you a stronger sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-3 and HX80.
As you can tell, each of the cameras provide different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The E-3 having a bigger sensor is going to make getting shallow depth of field easier and the Sony HX80 will give you more detail having an extra 8 Megapixels. Higher resolution will help you crop photographs more aggressively. The older E-3 is going to be behind in sensor innovation.
Olympus E-3 vs Sony HX80 Screen and ViewFinder
Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison
Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music videoStreet Comparison
President Biden pushes bill mandating TikTok sale or banSports Comparison
Photography GlossaryTravel Comparison
Photobucket discusses licensing 13 billion images with AI firmsLandscape Comparison
Japan-exclusive Leica Leitz Phone 3 features big sensor and new modesVlogging Comparison
Meta to Introduce 'AI-Generated' Labels for Media starting next month
Olympus E-3 vs Sony HX80 Specifications
| Olympus E-3 | Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX80 | |
|---|---|---|
| General Information | ||
| Brand Name | Olympus | Sony |
| Model | Olympus E-3 | Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX80 |
| Category | Advanced DSLR | Small Sensor Superzoom |
| Launched | 2008-02-20 | 2016-03-07 |
| Body design | Mid-size SLR | Compact |
| Sensor Information | ||
| Chip | TruePic III | Bionz X |
| Sensor type | CMOS | BSI-CMOS |
| Sensor size | Four Thirds | 1/2.3" |
| Sensor measurements | 17.3 x 13mm | 6.17 x 4.55mm |
| Sensor area | 224.9mm² | 28.1mm² |
| Sensor resolution | 10 megapixels | 18 megapixels |
| Anti aliasing filter | ||
| Aspect ratio | 4:3 | 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 |
| Highest Possible resolution | 3648 x 2736 | 4896 x 3672 |
| Maximum native ISO | 3200 | 3200 |
| Maximum enhanced ISO | - | 12800 |
| Lowest native ISO | 100 | 80 |
| RAW data | ||
| Autofocusing | ||
| Manual focus | ||
| Touch focus | ||
| AF continuous | ||
| AF single | ||
| Tracking AF | ||
| Selective AF | ||
| AF center weighted | ||
| Multi area AF | ||
| AF live view | ||
| Face detection AF | ||
| Contract detection AF | ||
| Phase detection AF | ||
| Number of focus points | 11 | - |
| Lens | ||
| Lens mounting type | Micro Four Thirds | fixed lens |
| Lens focal range | - | 24-720mm (30.0x) |
| Largest aperture | - | f/3.5-6.4 |
| Macro focus distance | - | 5cm |
| Amount of lenses | 45 | - |
| Crop factor | 2.1 | 5.8 |
| Screen | ||
| Screen type | Fully Articulated | Tilting |
| Screen sizing | 2.5 inches | 3 inches |
| Resolution of screen | 230 thousand dot | 921 thousand dot |
| Selfie friendly | ||
| Liveview | ||
| Touch function | ||
| Viewfinder Information | ||
| Viewfinder | Optical (pentaprism) | Electronic |
| Viewfinder coverage | 100% | 100% |
| Viewfinder magnification | 0.58x | - |
| Features | ||
| Minimum shutter speed | 60s | 30s |
| Fastest shutter speed | 1/8000s | 1/2000s |
| Continuous shutter speed | 5.0 frames per second | 10.0 frames per second |
| Shutter priority | ||
| Aperture priority | ||
| Expose Manually | ||
| Exposure compensation | Yes | Yes |
| Change WB | ||
| Image stabilization | ||
| Inbuilt flash | ||
| Flash range | 13.00 m | 5.40 m (with Auto ISO) |
| Flash options | Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye | Auto, on, slow sync, off, rear sync |
| External flash | ||
| Auto exposure bracketing | ||
| WB bracketing | ||
| Fastest flash sync | 1/250s | - |
| Exposure | ||
| Multisegment | ||
| Average | ||
| Spot | ||
| Partial | ||
| AF area | ||
| Center weighted | ||
| Video features | ||
| Video resolutions | - | 1920 x 1080 (60p, 60i, 30p, 24p), 1280 x 720 (30p) |
| Maximum video resolution | None | 1920x1080 |
| Video file format | - | MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC S |
| Microphone input | ||
| Headphone input | ||
| Connectivity | ||
| Wireless | None | Built-In |
| Bluetooth | ||
| NFC | ||
| HDMI | ||
| USB | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) |
| GPS | None | None |
| Physical | ||
| Environment seal | ||
| Water proof | ||
| Dust proof | ||
| Shock proof | ||
| Crush proof | ||
| Freeze proof | ||
| Weight | 890g (1.96 lb) | 245g (0.54 lb) |
| Physical dimensions | 142 x 116 x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0") | 102 x 58 x 36mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.4") |
| DXO scores | ||
| DXO Overall score | 56 | not tested |
| DXO Color Depth score | 21.6 | not tested |
| DXO Dynamic range score | 10.5 | not tested |
| DXO Low light score | 571 | not tested |
| Other | ||
| Battery life | - | 390 pictures |
| Style of battery | - | Battery Pack |
| Battery model | - | NP-BX1 |
| Self timer | Yes (2 or 12 sec) | Yes |
| Time lapse feature | ||
| Type of storage | Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card | Memory Stick PRO Duo/Pro-HG Duo; SD/SDHC/SDXC |
| Storage slots | Single | Single |
| Launch price | $670 | $368 |