Olympus E-3 vs Sony HX9V

Below is a complete comparison of the Olympus E-3 versus Sony HX9V, former being a Advanced DSLR while the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom by brands Olympus and Sony. There exists a sizable gap between the resolutions of the E-3 (10MP) and HX9V (16MP) and the E-3 (Four Thirds) and HX9V (1/2.3") possess different sensor measurements.

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The E-3 was brought out 4 years before the HX9V and that is quite a significant difference as far as technology is concerned. Both the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-3 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Sony HX9V being a Compact camera.

Before getting through a comprehensive comparison, below is a quick summary of how the E-3 scores vs the HX9V with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Below is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus E-3 & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX9V. The entire galleries are available at Olympus E-3 Gallery & Sony HX9V Gallery.

When you are planning to lug around your camera often, you need to take into account its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-3 has got 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 HX9V has dimensions of 105mm x 59mm x 34mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.3") with a weight of 245 grams (0.54 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-3 versus Sony HX9V in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you have during that time. Underneath is the front view dimensions comparison of the E-3 versus the HX9V.

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-3 and HX9V is 56 and 91 respectively.

Quite often, it is very hard to imagine the contrast between sensor measurements purely by looking at a spec sheet. The visual below will provide you a much better sense of the sensor sizing in the E-3 and HX9V.

Clearly, the two cameras posses different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The E-3 due to its larger sensor is going to make shooting shallow depth of field less difficult and the Sony HX9V will give extra detail having its extra 6 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also allow you to crop photos somewhat more aggressively. The older E-3 is going to be behind with regard to sensor tech.