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Olympus E-3 vs Sony HX9V

Portability
56
Imaging
44
Features
56
Overall
48
Olympus E-3 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX9V front
Portability
91
Imaging
39
Features
46
Overall
41

Olympus E-3 vs Sony HX9V Key Specs

Olympus E-3
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 2.5" Fully Articulated Display
  • 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
  • Updated by Olympus E-5
Sony HX9V
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 24-384mm (F3.3-5.9) lens
  • 245g - 105 x 59 x 34mm
  • Announced July 2011
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Olympus E-3 vs Sony HX9V Overview

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.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-3 over the Sony HX9V

 E-3 HX9V 
Display typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating display
Selfie screen Easy selfies

Reasons to pick Sony HX9V over the Olympus E-3

 HX9V E-3 
AnnouncedJuly 2011February 2008More recent by 41 months
Display dimension3"2.5"Larger display (+0.5")
Display resolution921k230kCrisper display (+691k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-3 and Sony HX9V

 E-3 HX9V 
Manual focus Very accurate focusing
Touch friendly display Neither contains Touch friendly display

Olympus E-3 vs Sony HX9V Physical Comparison

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. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

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.

Olympus E-3 vs Sony HX9V size comparison

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

Olympus E-3 vs Sony HX9V top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-3 vs Sony HX9V Sensor Comparison

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.

Olympus E-3 vs Sony HX9V sensor size comparison

Olympus E-3 vs Sony HX9V Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-3 vs Sony HX9V Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-3 Portrait photography features
Sony HX9V Portrait photography features
56
has manual focus
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
low megapixels (10 megapixels)
39
focusing manually
MP count good (16MP)
can't use external flash
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-3 Street photography factors
Sony HX9V Street photography factors
69
screen can move to multiple angles
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
environment proof
61
built in image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competition in class (245 grams)
fixed screen
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-3 as a Sports photography camera
Sony HX9V as a Sports photography camera
57
maximum shutter speed is high (1/8,000 seconds)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
environment proof
supports phase detect auto focus
slow frames per second (5.0 frames per second)
low megapixels (10MP)
44
amazing zoom range (24-384mm 16.0 x zoom)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
MP count good (16 megapixels)
lack of shutter priority mode
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
no phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-3 Travel photography factors
Sony HX9V Travel photography factors
55
environment proof
flash built-in
screen is selfie friendly
missing Time Lapse function
low megapixels (10 megapixels)
69
lighter than competition in class (245g)
MP count good (16 megapixels)
has built in flash
fairly wide (24mm)
long reach (384mm)
doesn't have Time Lapse recording
does not posses selfie friendly display
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.3)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-3 as a Landscape photography camera
Sony HX9V as a Landscape photography camera
56
has manual focus
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
environment proof
small screen (2.5 inch)
low megapixels (10 megapixels)
missing Time Lapse function
49
focusing manually
fairly wide (24mm)
good sized screen (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
MP count good (16 megapixels)
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.3)
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW files
doesn't have Time Lapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus E-3
Vlogging with Sony HX9V
18
no video shooting
33
fairly wide (24mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
lighter than competition in class (245 grams)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.3)
does not posses selfie friendly display
doesn't have mic support
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Olympus E-3 vs Sony HX9V Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-3 and Sony HX9V
 Olympus E-3Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX9V
General Information
Company Olympus Sony
Model type Olympus E-3 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX9V
Category Advanced DSLR Small Sensor Superzoom
Announced 2008-02-20 2011-07-19
Physical type Mid-size SLR Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Chip 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 megapixel 16 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 4:3 and 16:9
Max resolution 3648 x 2736 4608 x 3456
Max native ISO 3200 3200
Minimum native ISO 100 100
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch to focus
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Total focus points 11 9
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 24-384mm (16.0x)
Highest aperture - f/3.3-5.9
Total lenses 45 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.8
Screen
Type of display Fully Articulated Fixed Type
Display size 2.5" 3"
Resolution of display 230 thousand dots 921 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Display technology - XtraFine LCD display with TruBlack technology
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentaprism) None
Viewfinder coverage 100% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.58x -
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60 seconds 30 seconds
Fastest shutter speed 1/8000 seconds 1/1600 seconds
Continuous shutter rate 5.0fps 10.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 13.00 m 4.00 m
Flash settings Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Auto, On, Off, Slow Sync
External flash
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Fastest flash synchronize 1/250 seconds -
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions - 1920 x 1080 (60fps), 1440 x 1080 (30fps), 1280 x 720 (30fps), 640 x 480 (30fps)
Max video resolution None 1920x1080
Video data 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
Environmental sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 890g (1.96 pounds) 245g (0.54 pounds)
Dimensions 142 x 116 x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0") 105 x 59 x 34mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.3")
DXO scores
DXO Overall 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 recording
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
Retail pricing $670 $328