Olympus E-3 vs Sony RX10
56 Imaging
44 Features
56 Overall
48


58 Imaging
51 Features
76 Overall
61
Olympus E-3 vs Sony RX10 Key Specs
(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
- Released February 2008
- Superseded the Olympus E-1
- Newer Model is Olympus E-5
(Full Review)
- 20MP - 1" Sensor
- 3" Tilting Display
- ISO 125 - 12800 (Expand to 25600)
- Optical Image Stabilization
- 1920 x 1080 video
- 24-200mm (F2.8) lens
- 813g - 129 x 88 x 102mm
- Launched March 2014
- Replacement is Sony RX10 II

Olympus E-3 vs Sony RX10 Overview
Here is a thorough review of the Olympus E-3 and Sony RX10, former being a Advanced DSLR while the other is a Large Sensor Superzoom by companies Olympus and Sony. There is a noticeable difference between the sensor resolutions of the E-3 (10MP) and RX10 (20MP) and the E-3 (Four Thirds) and RX10 (1") offer totally different sensor measurements.

The E-3 was unveiled 7 years prior to the RX10 and that is quite a sizable difference as far as tech is concerned. Both of the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-3 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Sony RX10 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera.
Before getting straight to a in depth comparison, here is a simple introduction of how the E-3 matches up vs the RX10 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Olympus E-3 vs Sony RX10 Gallery
The following is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus E-3 & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10. The full galleries are viewable at Olympus E-3 Gallery & Sony RX10 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus E-3 over the Sony RX10
E-3 | RX10 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Display type | Fully Articulated | ![]() | Tilting | Fully Articulating display |
Selfie screen | ![]() | Take selfies |
Reasons to pick Sony RX10 over the Olympus E-3
RX10 | E-3 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Launched | March 2014 | ![]() | February 2008 | Fresher by 74 months |
Display size | 3" | ![]() | 2.5" | Larger display (+0.5") |
Display resolution | 1290k | ![]() | 230k | Crisper display (+1060k dot) |
Common features in the Olympus E-3 and Sony RX10
E-3 | RX10 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Manually focus | ![]() | More precise focus | ||
Touch display | ![]() | Absent Touch display |
Olympus E-3 vs Sony RX10 Physical Comparison
For anybody who is intending to carry your camera frequently, you will have to consider its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-3 comes with physical measurements of 142mm x 116mm x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0") having a weight of 890 grams (1.96 lbs) whilst the Sony RX10 has dimensions of 129mm x 88mm x 102mm (5.1" x 3.5" x 4.0") accompanied by a weight of 813 grams (1.79 lbs).
Look at the Olympus E-3 and Sony RX10 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you are employing at the time. Following is a front view physical size comparison of the E-3 vs the RX10.

Factoring in size and weight, the portability rating of the E-3 and RX10 is 56 and 58 respectively.

Olympus E-3 vs Sony RX10 Sensor Comparison
Usually, it's difficult to see the contrast between sensor sizing merely by looking at specifications. The visual below will help give you a more clear sense of the sensor sizing in the E-3 and RX10.
To sum up, both of the cameras come with different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The E-3 having a larger sensor will make shooting shallow depth of field easier and the Sony RX10 will resolve greater detail having an extra 10MP. Greater resolution will enable you to crop pics a good deal more aggressively. The older E-3 is going to be behind in sensor innovation.

Olympus E-3 vs Sony RX10 Screen and ViewFinder


Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison

Street Comparison

Sports Comparison

Travel Comparison

Landscape Comparison

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-3 vs Sony RX10 Specifications
Olympus E-3 | Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Brand | Olympus | Sony |
Model | Olympus E-3 | Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 |
Class | Advanced DSLR | Large Sensor Superzoom |
Released | 2008-02-20 | 2014-03-20 |
Physical type | Mid-size SLR | SLR-like (bridge) |
Sensor Information | ||
Powered by | TruePic III | Bionz X |
Sensor type | CMOS | BSI-CMOS |
Sensor size | Four Thirds | 1" |
Sensor measurements | 17.3 x 13mm | 13.2 x 8.8mm |
Sensor surface area | 224.9mm² | 116.2mm² |
Sensor resolution | 10 megapixel | 20 megapixel |
Anti aliasing filter | ||
Aspect ratio | 4:3 | 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 |
Maximum resolution | 3648 x 2736 | 5472 x 3648 |
Maximum native ISO | 3200 | 12800 |
Maximum boosted ISO | - | 25600 |
Minimum native ISO | 100 | 125 |
RAW files | ||
Minimum boosted ISO | - | 80 |
Autofocusing | ||
Focus manually | ||
Autofocus touch | ||
Autofocus continuous | ||
Autofocus single | ||
Autofocus tracking | ||
Autofocus selectice | ||
Autofocus center weighted | ||
Multi area autofocus | ||
Live view autofocus | ||
Face detect autofocus | ||
Contract detect autofocus | ||
Phase detect autofocus | ||
Number of focus points | 11 | 25 |
Lens | ||
Lens mount | Micro Four Thirds | fixed lens |
Lens focal range | - | 24-200mm (8.3x) |
Maximal aperture | - | f/2.8 |
Number of lenses | 45 | - |
Focal length multiplier | 2.1 | 2.7 |
Screen | ||
Display type | Fully Articulated | Tilting |
Display sizing | 2.5 inches | 3 inches |
Resolution of display | 230k dots | 1,290k dots |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch functionality | ||
Display tech | - | WhiteMagic |
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder | Optical (pentaprism) | Electronic |
Viewfinder resolution | - | 1,440k dots |
Viewfinder coverage | 100 percent | 100 percent |
Viewfinder magnification | 0.58x | 0.7x |
Features | ||
Lowest shutter speed | 60 seconds | 30 seconds |
Highest shutter speed | 1/8000 seconds | 1/3200 seconds |
Continuous shooting rate | 5.0fps | 10.0fps |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Expose Manually | ||
Exposure compensation | Yes | Yes |
Change white balance | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Inbuilt flash | ||
Flash range | 13.00 m | 10.20 m |
Flash options | Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye | Auto, fill-flash, slow sync, rear sync, off |
External flash | ||
AEB | ||
WB bracketing | ||
Highest flash synchronize | 1/250 seconds | - |
Exposure | ||
Multisegment exposure | ||
Average exposure | ||
Spot exposure | ||
Partial exposure | ||
AF area exposure | ||
Center weighted exposure | ||
Video features | ||
Video resolutions | - | 1920 x 1080 (60p, 60i, 24p) ,1440 x 1080 (30p), 640 x 480 (30p) |
Maximum video resolution | None | 1920x1080 |
Video file format | - | MPEG-4, AVCHD |
Microphone support | ||
Headphone support | ||
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 | ||
Environmental sealing | ||
Water proof | ||
Dust proof | ||
Shock proof | ||
Crush proof | ||
Freeze proof | ||
Weight | 890g (1.96 lb) | 813g (1.79 lb) |
Physical dimensions | 142 x 116 x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0") | 129 x 88 x 102mm (5.1" x 3.5" x 4.0") |
DXO scores | ||
DXO All around score | 56 | 69 |
DXO Color Depth score | 21.6 | 22.9 |
DXO Dynamic range score | 10.5 | 12.6 |
DXO Low light score | 571 | 474 |
Other | ||
Battery life | - | 420 images |
Style of battery | - | Battery Pack |
Battery model | - | NP-FW50 |
Self timer | Yes (2 or 12 sec) | Yes (2 or 10 sec, continuous) |
Time lapse shooting | ||
Type of storage | Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card | SD/SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Duo/Pro Duo/Pro-HG Duo |
Card slots | 1 | 1 |
Retail pricing | $670 | $698 |