Olympus E-3 vs Sony RX10 II

Its time to look more closely at the Olympus E-3 versus Sony RX10 II, one being a Advanced DSLR and the other is a Large Sensor Superzoom by rivals Olympus and Sony. There exists a significant gap between the sensor resolutions of the E-3 (10MP) and RX10 II (20MP) and the E-3 (Four Thirds) and RX10 II (1") provide totally different sensor sizing.

Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide

The E-3 was unveiled 8 years prior to the RX10 II and that is quite a sizable gap as far as technology is concerned. The two cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-3 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Sony RX10 II being a SLR-like (bridge) camera.

Before going into a detailed comparison, here is a brief highlight of how the E-3 scores against the RX10 II for portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Following is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus E-3 and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 II. The full galleries are available at Olympus E-3 Gallery and Sony RX10 II Gallery.

If you're looking to carry your camera, you are going to need to think about its weight and size. The Olympus E-3 comes with outer measurements of 142mm x 116mm x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0") and a weight of 890 grams (1.96 lbs) whilst the Sony RX10 II has specifications of 129mm x 88mm x 102mm (5.1" x 3.5" x 4.0") and a weight of 813 grams (1.79 lbs).

Examine the Olympus E-3 versus Sony RX10 II in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary based on the lens you are working with at that moment. Underneath is a front view measurement comparison of the E-3 and the RX10 II.

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-3 and RX10 II is 56 and 58 respectively.

Typically, it is very difficult to envision the contrast between sensor sizing purely by looking at a spec sheet. The visual below might give you a more clear sense of the sensor measurements in the E-3 and RX10 II.

As you can see, both of the cameras come with different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The E-3 having a larger sensor will make getting shallower DOF easier and the Sony RX10 II will resolve greater detail having an extra 10 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also help you crop images a good deal more aggressively. The older E-3 is going to be behind in sensor innovation.