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Olympus E-3 vs Sony RX100 III

Portability
56
Imaging
45
Features
56
Overall
49
Olympus E-3 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 III front
Portability
89
Imaging
51
Features
77
Overall
61

Olympus E-3 vs Sony RX100 III Key Specs

Olympus E-3
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 2.5" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • No Video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 890g - 142 x 116 x 75mm
  • Launched February 2008
  • Superseded the Olympus E-1
  • Replacement is Olympus E-5
Sony RX100 III
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - 1" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 125 - 12800
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 24-70mm (F1.8-2.8) lens
  • 290g - 102 x 58 x 41mm
  • Introduced May 2014
  • Succeeded the Sony RX100 II
  • New Model is Sony RX100 IV
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Olympus E-3 vs Sony RX100 III Overview

The following is a comprehensive assessment of the Olympus E-3 vs Sony RX100 III, former is a Advanced DSLR while the other is a Large Sensor Compact by companies Olympus and Sony. There is a noticeable difference between the resolutions of the E-3 (10MP) and RX100 III (20MP) and the E-3 (Four Thirds) and RX100 III (1") feature different sensor sizing.

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The E-3 was manufactured 7 years before the RX100 III which is quite a sizable difference as far as tech is concerned. The two cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-3 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Sony RX100 III being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before we go in to a full comparison, below is a brief synopsis of how the E-3 grades versus the RX100 III with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-3 over the Sony RX100 III

 E-3 RX100 III 
Display typeFully ArticulatedTiltingFully Articulating display

Reasons to pick Sony RX100 III over the Olympus E-3

 RX100 III E-3 
IntroducedMay 2014February 2008Newer by 75 months
Display dimension3"2.5"Larger display (+0.5")
Display resolution1229k230kClearer display (+999k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-3 and Sony RX100 III

 E-3 RX100 III 
Focus manually More precise focusing
Selfie screen Both good for selfies
Touch display Neither features Touch display

Olympus E-3 vs Sony RX100 III Physical Comparison

For anyone who is planning to travel with your camera regularly, you're going to have to take into account its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-3 enjoys outside dimensions of 142mm x 116mm x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0") accompanied by a weight of 890 grams (1.96 lbs) whilst the Sony RX100 III has proportions of 102mm x 58mm x 41mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.6") having a weight of 290 grams (0.64 lbs).

See the Olympus E-3 vs Sony RX100 III in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into account, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you have attached during that time. The following is the front view overall size comparison of the E-3 vs the RX100 III.

Olympus E-3 vs Sony RX100 III size comparison

Using size and weight, the portability rating of the E-3 and RX100 III is 56 and 89 respectively.

Olympus E-3 vs Sony RX100 III top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-3 vs Sony RX100 III Sensor Comparison

Usually, it is hard to visualize the contrast between sensor dimensions only by reviewing specifications. The picture underneath will offer you a better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-3 and RX100 III.

To sum up, the 2 cameras posses different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The E-3 due to its larger sensor is going to make achieving shallow depth of field simpler and the Sony RX100 III will offer greater detail due to its extra 10 Megapixels. Greater resolution will let you crop images somewhat more aggressively. The more aged E-3 is going to be behind with regard to sensor technology.

Olympus E-3 vs Sony RX100 III sensor size comparison

Olympus E-3 vs Sony RX100 III Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-3 vs Sony RX100 III Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-3 Portrait photography advice
Sony RX100 III Portrait photography advice
57
you can focus manually
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
MP count low (10MP)
64
focusing manually
high flash sync (1/2,000 seconds)
decent sensor resolution (20MP)
sensor size is good (1")
offers face detection focusing
exports RAW formats
cannot use external flash
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-3 Street photography details
Sony RX100 III Street photography details
70
screen can move to multiple angles
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
environment sealing
85
tilting screen
image stabilization (Optical)
sensor size is good (1")
exports RAW formats
lighter than competitors (290g)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-3 Sports photography details
Sony RX100 III Sports photography details
58
great max shutter speed (1/8,000 seconds)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
environment sealing
has phase detect auto focus
slow continuous shooting (5.0 fps)
MP count low (10MP)
65
image stabilization (Optical)
decent sensor resolution (20 megapixels)
sensor size is good (1")
offers tracking autofocus
no phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-3 Travel photography information
Sony RX100 III Travel photography information
55
environment sealing
has built in flash
display is selfie friendly
doesn't have Timelapse function
MP count low (10MP)
85
lighter than competitors (290g)
decent sensor resolution (20MP)
flash built-in
display is selfie friendly
reasonably wide (24mm)
great max aperture (f1.8)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-3 as a Landscape photography camera
Sony RX100 III as a Landscape photography camera
56
you can focus manually
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
environment sealing
small screen (2.5")
MP count low (10MP)
doesn't have Timelapse function
73
focusing manually
reasonably wide (24mm)
great max aperture (f1.8)
decent sized screen (3 inch)
image stabilization (Optical)
decent sensor resolution (20 megapixels)
sensor size is good (1")
exports RAW formats
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-3 Vlogging factors
Sony RX100 III Vlogging factors
18
no video recording
80
reasonably wide (24mm)
great max aperture (f1.8)
display is selfie friendly
image stabilization (Optical)
offers face detection focusing
high res video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
lighter than competitors (290g)
does not have external microphone support
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Olympus E-3 vs Sony RX100 III Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-3 and Sony RX100 III
 Olympus E-3Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 III
General Information
Company Olympus Sony
Model type Olympus E-3 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 III
Category Advanced DSLR Large Sensor Compact
Launched 2008-02-20 2014-05-15
Physical type Mid-size SLR Large Sensor Compact
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 area 224.9mm² 116.2mm²
Sensor resolution 10 megapixels 20 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Highest resolution 3648 x 2736 5472 x 3648
Highest native ISO 3200 12800
Min native ISO 100 125
RAW support
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
Continuous autofocus
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Autofocus center weighted
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Total focus points 11 25
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 24-70mm (2.9x)
Highest aperture - f/1.8-2.8
Macro focusing distance - 5cm
Number of lenses 45 -
Crop factor 2.1 2.7
Screen
Screen type Fully Articulated Tilting
Screen sizing 2.5 inches 3 inches
Resolution of screen 230 thousand dots 1,229 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentaprism) Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 1,440 thousand dots
Viewfinder coverage 100% 100%
Viewfinder magnification 0.58x 0.59x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 seconds 30 seconds
Highest shutter speed 1/8000 seconds 1/2000 seconds
Continuous shooting rate 5.0fps 10.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 13.00 m -
Flash options Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye -
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Highest flash synchronize 1/250 seconds 1/2000 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions - 1920 x 1080 (60p/60i/24p), 1280 x 720 (60p/30p/24p/120p), 1440 x 1080 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution None 1920x1080
Video data format - MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC S
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
Environment sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 890 grams (1.96 lbs) 290 grams (0.64 lbs)
Dimensions 142 x 116 x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0") 102 x 58 x 41mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.6")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 56 67
DXO Color Depth rating 21.6 22.4
DXO Dynamic range rating 10.5 12.3
DXO Low light rating 571 495
Other
Battery life - 320 photos
Battery style - Battery Pack
Battery ID - NP-BX1
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, self-portrait, continuous)
Time lapse shooting With downloadable app
Type of storage Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Card slots Single Single
Launch pricing $670 $748