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Olympus E-3 vs Sony RX100 VII

Portability
56
Imaging
44
Features
56
Overall
48
Olympus E-3 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 VII front
Portability
88
Imaging
54
Features
78
Overall
63

Olympus E-3 vs Sony RX100 VII 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 Maximum Shutter
  • No Video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 890g - 142 x 116 x 75mm
  • Revealed February 2008
  • Superseded the Olympus E-1
  • Replacement is Olympus E-5
Sony RX100 VII
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - 1" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 125 - 12800
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • 24-200mm (F2.8-4.5) lens
  • 302g - 102 x 58 x 43mm
  • Revealed July 2019
  • Superseded the Sony RX100 VI
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Olympus E-3 vs Sony RX100 VII Overview

In this write-up, we will be matching up the Olympus E-3 vs Sony RX100 VII, one being a Advanced DSLR and the latter is a Large Sensor Compact by companies Olympus and Sony. There exists a significant gap between the sensor resolutions of the E-3 (10MP) and RX100 VII (20MP) and the E-3 (Four Thirds) and RX100 VII (1") come with different sensor sizes.

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The E-3 was released 12 years earlier than the RX100 VII and that is quite a sizable gap as far as technology is concerned. Both of these cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-3 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Sony RX100 VII being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before getting in to a full comparison, below is a short introduction of how the E-3 matches up versus the RX100 VII with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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

 E-3 RX100 VII 
Screen typeFully ArticulatedTiltingFully Articulating screen

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

 RX100 VII E-3 
RevealedJuly 2019February 2008Fresher by 139 months
Screen sizing3"2.5"Bigger screen (+0.5")
Screen resolution921k230kSharper screen (+691k dot)
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

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

 E-3 RX100 VII 
Manual focus Dial precise focusing
Selfie screen Both good for selfies

Olympus E-3 vs Sony RX100 VII Physical Comparison

In case you're going to carry your camera often, you're going to have to take into account its weight and size. The Olympus E-3 provides physical dimensions of 142mm x 116mm x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0") having a weight of 890 grams (1.96 lbs) and the Sony RX100 VII has specifications of 102mm x 58mm x 43mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.7") accompanied by a weight of 302 grams (0.67 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus E-3 vs Sony RX100 VII in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change based on the lens you are utilising at the time. Following is the front view sizing comparison of the E-3 compared to the RX100 VII.

Olympus E-3 vs Sony RX100 VII size comparison

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-3 and RX100 VII is 56 and 88 respectively.

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

Olympus E-3 vs Sony RX100 VII Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, its hard to visualize the gap between sensor sizing just by reviewing a spec sheet. The photograph here will help give you a greater sense of the sensor sizes in the E-3 and RX100 VII.

As you can see, the 2 cameras enjoy different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The E-3 because of its bigger sensor is going to make achieving shallow DOF less difficult and the Sony RX100 VII will deliver more detail as a result of its extra 10MP. Higher resolution will also make it easier to crop pictures far more aggressively. The older E-3 is going to be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor innovation.

Olympus E-3 vs Sony RX100 VII sensor size comparison

Olympus E-3 vs Sony RX100 VII Screen and ViewFinder

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

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-3 as a Portrait photography camera
Sony RX100 VII as a Portrait photography camera
56
you can focus manually
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
low MP (10 megapixels)
66
you can focus manually
high flash sync (1/2,000 seconds)
decent sensor resolution (20MP)
nice sensor size (1")
has face detection focus
exports RAW formats
no external flash support
Photography Glossary

Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus E-3
Street photography with Sony RX100 VII
69
screen articulates
image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
environment proof
85
tilting screen
has image stabilization (Optical)
nice sensor size (1")
exports RAW formats
comes with focus by touch
lighter than average in class (302g)
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus E-3
Sports photography with Sony RX100 VII
57
high shutter speed (1/8,000 seconds)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
environment proof
comes with phase detect AF
painfully slow continuous shooting (5.0 frames/s)
low MP (10MP)
70
silent mode (1/32,000 seconds)
high fps (20.0 fps)
has image stabilization (Optical)
decent sensor resolution (20MP)
nice sensor size (1")
has tracking autofocus
comes with phase detect auto focus
not so great battery power (260 per charge)
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-3 Travel photography factors
Sony RX100 VII Travel photography factors
55
environment proof
flash built-in
screen is selfie friendly
doesn't have Time Lapse mode
low MP (10 megapixels)
77
lighter than average in class (302g)
supports bluetooth
comes with focus by touch
decent sensor resolution (20MP)
built-in flash
display is selfie friendly
really wide (24mm)
not so great battery power (260 shots)
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.8)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-3 Landscape photography features
Sony RX100 VII Landscape photography features
56
you can focus manually
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
environment proof
tiny screen (2.5")
low MP (10MP)
doesn't have Time Lapse mode
65
you can focus manually
really wide (24mm)
nice screen size (3")
has image stabilization (Optical)
decent sensor resolution (20 megapixels)
nice sensor size (1")
exports RAW formats
can't change lenses (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.8)
not so great battery power (260 CIPA)
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-3 Vlogging information
Sony RX100 VII Vlogging information
18
can't shoot video
81
really wide (24mm)
display is selfie friendly
screen is touchscreen
has image stabilization (Optical)
has face detection focus
video resolution high (3840 x 2160 resolution)
does have external microphone socket
lighter than average in class (302g)
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.8)
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Olympus E-3 vs Sony RX100 VII Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-3 and Sony RX100 VII
 Olympus E-3Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 VII
General Information
Brand Olympus Sony
Model type Olympus E-3 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 VII
Class Advanced DSLR Large Sensor Compact
Revealed 2008-02-20 2019-07-25
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 surface 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
Maximum resolution 3648 x 2736 5472 x 3648
Maximum native ISO 3200 12800
Lowest native ISO 100 125
RAW images
Lowest boosted ISO - 64
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch to focus
Continuous AF
AF single
Tracking AF
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Total focus points 11 -
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 24-200mm (8.3x)
Max aperture - f/2.8-4.5
Macro focusing distance - 8cm
Number of lenses 45 -
Crop factor 2.1 2.7
Screen
Screen type Fully Articulated Tilting
Screen diagonal 2.5" 3"
Screen resolution 230k dots 921k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentaprism) Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 2,360k dots
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification 0.58x 0.59x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 seconds 30 seconds
Highest shutter speed 1/8000 seconds 1/2000 seconds
Highest silent shutter speed - 1/32000 seconds
Continuous shooting rate 5.0fps 20.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 13.00 m 5.90 m (at Auto ISO)
Flash modes Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye -
External flash
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Highest flash synchronize 1/250 seconds 1/2000 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions - 3840 x 2160 @ 30p / 100 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM
Maximum video resolution None 3840x2160
Video format - MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC S
Microphone port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) NP-BX1 lithium-ion battery & USB charger
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 890 gr (1.96 lb) 302 gr (0.67 lb)
Dimensions 142 x 116 x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0") 102 x 58 x 43mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.7")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 56 63
DXO Color Depth rating 21.6 21.8
DXO Dynamic range rating 10.5 12.4
DXO Low light rating 571 418
Other
Battery life - 260 photos
Battery type - Battery Pack
Battery ID - NP-BX1
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes
Time lapse shooting
Storage type Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo
Card slots Single Single
Launch pricing $670 $1,298