Olympus E-3 vs Sony W650

Here is a comprehensive analysis of the Olympus E-3 vs Sony W650, former being a Advanced DSLR while the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by manufacturers Olympus and Sony. There exists a sizable gap between the sensor resolutions of the E-3 (10MP) and W650 (16MP) and the E-3 (Four Thirds) and W650 (1/2.3") use different sensor size.

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The E-3 was unveiled 4 years prior to the W650 and that is quite a significant difference as far as technology is concerned. Both cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-3 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Sony W650 being a Compact camera.

Before diving straight into a detailed comparison, below is a short highlight of how the E-3 grades versus the W650 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

This is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus E-3 & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W650. The full galleries are available at Olympus E-3 Gallery & Sony W650 Gallery.

For those who are planning to carry your camera regularly, you will have to think about its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-3 provides physical dimensions of 142mm x 116mm x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0") with a weight of 890 grams (1.96 lbs) while the Sony W650 has measurements of 94mm x 56mm x 19mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.7") and a weight of 124 grams (0.27 lbs).

Compare the Olympus E-3 vs Sony W650 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you use during that time. Underneath is the front view dimensions comparison of the E-3 compared to the W650.

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-3 and W650 is 56 and 96 respectively.

Typically, it is difficult to visualize the gap between sensor sizing just by reviewing a spec sheet. The photograph underneath might give you a stronger sense of the sensor sizes in the E-3 and W650.

As you can see, both the cameras posses different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The E-3 with its bigger sensor is going to make getting shallow depth of field simpler and the Sony W650 will offer more detail having an extra 6 Megapixels. Higher resolution will let you crop shots somewhat more aggressively. The older E-3 is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor innovation.