Olympus E-3 vs Sony W830

Let's take a closer look at the Olympus E-3 and Sony W830, one being a Advanced DSLR and the latter is a Ultracompact by manufacturers Olympus and Sony. There exists a big gap among the image resolutions of the E-3 (10MP) and W830 (20MP) and the E-3 (Four Thirds) and W830 (1/2.3") posses totally different sensor sizing.

Photography Glossary

The E-3 was revealed 6 years prior to the W830 and that is a fairly big gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Both the cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-3 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Sony W830 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before we go straight to a thorough comparison, here is a concise overview of how the E-3 matches up against the W830 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Following is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus E-3 and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W830. The full galleries are viewable at Olympus E-3 Gallery and Sony W830 Gallery.

If you are intending to carry your camera often, you have to factor its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-3 enjoys exterior 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 W830 has proportions of 93mm x 52mm x 23mm (3.7" x 2.0" x 0.9") along with a weight of 122 grams (0.27 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus E-3 and Sony W830 in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary based on the lens you have chosen at that moment. Here is a front view proportions comparison of the E-3 against the W830.

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-3 and W830 is 56 and 96 respectively.

Normally, it's tough to envision the gap in sensor sizing purely by seeing specs. The graphic below will help provide you a clearer sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-3 and W830.

As you can plainly see, both cameras provide different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The E-3 using its bigger sensor will make getting shallow depth of field easier and the Sony W830 will show greater detail because of its extra 10 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also make it easier to crop pictures more aggressively. The older E-3 will be disadvantaged with regard to sensor technology.