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Olympus E-3 vs Sony WX50

Portability
56
Imaging
45
Features
56
Overall
49
Olympus E-3 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX50 front
Portability
96
Imaging
39
Features
36
Overall
37

Olympus E-3 vs Sony WX50 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
  • Earlier Model is Olympus E-1
  • New Model is Olympus E-5
Sony WX50
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 12800
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 25-125mm (F2.6-6.3) lens
  • 117g - 92 x 52 x 19mm
  • Introduced January 2012
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Olympus E-3 vs Sony WX50 Overview

Lets take a closer look at the Olympus E-3 vs Sony WX50, former being a Advanced DSLR while the other is a Small Sensor Compact by companies Olympus and Sony. There is a large difference among the sensor resolutions of the E-3 (10MP) and WX50 (16MP) and the E-3 (Four Thirds) and WX50 (1/2.3") provide totally different sensor sizes.

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The E-3 was revealed 4 years prior to the WX50 and that is a fairly serious difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-3 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Sony WX50 being a Compact camera.

Before going right into a detailed comparison, here is a concise summation of how the E-3 scores versus the WX50 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Photography Glossary
	
	

Reasons to pick Olympus E-3 over the Sony WX50

 E-3 WX50 
Manually focus Dial exact focus
Display typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating display
Selfie screen Take selfies

Reasons to pick Sony WX50 over the Olympus E-3

 WX50 E-3 
IntroducedJanuary 2012February 2008Fresher by 48 months
Display size2.7"2.5"Larger display (+0.2")
Display resolution461k230kClearer display (+231k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-3 and Sony WX50

 E-3 WX50 
Touch friendly display Neither features Touch friendly display

Olympus E-3 vs Sony WX50 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is looking to carry your camera regularly, you'll need to consider its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-3 enjoys outer measurements of 142mm x 116mm x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0") accompanied by a weight of 890 grams (1.96 lbs) and the Sony WX50 has proportions of 92mm x 52mm x 19mm (3.6" x 2.0" x 0.7") along with a weight of 117 grams (0.26 lbs).

Check out the Olympus E-3 vs Sony WX50 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you select at that moment. Below is a front view over all size comparison of the E-3 against the WX50.

Olympus E-3 vs Sony WX50 size comparison

Factoring in size and weight, the portability rating of the E-3 and WX50 is 56 and 96 respectively.

Olympus E-3 vs Sony WX50 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-3 vs Sony WX50 Sensor Comparison

Generally, it's hard to visualise the contrast in sensor sizing merely by checking out a spec sheet. The visual here will help give you a clearer sense of the sensor measurements in the E-3 and WX50.

As you can see, the two cameras feature different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The E-3 with its larger sensor will make achieving shallower depth of field less difficult and the Sony WX50 will provide more detail because of its extra 6 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also help you crop photos way more aggressively. The older E-3 will be disadvantaged in sensor innovation.

Olympus E-3 vs Sony WX50 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-3 vs Sony WX50 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-3 vs Sony WX50 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-3 Portrait photography advice
Sony WX50 Portrait photography advice
57
has manual focus
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
MP count low (10 megapixels)
34
megapixel count decent (16MP)
features face detect focusing
focusing manually not possible
manual exposure not possible
cannot use external flash
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus E-3
Street photography with Sony WX50
70
screen articulates fully
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
weather proofing
63
built in image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competition (117 grams)
screen is fixed
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus E-3
Sports photography with Sony WX50
58
high shutter speed (1/8,000 seconds)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
weather proofing
has phase detect auto focus
continuous shooting slow (5.0 frames/s)
MP count low (10MP)
44
built in image stabilization (Optical)
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
features tracking focus
no shutter priority
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
has no phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-3 Travel photography highlights
Sony WX50 Travel photography highlights
55
weather proofing
built-in flash
display is selfie friendly
missing Time Lapse function
MP count low (10MP)
69
lighter than competition (117 grams)
megapixel count decent (16MP)
has built in flash
reasonably wide (25mm)
does not have Time Lapse function
doesn't contain selfie friendly screen
slow maximum aperture (f2.6)
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus E-3
Landscape photography with Sony WX50
56
has manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
weather proofing
tiny screen (2.5 inch)
MP count low (10 megapixels)
missing Time Lapse function
38
reasonably wide (25mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
focusing manually not possible
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f2.6)
small screen (2.7 inch)
manual exposure not possible
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
does not have Time Lapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-3 as a Vlogging camera
Sony WX50 as a Vlogging camera
18
can't shoot video
35
reasonably wide (25mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
features face detect focusing
good video quality (1920 x 1080 resolution)
lighter than competition (117g)
slow maximum aperture (f2.6)
doesn't contain selfie friendly screen
does not have mic jack
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Olympus E-3 vs Sony WX50 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-3 and Sony WX50
 Olympus E-3Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX50
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Sony
Model type Olympus E-3 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX50
Category Advanced DSLR Small Sensor Compact
Revealed 2008-02-20 2012-01-30
Body design Mid-size SLR Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Chip TruePic III BIONZ
Sensor type CMOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 10 megapixel 16 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 4:3 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 3648 x 2736 4608 x 3456
Maximum native ISO 3200 12800
Min native ISO 100 100
RAW files
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
AF continuous
Single AF
Tracking AF
AF selectice
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Total focus points 11 -
Cross type focus points - -
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 25-125mm (5.0x)
Max aperture - f/2.6-6.3
Macro focusing distance - 5cm
Total lenses 45 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.8
Screen
Screen type Fully Articulated Fixed Type
Screen size 2.5 inch 2.7 inch
Resolution of screen 230k dot 461k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Screen technology - Clearfoto TFT LCD display
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentaprism) None
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.58x -
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 seconds 4 seconds
Highest shutter speed 1/8000 seconds 1/1600 seconds
Continuous shooting speed 5.0 frames/s 10.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes -
Change WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 13.00 m 5.30 m
Flash modes Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Auto, On, Off, Slow Sync
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Highest flash sync 1/250 seconds -
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions - 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution None 1920x1080
Video format - MPEG-4, AVCHD
Mic input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 890 gr (1.96 lb) 117 gr (0.26 lb)
Physical dimensions 142 x 116 x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0") 92 x 52 x 19mm (3.6" x 2.0" x 0.7")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 56 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 21.6 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 10.5 not tested
DXO Low light rating 571 not tested
Other
Battery life - 240 shots
Battery format - Battery Pack
Battery ID - NP-BN
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, Portrait 1/2)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Duo/Memory Stick Pro Duo, Memory Stick Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots 1 1
Cost at launch $670 $250