Olympus E-3 vs Sony ZV-1

Below, we are evaluating the Olympus E-3 vs Sony ZV-1, former being a Advanced DSLR while the other is a Large Sensor Compact by competitors Olympus and Sony. There is a large difference between the resolutions of the E-3 (10MP) and ZV-1 (20MP) and the E-3 (Four Thirds) and ZV-1 (1") possess different sensor sizes.

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The E-3 was unveiled 13 years before the ZV-1 and that is quite a serious 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 ZV-1 being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before diving through a complete comparison, below is a simple view of how the E-3 scores versus the ZV-1 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

This is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus E-3 & Sony ZV-1. The full galleries are available at Olympus E-3 Gallery & Sony ZV-1 Gallery.

If you are going to carry your camera often, you have to factor in its weight and volume. The Olympus E-3 has outer dimensions of 142mm x 116mm x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0") and a weight of 890 grams (1.96 lbs) and the Sony ZV-1 has sizing of 105mm x 60mm x 44mm (4.1" x 2.4" x 1.7") with a weight of 294 grams (0.65 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-3 vs Sony ZV-1 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you select at the time. Following is the front view measurement comparison of the E-3 vs the ZV-1.

Considering size and weight, the portability rating of the E-3 and ZV-1 is 56 and 88 respectively.

Usually, it can be difficult to visualize the gap between sensor sizing merely by checking technical specs. The visual below may give you a stronger sense of the sensor sizes in the E-3 and ZV-1.

As you have seen, both the cameras posses different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The E-3 with its larger sensor is going to make shooting shallower DOF less difficult and the Sony ZV-1 will resolve extra detail having an extra 10MP. Greater resolution will also allow you to crop images somewhat more aggressively. The older E-3 is going to be behind when it comes to sensor tech.