Olympus E-30 vs Sony NEX-3N
60 Imaging
46 Features
54 Overall
49


89 Imaging
57 Features
52 Overall
55
Olympus E-30 vs Sony NEX-3N Key Specs
(Full Review)
- 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
- 2.7" Fully Articulated Display
- ISO 100 - 3200
- Sensor based Image Stabilization
- 1/8000s Max Shutter
- No Video
- Micro Four Thirds Mount
- 695g - 142 x 108 x 75mm
- Revealed March 2009
(Full Review)
- 16MP - APS-C Sensor
- 3" Tilting Screen
- ISO 200 - 16000
- 1920 x 1080 video
- Sony E Mount
- 269g - 110 x 62 x 35mm
- Revealed February 2013
- Succeeded the Sony NEX-F3
- Replacement is Sony a5000

Olympus E-30 vs Sony NEX-3N Overview
On this page, we will be comparing the Olympus E-30 vs Sony NEX-3N, former being a Advanced DSLR while the latter is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by brands Olympus and Sony. There exists a noticeable gap between the sensor resolutions of the E-30 (12MP) and NEX-3N (16MP) and the E-30 (Four Thirds) and NEX-3N (APS-C) offer totally different sensor measurements.

The E-30 was introduced 4 years before the NEX-3N and that is quite a sizable difference as far as technology is concerned. Each of these cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-30 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Sony NEX-3N being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.
Before going into a complete comparison, here is a simple summary of how the E-30 grades versus the NEX-3N in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Olympus E-30 vs Sony NEX-3N Gallery
Following is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus E-30 & Sony Alpha NEX-3N. The whole galleries are viewable at Olympus E-30 Gallery & Sony NEX-3N Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus E-30 over the Sony NEX-3N
E-30 | NEX-3N | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Screen type | Fully Articulated | ![]() | Tilting | Fully Articulating screen |
Selfie screen | ![]() | Take selfies |
Reasons to pick Sony NEX-3N over the Olympus E-30
NEX-3N | E-30 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Revealed | February 2013 | ![]() | March 2009 | More recent by 47 months |
Screen dimensions | 3" | ![]() | 2.7" | Bigger screen (+0.3") |
Screen resolution | 460k | ![]() | 230k | Clearer screen (+230k dot) |
Common features in the Olympus E-30 and Sony NEX-3N
E-30 | NEX-3N | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Manual focus | ![]() | Very exact focus | ||
Touch screen | ![]() | No Touch screen |
Olympus E-30 vs Sony NEX-3N Physical Comparison
For anyone who is planning to lug around your camera frequently, you'll have to consider its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-30 enjoys outside dimensions of 142mm x 108mm x 75mm (5.6" x 4.3" x 3.0") accompanied by a weight of 695 grams (1.53 lbs) and the Sony NEX-3N has proportions of 110mm x 62mm x 35mm (4.3" x 2.4" x 1.4") having a weight of 269 grams (0.59 lbs).
Look at the Olympus E-30 vs Sony NEX-3N in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you are using at the time. Here is a front view overall size comparison of the E-30 vs the NEX-3N.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-30 and NEX-3N is 60 and 89 respectively.

Olympus E-30 vs Sony NEX-3N Sensor Comparison
Normally, it is very hard to visualise the gap between sensor measurements only by checking specifications. The photograph underneath may give you a much better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-30 and NEX-3N.
Plainly, both of these cameras have different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The E-30 using its tinier sensor will make getting shallow depth of field more challenging and the Sony NEX-3N will give greater detail using its extra 4MP. Higher resolution will also allow you to crop photographs a bit more aggressively. The older E-30 is going to be behind in sensor technology.

Olympus E-30 vs Sony NEX-3N Screen and ViewFinder


Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison

Street Comparison

Sports Comparison

Travel Comparison

Landscape Comparison

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-30 vs Sony NEX-3N Specifications
Olympus E-30 | Sony Alpha NEX-3N | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Company | Olympus | Sony |
Model type | Olympus E-30 | Sony Alpha NEX-3N |
Category | Advanced DSLR | Entry-Level Mirrorless |
Revealed | 2009-03-24 | 2013-02-25 |
Body design | Mid-size SLR | Rangefinder-style mirrorless |
Sensor Information | ||
Powered by | TruePic III+ | Bionz |
Sensor type | CMOS | CMOS |
Sensor size | Four Thirds | APS-C |
Sensor dimensions | 17.3 x 13mm | 23.5 x 15.6mm |
Sensor surface area | 224.9mm² | 366.6mm² |
Sensor resolution | 12 megapixel | 16 megapixel |
Anti alias filter | ||
Aspect ratio | 1:1, 5:4, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 | 3:2 and 16:9 |
Highest Possible resolution | 4032 x 3024 | 4912 x 3264 |
Maximum native ISO | 3200 | 16000 |
Minimum native ISO | 100 | 200 |
RAW pictures | ||
Autofocusing | ||
Focus manually | ||
Autofocus touch | ||
Autofocus continuous | ||
Single autofocus | ||
Autofocus tracking | ||
Autofocus selectice | ||
Center weighted autofocus | ||
Multi area autofocus | ||
Live view autofocus | ||
Face detect autofocus | ||
Contract detect autofocus | ||
Phase detect autofocus | ||
Total focus points | 11 | 25 |
Lens | ||
Lens mount type | Micro Four Thirds | Sony E |
Number of lenses | 45 | 121 |
Crop factor | 2.1 | 1.5 |
Screen | ||
Range of display | Fully Articulated | Tilting |
Display sizing | 2.7 inches | 3 inches |
Resolution of display | 230k dot | 460k dot |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch friendly | ||
Display technology | HyperCrystal II LCD | - |
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder type | Optical (pentaprism) | None |
Viewfinder coverage | 98 percent | - |
Viewfinder magnification | 0.56x | - |
Features | ||
Minimum shutter speed | 60s | 30s |
Fastest shutter speed | 1/8000s | 1/4000s |
Continuous shutter speed | 5.0 frames/s | 4.0 frames/s |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Manual exposure | ||
Exposure compensation | Yes | Yes |
Set white balance | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Built-in flash | ||
Flash distance | 13.00 m | - |
Flash modes | Auto, Manual, Fill, Red-eye reduction, Slow sync with red-eye reduction, Slow sync, Slow sync 2nd curtain, Off | - |
Hot shoe | ||
AE bracketing | ||
White balance bracketing | ||
Fastest flash sync | 1/250s | 1/160s |
Exposure | ||
Multisegment | ||
Average | ||
Spot | ||
Partial | ||
AF area | ||
Center weighted | ||
Video features | ||
Video resolutions | - | 1920 x 1080 |
Maximum video resolution | None | 1920x1080 |
Video data 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 | 695 gr (1.53 pounds) | 269 gr (0.59 pounds) |
Physical dimensions | 142 x 108 x 75mm (5.6" x 4.3" x 3.0") | 110 x 62 x 35mm (4.3" x 2.4" x 1.4") |
DXO scores | ||
DXO Overall rating | 55 | 74 |
DXO Color Depth rating | 21.3 | 22.8 |
DXO Dynamic range rating | 10.4 | 12.5 |
DXO Low light rating | 530 | 1067 |
Other | ||
Battery life | 750 photos | 480 photos |
Battery format | Battery Pack | Battery Pack |
Battery ID | BLM-1 | NPFW50 |
Self timer | Yes (12 or 2 sec) | - |
Time lapse recording | ||
Type of storage | Compact Flash (Type I or II) / xD Picture Card | SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo |
Storage slots | Single | Single |
Pricing at release | $1,299 | $399 |