Olympus E-300 vs Sony NEX-3N

Below is a complete review of the Olympus E-300 vs Sony NEX-3N, former being a Advanced DSLR while the other is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by brands Olympus and Sony. There exists a substantial gap between the resolutions of the E-300 (8MP) and NEX-3N (16MP) and the E-300 (Four Thirds) and NEX-3N (APS-C) possess different sensor sizing.

Photography Glossary

The E-300 was revealed 9 years before the NEX-3N and that is quite a big difference as far as technology is concerned. Both the cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-300 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Sony NEX-3N being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before delving straight into a complete comparison, below is a short highlight of how the E-300 scores versus the NEX-3N with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Here is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus E-300 & Sony Alpha NEX-3N. The full galleries are available at Olympus E-300 Gallery & Sony NEX-3N Gallery.

If you're going to lug around your camera regularly, you will need to think about its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-300 provides outside measurements of 147mm x 85mm x 64mm (5.8" x 3.3" x 2.5") and a weight of 624 grams (1.38 lbs) while the Sony NEX-3N has measurements of 110mm x 62mm x 35mm (4.3" x 2.4" x 1.4") with a weight of 269 grams (0.59 lbs).

Examine the Olympus E-300 vs Sony NEX-3N in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you select at that time. Following is the front view measurement comparison of the E-300 and the NEX-3N.

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-300 and NEX-3N is 67 and 89 respectively.

More often than not, it's hard to visualize the difference between sensor measurements only by looking at specifications. The graphic underneath will help give you a more clear sense of the sensor sizing in the E-300 and NEX-3N.

To sum up, both cameras enjoy different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The E-300 with its tinier sensor is going to make achieving shallower depth of field more difficult and the Sony NEX-3N will give you greater detail because of its extra 8 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also allow you to crop photos far more aggressively. The older E-300 is going to be disadvantaged in sensor technology.