Olympus E-300 vs Sony A57
67 Imaging
41 Features
31 Overall
37


64 Imaging
57 Features
85 Overall
68
Olympus E-300 vs Sony A57 Key Specs
(Full Review)
- 8MP - Four Thirds Sensor
- 1.8" Fixed Display
- ISO 100 - 400 (Increase to 1600)
- No Video
- Micro Four Thirds Mount
- 624g - 147 x 85 x 64mm
- Introduced January 2005
- Alternative Name is EVOLT E-300
- New Model is Olympus E-330
(Full Review)

Olympus E-300 vs Sony A57 Overview
Its time to look more closely at the Olympus E-300 vs Sony A57, one is a Advanced DSLR and the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by competitors Olympus and Sony. There is a sizeable difference between the resolutions of the E-300 (8MP) and A57 (16MP) and the E-300 (Four Thirds) and A57 (APS-C) come with different sensor dimensions.

The E-300 was announced 8 years earlier than the A57 which is quite a large gap as far as tech is concerned. Each of these cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-300 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Sony A57 being a Compact SLR camera.
Before we go in to a comprehensive comparison, below is a simple summation of how the E-300 matches up against the A57 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Olympus E-300 vs Sony A57 Gallery
Below is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus E-300 and Sony SLT-A57. The whole galleries are provided at Olympus E-300 Gallery and Sony A57 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus E-300 over the Sony A57
E-300 | A57 |
---|
Reasons to pick Sony A57 over the Olympus E-300
A57 | E-300 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Released | September 2012 | ![]() | January 2005 | More modern by 93 months |
Display type | Fully Articulated | ![]() | Fixed | Fully Articulating display |
Display sizing | 3" | ![]() | 1.8" | Larger display (+1.2") |
Display resolution | 921k | ![]() | 134k | Clearer display (+787k dot) |
Selfie screen | ![]() | Easy selfies |
Common features in the Olympus E-300 and Sony A57
E-300 | A57 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Manually focus | ![]() | More accurate focus | ||
Touch display | ![]() | Neither contains Touch display |
Olympus E-300 vs Sony A57 Physical Comparison
For those who are planning to carry around your camera, you'll need to consider its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-300 has got external measurements of 147mm x 85mm x 64mm (5.8" x 3.3" x 2.5") with a weight of 624 grams (1.38 lbs) and the Sony A57 has dimensions of 132mm x 98mm x 81mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.2") with a weight of 618 grams (1.36 lbs).
Check the Olympus E-300 vs Sony A57 in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary based on the lens you choose at that moment. Underneath is the front view measurements comparison of the E-300 against the A57.

Considering size and weight, the portability score of the E-300 and A57 is 67 and 64 respectively.

Olympus E-300 vs Sony A57 Sensor Comparison
In many cases, its difficult to imagine the contrast between sensor sizes simply by reading through specifications. The image underneath might give you a far better sense of the sensor measurements in the E-300 and A57.
To sum up, both the cameras offer different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The E-300 having a tinier sensor is going to make achieving shallow DOF harder and the Sony A57 will resolve more detail with its extra 8MP. Greater resolution will also allow you to crop pics a little more aggressively. The more aged E-300 is going to be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor innovation.

Olympus E-300 vs Sony A57 Screen and ViewFinder


Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison

Street Comparison

Sports Comparison

Travel Comparison

Landscape Comparison

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-300 vs Sony A57 Specifications
Olympus E-300 | Sony SLT-A57 | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Brand Name | Olympus | Sony |
Model type | Olympus E-300 | Sony SLT-A57 |
Also called as | EVOLT E-300 | - |
Class | Advanced DSLR | Entry-Level DSLR |
Introduced | 2005-01-10 | 2012-09-13 |
Physical type | Mid-size SLR | Compact SLR |
Sensor Information | ||
Sensor type | CCD | CMOS |
Sensor size | Four Thirds | APS-C |
Sensor measurements | 17.3 x 13mm | 23.5 x 15.6mm |
Sensor surface area | 224.9mm² | 366.6mm² |
Sensor resolution | 8 megapixels | 16 megapixels |
Anti alias filter | ||
Aspect ratio | 4:3 | 3:2 and 16:9 |
Highest Possible resolution | 3264 x 2448 | 4912 x 3264 |
Maximum native ISO | 400 | 16000 |
Maximum enhanced ISO | 1600 | 25600 |
Min native ISO | 100 | 100 |
RAW files | ||
Autofocusing | ||
Manual focusing | ||
Touch to focus | ||
AF continuous | ||
AF single | ||
AF tracking | ||
AF selectice | ||
Center weighted AF | ||
Multi area AF | ||
Live view AF | ||
Face detect AF | ||
Contract detect AF | ||
Phase detect AF | ||
Total focus points | 3 | 15 |
Cross type focus points | - | 3 |
Lens | ||
Lens support | Micro Four Thirds | Sony/Minolta Alpha |
Number of lenses | 45 | 143 |
Focal length multiplier | 2.1 | 1.5 |
Screen | ||
Type of display | Fixed Type | Fully Articulated |
Display diagonal | 1.8 inches | 3 inches |
Display resolution | 134 thousand dots | 921 thousand dots |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch capability | ||
Display tech | - | Xtra Fine TFT drive with TruBlack technology |
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder type | Optical (pentamirror) | Electronic |
Viewfinder resolution | - | 1,440 thousand dots |
Viewfinder coverage | - | 100% |
Viewfinder magnification | - | 0.7x |
Features | ||
Min shutter speed | 60 seconds | 30 seconds |
Max shutter speed | 1/4000 seconds | 1/4000 seconds |
Continuous shutter rate | 3.0 frames/s | 12.0 frames/s |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Expose Manually | ||
Exposure compensation | Yes | Yes |
Change WB | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Integrated flash | ||
Flash distance | - | 10.00 m (@ ISO 100) |
Flash options | Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless |
External flash | ||
Auto exposure bracketing | ||
WB bracketing | ||
Max flash synchronize | 1/180 seconds | 1/160 seconds |
Exposure | ||
Multisegment metering | ||
Average metering | ||
Spot metering | ||
Partial metering | ||
AF area metering | ||
Center weighted metering | ||
Video features | ||
Supported video resolutions | - | 1920 x 1080 (60p, 24p), 1440 x 1080 (30p), 640 x 480 (30 fps) |
Maximum video resolution | None | 1920x1080 |
Video format | - | MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264 |
Microphone support | ||
Headphone support | ||
Connectivity | ||
Wireless | None | Eye-Fi Connected |
Bluetooth | ||
NFC | ||
HDMI | ||
USB | USB 1.0 (1.5 Mbit/sec) | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) |
GPS | None | None |
Physical | ||
Environmental sealing | ||
Water proofing | ||
Dust proofing | ||
Shock proofing | ||
Crush proofing | ||
Freeze proofing | ||
Weight | 624 grams (1.38 lbs) | 618 grams (1.36 lbs) |
Dimensions | 147 x 85 x 64mm (5.8" x 3.3" x 2.5") | 132 x 98 x 81mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.2") |
DXO scores | ||
DXO Overall rating | not tested | 75 |
DXO Color Depth rating | not tested | 23.4 |
DXO Dynamic range rating | not tested | 13.0 |
DXO Low light rating | not tested | 785 |
Other | ||
Battery life | - | 550 photographs |
Battery style | - | Battery Pack |
Battery ID | - | NP-FM500H |
Self timer | Yes (2 or 12 sec) | Yes (2 or 10 sec) |
Time lapse shooting | ||
Storage type | Compact Flash (Type I or II) | SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo |
Card slots | One | One |
Retail pricing | $800 | $1,000 |