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Olympus E-300 vs Sony A99

Portability
67
Imaging
41
Features
31
Overall
37
Olympus E-300 front
 
Sony SLT-A99 front
Portability
57
Imaging
70
Features
88
Overall
77

Olympus E-300 vs Sony A99 Key Specs

Olympus E-300
(Full Review)
  • 8MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 1.8" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 400 (Push to 1600)
  • No Video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 624g - 147 x 85 x 64mm
  • Released January 2005
  • Also referred to as EVOLT E-300
  • Refreshed by Olympus E-330
Sony A99
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Display
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 812g - 147 x 111 x 78mm
  • Announced December 2012
  • Older Model is Sony A900
  • Updated by Sony A99 II
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Olympus E-300 vs Sony A99 Overview

Here, we are comparing the Olympus E-300 vs Sony A99, both Advanced DSLR cameras by companies Olympus and Sony. There is a huge difference among the image resolutions of the E-300 (8MP) and A99 (24MP) and the E-300 (Four Thirds) and A99 (Full frame) have different sensor sizing.

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The E-300 was announced 9 years prior to the A99 and that is a fairly significant gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Both of these cameras feature the same body design (Mid-size SLR).

Before going straight to a full comparison, here is a quick overview of how the E-300 matches up vs the A99 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-300 over the Sony A99

 E-300 A99 

Reasons to pick Sony A99 over the Olympus E-300

 A99 E-300 
AnnouncedDecember 2012January 2005Fresher by 96 months
Display typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating display
Display size3"1.8"Larger display (+1.2")
Display resolution1229k134kClearer display (+1095k dot)
Selfie screen Take selfies

Common features in the Olympus E-300 and Sony A99

 E-300 A99 
Manually focus More exact focus
Touch friendly display Missing Touch friendly display

Olympus E-300 vs Sony A99 Physical Comparison

When you are planning to carry your camera frequently, you will need to consider its weight and size. The Olympus E-300 enjoys outer dimensions of 147mm x 85mm x 64mm (5.8" x 3.3" x 2.5") with a weight of 624 grams (1.38 lbs) whilst the Sony A99 has specifications of 147mm x 111mm x 78mm (5.8" x 4.4" x 3.1") having a weight of 812 grams (1.79 lbs).

Examine the Olympus E-300 vs Sony A99 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Keep in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary depending on the lens you have attached at the time. Following is a front view scale comparison of the E-300 versus the A99.

Olympus E-300 vs Sony A99 size comparison

Factoring in size and weight, the portability score of the E-300 and A99 is 67 and 57 respectively.

Olympus E-300 vs Sony A99 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-300 vs Sony A99 Sensor Comparison

In many cases, it's tough to picture the contrast in sensor sizing only by viewing a spec sheet. The visual underneath may provide you a better sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-300 and A99.

As you can see, both cameras feature different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The E-300 using its smaller sensor is going to make getting shallow depth of field tougher and the Sony A99 will render extra detail with its extra 16 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also make it easier to crop images way more aggressively. The older E-300 will be behind in sensor technology.

Olympus E-300 vs Sony A99 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-300 vs Sony A99 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-300 vs Sony A99 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-300 Portrait photography information
Sony A99 Portrait photography information
48
you can focus manually
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
does not have liveview
sensor resolution low (8 megapixels)
82
manual focus
resolution is good (24MP)
sensor size is large (Full frame)
provides face detection autofocus
saves RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-300 Street photography details
Sony A99 Street photography details
51
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
no articulating screen
does not have image stabilization
low max ISO (400)
75
screen articulates
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is large (Full frame)
saves RAW files
weather proofing
good ISO range (25,600)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-300 Sports photography features
Sony A99 Sports photography features
37
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
sensor has phase detect AF
does not have liveview
very slow continuous shooting (3.0 frames/s)
does not have image stabilization
sensor resolution low (8MP)
78
high shutter speed (1/8,000 seconds)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
resolution is good (24 megapixels)
sensor size is large (Full frame)
provides tracking autofocus
weather proofing
sensor has phase detect autofocus
terrible battery (500 shots)
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-300 Travel photography info
Sony A99 Travel photography info
45
flash built-in
doesn't have Timelapse function
sensor resolution low (8 megapixels)
display isn't selfie friendly
60
weather proofing
resolution is good (24MP)
selfie friendly screen
does not have Timelapse recording
terrible battery (500 shots)
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus E-300
Landscape photography with Sony A99
43
you can focus manually
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
screen is small (1.8 inches)
does not have liveview
does not have image stabilization
sensor resolution low (8 megapixels)
low max ISO (400)
doesn't have Timelapse function
75
manual focus
switch lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
screen size is good (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
resolution is good (24MP)
sensor size is large (Full frame)
good ISO range (25,600)
saves RAW files
weather proofing
has dual storage slots
terrible battery (500 CIPA)
does not have Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-300 as a Vlogging camera
Sony A99 as a Vlogging camera
9
lack of video recording
76
selfie friendly screen
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
provides face detection autofocus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
includes external microphone jack
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Olympus E-300 vs Sony A99 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-300 and Sony A99
 Olympus E-300Sony SLT-A99
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Sony
Model Olympus E-300 Sony SLT-A99
Also called as EVOLT E-300 -
Class Advanced DSLR Advanced DSLR
Released 2005-01-10 2012-12-12
Body design Mid-size SLR Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Powered by - Bionz
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds Full frame
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 35.8 x 23.8mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 852.0mm²
Sensor resolution 8 megapixels 24 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 3:2 and 16:9
Highest resolution 3264 x 2448 6000 x 4000
Highest native ISO 400 25600
Highest boosted ISO 1600 -
Lowest native ISO 100 100
RAW data
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
AF continuous
AF single
Tracking AF
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Number of focus points 3 19
Cross focus points - 11
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds Sony/Minolta Alpha
Number of lenses 45 143
Crop factor 2.1 1
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fully Articulated
Display diagonal 1.8 inch 3 inch
Display resolution 134 thousand dot 1,229 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Display tech - TFT Xtra Fine color LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentamirror) Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 2,359 thousand dot
Viewfinder coverage - 100%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.71x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60s 30s
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000s 1/8000s
Continuous shooting speed 3.0fps 10.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range - no built-in flash
Flash options Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Maximum flash sync 1/180s 1/250s
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions - 1920 x 1080 (60, 24 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30fps), 640 x 424 (29.97 fps)
Highest video resolution None 1920x1080
Video format - MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264
Microphone input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 1.0 (1.5 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None BuiltIn
Physical
Environment seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 624 gr (1.38 pounds) 812 gr (1.79 pounds)
Physical dimensions 147 x 85 x 64mm (5.8" x 3.3" x 2.5") 147 x 111 x 78mm (5.8" x 4.4" x 3.1")
DXO scores
DXO All around score not tested 89
DXO Color Depth score not tested 25.0
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 14.0
DXO Low light score not tested 1555
Other
Battery life - 500 photographs
Type of battery - Battery Pack
Battery model - NP-FM500H
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage Compact Flash (Type I or II) Memory Stick PRO Duo/Pro-HG Duo; SD, SDHC and SDXC
Storage slots 1 Two
Cost at launch $800 $1,998