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Olympus E-330 vs Sony NEX-3

Portability
65
Imaging
41
Features
40
Overall
40
Olympus E-330 front
 
Sony Alpha NEX-3 front
Portability
89
Imaging
54
Features
55
Overall
54

Olympus E-330 vs Sony NEX-3 Key Specs

Olympus E-330
(Full Review)
  • 7MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 2.5" Tilting Display
  • ISO 100 - 400 (Bump to 1600)
  • No Video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 616g - 140 x 87 x 72mm
  • Launched March 2006
  • Additionally referred to as EVOLT E-330
  • Superseded the Olympus E-300
  • Newer Model is Olympus E-450
Sony NEX-3
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 200 - 12800
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 297g - 117 x 62 x 33mm
  • Revealed June 2010
  • Renewed by Sony NEX-C3
Photography Glossary

Olympus E-330 vs Sony NEX-3 Overview

On this page, we are comparing the Olympus E-330 versus Sony NEX-3, one is a Advanced DSLR and the other is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by companies Olympus and Sony. There exists a huge gap among the image resolutions of the E-330 (7MP) and NEX-3 (14MP) and the E-330 (Four Thirds) and NEX-3 (APS-C) boast different sensor measurements.

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The E-330 was brought out 5 years before the NEX-3 which is a fairly significant gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Both the cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-330 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Sony NEX-3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before going into a step-by-step comparison, here is a short highlight of how the E-330 grades vs the NEX-3 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-330 over the Sony NEX-3

 E-330 NEX-3 

Reasons to pick Sony NEX-3 over the Olympus E-330

 NEX-3 E-330 
RevealedJune 2010March 2006Newer by 51 months
Display dimensions3"2.5"Larger display (+0.5")
Display resolution920k215kClearer display (+705k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-330 and Sony NEX-3

 E-330 NEX-3 
Focus manually Dial precise focusing
Display typeTiltingTiltingTilting display
Selfie screen No selfie screen
Touch display No Touch display

Olympus E-330 vs Sony NEX-3 Physical Comparison

For those who are planning to travel with your camera, you will need to think about its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-330 offers physical measurements of 140mm x 87mm x 72mm (5.5" x 3.4" x 2.8") with a weight of 616 grams (1.36 lbs) and the Sony NEX-3 has proportions of 117mm x 62mm x 33mm (4.6" x 2.4" x 1.3") along with a weight of 297 grams (0.65 lbs).

Examine the Olympus E-330 versus Sony NEX-3 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ based on the lens you are working with at that time. Following is a front view over all size comparison of the E-330 versus the NEX-3.

Olympus E-330 vs Sony NEX-3 size comparison

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-330 and NEX-3 is 65 and 89 respectively.

Olympus E-330 vs Sony NEX-3 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-330 vs Sony NEX-3 Sensor Comparison

More often than not, its tough to visualize the contrast in sensor dimensions purely by seeing technical specs. The image here will provide you a clearer sense of the sensor measurements in the E-330 and NEX-3.

As you have seen, each of these cameras have different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The E-330 due to its smaller sensor is going to make achieving shallower depth of field more challenging and the Sony NEX-3 will produce more detail having its extra 7MP. Greater resolution will also allow you to crop photos a bit more aggressively. The more aged E-330 will be behind with regard to sensor innovation.

Olympus E-330 vs Sony NEX-3 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-330 vs Sony NEX-3 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-330 vs Sony NEX-3 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-330 Portrait photography details
Sony NEX-3 Portrait photography details
54
manual focus
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
sensor resolution low (7 megapixels)
72
you can focus manually
good megapixels (14MP)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
supports face detect focus
exports RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-330 Street photography highlights
Sony NEX-3 Street photography highlights
60
screen tilts up and down
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
lighter than average (616 grams)
no image stabilization
max ISO too low (400)
76
tilting screen
decent sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW files
lack of image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-330 as a Sports photography camera
Sony NEX-3 as a Sports photography camera
40
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports phase detect AF
max frames per second low (3.0 fps)
no image stabilization
sensor resolution low (7 megapixels)
52
good megapixels (14 megapixels)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
lack of image stabilization
does not have phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-330 Travel photography info
Sony NEX-3 Travel photography info
50
lighter than average (616g)
built-in flash
no Time Lapse mode
sensor resolution low (7 megapixels)
doesn't feature selfie friendly screen
59
good megapixels (14 megapixels)
doesn't have Time Lapse mode
doesn't offer selfie friendly display
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus E-330
Landscape photography with Sony NEX-3
45
manual focus
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
screen is small (2.5")
no image stabilization
sensor resolution low (7MP)
max ISO too low (400)
no Time Lapse mode
68
you can focus manually
switch lenses (Sony E mount)
screen size is good (3")
good megapixels (14 megapixels)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW files
lack of image stabilization
doesn't have Time Lapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus E-330
Vlogging with Sony NEX-3
9
can't shoot video
27
supports face detect focus
doesn't offer selfie friendly display
lack of image stabilization
low res video (1280 x 720 pxls)
doesn't have mic socket
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Olympus E-330 vs Sony NEX-3 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-330 and Sony NEX-3
 Olympus E-330Sony Alpha NEX-3
General Information
Brand Olympus Sony
Model Olympus E-330 Sony Alpha NEX-3
Alternative name EVOLT E-330 -
Class Advanced DSLR Entry-Level Mirrorless
Launched 2006-03-18 2010-06-07
Physical type Mid-size SLR Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Processor - Bionz
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds APS-C
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 23.4 x 15.6mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 365.0mm²
Sensor resolution 7MP 14MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 3136 x 2352 4592 x 3056
Max native ISO 400 12800
Max boosted ISO 1600 -
Minimum native ISO 100 200
RAW images
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Continuous autofocus
Single autofocus
Tracking autofocus
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Live view autofocus
Face detect autofocus
Contract detect autofocus
Phase detect autofocus
Number of focus points 3 25
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds Sony E
Available lenses 45 121
Crop factor 2.1 1.5
Screen
Type of display Tilting Tilting
Display diagonal 2.5 inch 3 inch
Display resolution 215k dots 920k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Display technology - TFT Xtra Fine LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentamirror) None
Viewfinder coverage 95 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.47x -
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60s 30s
Highest shutter speed 1/4000s 1/4000s
Continuous shooting rate 3.0 frames per second 7.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range - 12.00 m
Flash settings Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in
External flash
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Highest flash synchronize 1/180s 1/160s
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions - 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Max video resolution None 1280x720
Video file format - MPEG-4
Mic port
Headphone port
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
Environment sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 616g (1.36 pounds) 297g (0.65 pounds)
Physical dimensions 140 x 87 x 72mm (5.5" x 3.4" x 2.8") 117 x 62 x 33mm (4.6" x 2.4" x 1.3")
DXO scores
DXO All around score not tested 68
DXO Color Depth score not tested 22.1
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 12.0
DXO Low light score not tested 830
Other
Battery life - 330 shots
Battery type - Battery Pack
Battery model - NPFW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10sec (3 images))
Time lapse shooting
Storage type Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Card slots Single Single
Pricing at launch $1,100 $0