Clicky

Olympus E-400 vs Sony NEX-3

Portability
77
Imaging
43
Features
31
Overall
38
Olympus E-400 front
 
Sony Alpha NEX-3 front
Portability
89
Imaging
54
Features
55
Overall
54

Olympus E-400 vs Sony NEX-3 Key Specs

Olympus E-400
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 2.5" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 1600
  • No Video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 435g - 130 x 91 x 53mm
  • Revealed September 2006
  • Replacement is Olympus E-410
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
  • Released June 2010
  • Replacement is Sony NEX-C3
Japan-exclusive Leica Leitz Phone 3 features big sensor and new modes

Olympus E-400 vs Sony NEX-3 Overview

Lets examine more in depth at the Olympus E-400 versus Sony NEX-3, former being a Entry-Level DSLR while the other is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by competitors Olympus and Sony. There exists a considerable gap among the sensor resolutions of the E-400 (10MP) and NEX-3 (14MP) and the E-400 (Four Thirds) and NEX-3 (APS-C) feature totally different sensor dimensions.

Snapchat Adds Watermarks to AI-Created Images

The E-400 was introduced 4 years earlier than the NEX-3 and that is a fairly large difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both the cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-400 being a Compact SLR camera and the Sony NEX-3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before getting in to a complete comparison, below is a concise highlight of how the E-400 scores versus the NEX-3 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide
	
	

Reasons to pick Olympus E-400 over the Sony NEX-3

 E-400 NEX-3 

Reasons to pick Sony NEX-3 over the Olympus E-400

 NEX-3 E-400 
ReleasedJune 2010September 2006More recent by 45 months
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display sizing3"2.5"Larger display (+0.5")
Display resolution920k215kCrisper display (+705k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-400 and Sony NEX-3

 E-400 NEX-3 
Manual focus Very precise focus
Selfie screen Neither comes with selfie screen
Touch friendly display Neither comes with Touch friendly display

Olympus E-400 vs Sony NEX-3 Physical Comparison

If you're planning to lug around your camera, you need to factor its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-400 comes with external dimensions of 130mm x 91mm x 53mm (5.1" x 3.6" x 2.1") with a weight of 435 grams (0.96 lbs) and the Sony NEX-3 has measurements of 117mm x 62mm x 33mm (4.6" x 2.4" x 1.3") along with a weight of 297 grams (0.65 lbs).

See the Olympus E-400 versus Sony NEX-3 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you are using at the time. The following is the front view over all size comparison of the E-400 vs the NEX-3.

Olympus E-400 vs Sony NEX-3 size comparison

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-400 and NEX-3 is 77 and 89 respectively.

Olympus E-400 vs Sony NEX-3 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-400 vs Sony NEX-3 Sensor Comparison

Quite often, it can be difficult to envision the difference in sensor measurements just by viewing specs. The graphic underneath might offer you a much better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-400 and NEX-3.

All in all, both of those cameras offer different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The E-400 with its smaller sensor will make shooting shallow depth of field tougher and the Sony NEX-3 will render extra detail using its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution will make it easier to crop images a little more aggressively. The older E-400 will be behind with regard to sensor technology.

Olympus E-400 vs Sony NEX-3 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-400 vs Sony NEX-3 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-400 vs Sony NEX-3 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Meta to Introduce 'AI-Generated' Labels for Media starting next month

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-400 Portrait photography details
Sony NEX-3 Portrait photography details
45
focusing manually
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
does not have liveview
no manual control
sensor resolution not great (10 megapixels)
72
has manual focus
resolution is good (14 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
provides face detection focus
delivers RAW formats
Apple Innovates by Creating Next-Level Optical Stabilization for iPhone

Street Comparison

Olympus E-400 Street photography features
Sony NEX-3 Street photography features
60
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
no moving screen
no image stabilization
76
has a tilting screen
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
delivers RAW formats
lack of image stabilization
Samsung Releases Faster Versions of EVO MicroSD Cards

Sports Comparison

Olympus E-400 as a Sports photography camera
Sony NEX-3 as a Sports photography camera
38
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
has phase detect AF
does not have liveview
very slow continuous shooting (3.0 frames per second)
no image stabilization
sensor resolution not great (10MP)
52
resolution is good (14MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
lack of image stabilization
lacks phase detect auto focus
Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music video

Travel Comparison

Olympus E-400 Travel photography information
Sony NEX-3 Travel photography information
49
has built in flash
lack of Time Lapse function
sensor resolution not great (10MP)
doesn't have selfie friendly screen
59
resolution is good (14 megapixels)
no Time Lapse function
display is not selfie friendly
President Biden pushes bill mandating TikTok sale or ban

Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-400 as a Landscape photography camera
Sony NEX-3 as a Landscape photography camera
44
focusing manually
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
small screen (2.5")
does not have liveview
no manual control
no image stabilization
sensor resolution not great (10MP)
lack of Time Lapse function
68
has manual focus
switch lenses (Sony E mount)
screen size is good (3 inches)
resolution is good (14 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
delivers RAW formats
lack of image stabilization
no Time Lapse function
Photobucket discusses licensing 13 billion images with AI firms

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-400 Vlogging advice
Sony NEX-3 Vlogging advice
9
lack of video recording
27
provides face detection focus
display is not selfie friendly
lack of image stabilization
video quality not great (1280 x 720 pixels)
no external mic jack
Photography Glossary

Olympus E-400 vs Sony NEX-3 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-400 and Sony NEX-3
 Olympus E-400Sony Alpha NEX-3
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Sony
Model type Olympus E-400 Sony Alpha NEX-3
Class Entry-Level DSLR Entry-Level Mirrorless
Revealed 2006-09-14 2010-06-07
Body design Compact SLR Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Chip - Bionz
Sensor type CCD 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 10MP 14MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 3:2 and 16:9
Highest Possible resolution 3648 x 2736 4592 x 3056
Maximum native ISO 1600 12800
Minimum native ISO 100 200
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Total focus points 3 25
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds Sony E
Amount of lenses 45 121
Crop factor 2.1 1.5
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Tilting
Display sizing 2.5" 3"
Resolution of display 215 thousand dot 920 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Display technology - TFT Xtra Fine LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentamirror) None
Viewfinder coverage 95% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.46x -
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60s 30s
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000s 1/4000s
Continuous shutter speed 3.0 frames/s 7.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation - Yes
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 10.00 m (at ISO 100) 12.00 m
Flash modes Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Fastest flash sync - 1/160s
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions - 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution None 1280x720
Video data format - MPEG-4
Mic input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless None Eye-Fi Connected
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 435g (0.96 lb) 297g (0.65 lb)
Dimensions 130 x 91 x 53mm (5.1" x 3.6" x 2.1") 117 x 62 x 33mm (4.6" x 2.4" x 1.3")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating not tested 68
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 22.1
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 12.0
DXO Low light rating not tested 830
Other
Battery life - 330 photos
Form of battery - Battery Pack
Battery ID - NPFW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10sec (3 images))
Time lapse recording
Storage media Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots Single Single
Cost at release $599 $0