Olympus E-420 vs Sony NEX-3

Its time to look more closely at the Olympus E-420 versus Sony NEX-3, former is a Entry-Level DSLR while the latter is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by manufacturers Olympus and Sony. There exists a considerable gap between the sensor resolutions of the E-420 (10MP) and NEX-3 (14MP) and the E-420 (Four Thirds) and NEX-3 (APS-C) use totally different sensor sizes.

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The E-420 was revealed 23 months earlier than the NEX-3 which makes the cameras a generation away from one another. Each of the cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-420 being a Compact SLR camera and the Sony NEX-3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before we go straight into a in-depth comparison, below is a concise synopsis of how the E-420 matches up vs the NEX-3 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

The following is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus E-420 & Sony Alpha NEX-3. The full galleries are available at Olympus E-420 Gallery & Sony NEX-3 Gallery.

For anyone who is aiming to carry around your camera, you are going to need to consider its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-420 provides physical dimensions of 130mm x 91mm x 53mm (5.1" x 3.6" x 2.1") having a weight of 426 grams (0.94 lbs) and the Sony NEX-3 has measurements of 117mm x 62mm x 33mm (4.6" x 2.4" x 1.3") with a weight of 297 grams (0.65 lbs).

Check the Olympus E-420 versus Sony NEX-3 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you have chosen at the time. Below is the front view proportions comparison of the E-420 versus the NEX-3.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-420 and NEX-3 is 77 and 89 respectively.

Normally, it is hard to visualise the gap between sensor sizes just by reviewing a spec sheet. The pic below might give you a far better sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-420 and NEX-3.

As you can see, both the cameras offer different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The E-420 using its tinier sensor will make shooting shallow DOF tougher and the Sony NEX-3 will offer you greater detail because of its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution will allow you to crop photographs a little more aggressively. The more aged E-420 is going to be behind with regard to sensor tech.