Olympus E-500 vs Sony NEX-3

Its time to look more closely at the Olympus E-500 and Sony NEX-3, former is a Advanced DSLR while the latter is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by brands Olympus and Sony. There exists a substantial gap between the sensor resolutions of the E-500 (8MP) and NEX-3 (14MP) and the E-500 (Four Thirds) and NEX-3 (APS-C) have totally different sensor sizing.

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The E-500 was brought out 5 years before the NEX-3 which is quite a big difference as far as technology is concerned. The two cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-500 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Sony NEX-3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before delving into a more detailed comparison, here is a quick overview of how the E-500 matches up versus the NEX-3 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Following is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus E-500 & Sony Alpha NEX-3. The entire galleries are provided at Olympus E-500 Gallery & Sony NEX-3 Gallery.

For those who are going to travel with your camera, you have to consider its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-500 has got outer dimensions of 130mm x 95mm x 66mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.6") accompanied by a weight of 479 grams (1.06 lbs) whilst the Sony NEX-3 has proportions of 117mm x 62mm x 33mm (4.6" x 2.4" x 1.3") accompanied by a weight of 297 grams (0.65 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-500 and Sony NEX-3 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you are employing during that time. Below is a front view dimensions comparison of the E-500 versus the NEX-3.

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-500 and NEX-3 is 70 and 89 respectively.

Quite often, it's difficult to visualise the gap between sensor dimensions purely by looking at specifications. The image underneath might provide you a more clear sense of the sensor sizes in the E-500 and NEX-3.

Plainly, both cameras provide different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The E-500 due to its tinier sensor will make achieving shallower DOF trickier and the Sony NEX-3 will give you extra detail having its extra 6MP. Higher resolution can also allow you to crop shots more aggressively. The more aged E-500 is going to be disadvantaged in sensor technology.