Olympus E-520 vs Sony NEX-3

On this page, we are reviewing the Olympus E-520 vs Sony NEX-3, former being a Entry-Level DSLR while the other is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by rivals Olympus and Sony. There exists a substantial gap among the resolutions of the E-520 (10MP) and NEX-3 (14MP) and the E-520 (Four Thirds) and NEX-3 (APS-C) provide totally different sensor sizes.

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The E-520 was launched 21 months earlier than the NEX-3 making them a generation apart from one another. Each of the cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-520 being a Compact SLR camera and the Sony NEX-3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before going into a complete comparison, here is a concise overview of how the E-520 grades vs the NEX-3 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

This is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus E-520 & Sony Alpha NEX-3. The complete galleries are available at Olympus E-520 Gallery & Sony NEX-3 Gallery.

For anybody who is aiming to carry your camera, you're going to have to factor in its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-520 provides outer dimensions of 136mm x 92mm x 68mm (5.4" x 3.6" x 2.7") accompanied by a weight of 552 grams (1.22 lbs) while the Sony NEX-3 has proportions of 117mm x 62mm x 33mm (4.6" x 2.4" x 1.3") having a weight of 297 grams (0.65 lbs).

Check the Olympus E-520 vs Sony NEX-3 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you are working with during that time. Following is a front view sizing comparison of the E-520 versus the NEX-3.

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-520 and NEX-3 is 68 and 89 respectively.

Normally, it is hard to visualise the difference in sensor sizing only by checking out technical specs. The visual here may provide you a greater sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-520 and NEX-3.

As you can tell, both of these cameras provide different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The E-520 because of its smaller sensor will make getting shallower DOF trickier and the Sony NEX-3 will show extra detail utilizing its extra 4MP. Greater resolution will help you crop images more aggressively. The older E-520 will be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor technology.