Olympus E-600 vs Sony NEX-3
71 Imaging
46 Features
50 Overall
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89 Imaging
54 Features
55 Overall
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Olympus E-600 vs Sony NEX-3 Key Specs
(Full Review)
- 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
- 2.7" Fully Articulated Screen
- ISO 100 - 3200
- Sensor based Image Stabilization
- No Video
- Micro Four Thirds Mount
- 515g - 130 x 94 x 60mm
- Launched August 2009
(Full Review)
- 14MP - APS-C Sensor
- 3" Tilting Screen
- ISO 200 - 12800
- 1280 x 720 video
- Sony E Mount
- 297g - 117 x 62 x 33mm
- Announced June 2010
- Updated by Sony NEX-C3

Olympus E-600 vs Sony NEX-3 Overview
Lets look more in depth at the Olympus E-600 versus Sony NEX-3, former is a Entry-Level DSLR while the latter is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by rivals Olympus and Sony. The resolution of the E-600 (12MP) and the NEX-3 (14MP) is pretty comparable but the E-600 (Four Thirds) and NEX-3 (APS-C) posses totally different sensor sizes.

The E-600 was revealed 9 months before the NEX-3 which means that they are of a similar age. The two cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-600 being a Compact SLR camera and the Sony NEX-3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.
Before getting straight to a detailed comparison, here is a brief synopsis of how the E-600 matches up versus the NEX-3 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Olympus E-600 vs Sony NEX-3 Gallery
The following is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus E-600 & Sony Alpha NEX-3. The full galleries are available at Olympus E-600 Gallery & Sony NEX-3 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus E-600 over the Sony NEX-3
E-600 | NEX-3 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Screen type | Fully Articulated | ![]() | Tilting | Fully Articulating screen |
Selfie screen | ![]() | Take selfies |
Reasons to pick Sony NEX-3 over the Olympus E-600
NEX-3 | E-600 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Announced | June 2010 | ![]() | August 2009 | More modern by 9 months |
Screen dimensions | 3" | ![]() | 2.7" | Bigger screen (+0.3") |
Screen resolution | 920k | ![]() | 230k | Sharper screen (+690k dot) |
Common features in the Olympus E-600 and Sony NEX-3
E-600 | NEX-3 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Manually focus | ![]() | Very precise focus | ||
Touch friendly screen | ![]() | No Touch friendly screen |
Olympus E-600 vs Sony NEX-3 Physical Comparison
When you are intending to carry around your camera frequently, you will have to factor in its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-600 has outside dimensions of 130mm x 94mm x 60mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.4") with a weight of 515 grams (1.14 lbs) whilst the Sony NEX-3 has dimensions of 117mm x 62mm x 33mm (4.6" x 2.4" x 1.3") and a weight of 297 grams (0.65 lbs).
Compare the Olympus E-600 versus Sony NEX-3 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Take into account, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you are utilising at that moment. The following is a front view size comparison of the E-600 and the NEX-3.

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-600 and NEX-3 is 71 and 89 respectively.

Olympus E-600 vs Sony NEX-3 Sensor Comparison
More often than not, it can be difficult to envision the gap in sensor sizes just by going through a spec sheet. The picture below will provide you a far better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-600 and NEX-3.
Clearly, both of these cameras have different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The E-600 having a smaller sensor will make shooting shallow DOF trickier and the Sony NEX-3 will provide more detail because of its extra 2 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also help you crop pictures a bit more aggressively. The more aged E-600 will be behind with regard to sensor innovation.

Olympus E-600 vs Sony NEX-3 Screen and ViewFinder


Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison

Street Comparison

Sports Comparison

Travel Comparison

Landscape Comparison

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-600 vs Sony NEX-3 Specifications
Olympus E-600 | Sony Alpha NEX-3 | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Manufacturer | Olympus | Sony |
Model | Olympus E-600 | Sony Alpha NEX-3 |
Class | Entry-Level DSLR | Entry-Level Mirrorless |
Launched | 2009-08-30 | 2010-06-07 |
Body design | Compact SLR | Rangefinder-style mirrorless |
Sensor Information | ||
Powered by | TruePic III+ | Bionz |
Sensor type | CMOS | CMOS |
Sensor size | Four Thirds | APS-C |
Sensor measurements | 17.3 x 13mm | 23.4 x 15.6mm |
Sensor area | 224.9mm² | 365.0mm² |
Sensor resolution | 12 megapixels | 14 megapixels |
Anti aliasing filter | ||
Aspect ratio | 4:3 | 3:2 and 16:9 |
Maximum resolution | 4032 x 3024 | 4592 x 3056 |
Maximum native ISO | 3200 | 12800 |
Minimum native ISO | 100 | 200 |
RAW photos | ||
Autofocusing | ||
Manual focus | ||
AF touch | ||
AF continuous | ||
AF single | ||
AF tracking | ||
Selective AF | ||
AF center weighted | ||
Multi area AF | ||
AF live view | ||
Face detection focusing | ||
Contract detection focusing | ||
Phase detection focusing | ||
Number of focus points | 7 | 25 |
Lens | ||
Lens mounting type | Micro Four Thirds | Sony E |
Number of lenses | 45 | 121 |
Focal length multiplier | 2.1 | 1.5 |
Screen | ||
Screen type | Fully Articulated | Tilting |
Screen sizing | 2.7" | 3" |
Resolution of screen | 230 thousand dot | 920 thousand dot |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch function | ||
Screen tech | HyperCrystal LCD | TFT Xtra Fine LCD |
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder type | Optical (pentamirror) | None |
Viewfinder coverage | 95% | - |
Viewfinder magnification | 0.48x | - |
Features | ||
Slowest shutter speed | 60 seconds | 30 seconds |
Maximum shutter speed | 1/4000 seconds | 1/4000 seconds |
Continuous shooting speed | 4.0 frames/s | 7.0 frames/s |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Manually set exposure | ||
Exposure compensation | Yes | Yes |
Change WB | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Integrated flash | ||
Flash range | 12.00 m | 12.00 m |
Flash options | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Front curtain, Rear curtain, Fill-in, Manual | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in |
Hot shoe | ||
Auto exposure bracketing | ||
WB bracketing | ||
Maximum flash sync | 1/180 seconds | 1/160 seconds |
Exposure | ||
Multisegment | ||
Average | ||
Spot | ||
Partial | ||
AF area | ||
Center weighted | ||
Video features | ||
Video resolutions | - | 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) |
Maximum video resolution | None | 1280x720 |
Video file format | - | MPEG-4 |
Microphone 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 | ||
Environmental seal | ||
Water proof | ||
Dust proof | ||
Shock proof | ||
Crush proof | ||
Freeze proof | ||
Weight | 515 grams (1.14 pounds) | 297 grams (0.65 pounds) |
Physical dimensions | 130 x 94 x 60mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.4") | 117 x 62 x 33mm (4.6" x 2.4" x 1.3") |
DXO scores | ||
DXO All around score | 55 | 68 |
DXO Color Depth score | 21.5 | 22.1 |
DXO Dynamic range score | 10.3 | 12.0 |
DXO Low light score | 541 | 830 |
Other | ||
Battery life | 500 pictures | 330 pictures |
Battery format | Battery Pack | Battery Pack |
Battery model | BLS-1 | NPFW50 |
Self timer | Yes (2 or 12 sec) | Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10sec (3 images)) |
Time lapse feature | ||
Type of storage | Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card | SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo |
Storage slots | One | One |
Cost at launch | $0 | $0 |