Olympus E-620 vs Sony NEX-3

On this page, we are reviewing the Olympus E-620 and Sony NEX-3, former being a Entry-Level DSLR while the other is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by brands Olympus and Sony. The resolution of the E-620 (12MP) and the NEX-3 (14MP) is very well matched but the E-620 (Four Thirds) and NEX-3 (APS-C) offer totally different sensor dimensions.

Japan-exclusive Leica Leitz Phone 3 features big sensor and new modes

The E-620 was introduced 11 months prior to the NEX-3 which means that they are both of a similar age. Both cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-620 being a Compact SLR camera and the Sony NEX-3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before getting into a step-by-step comparison, here is a brief overview of how the E-620 grades against the NEX-3 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

This is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus E-620 & Sony Alpha NEX-3. The whole galleries are provided at Olympus E-620 Gallery & Sony NEX-3 Gallery.

For those who are planning to lug around your camera frequently, you are going to need to factor its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-620 comes with external dimensions of 130mm x 94mm x 60mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.4") and a weight of 500 grams (1.10 lbs) whilst the Sony NEX-3 has measurements of 117mm x 62mm x 33mm (4.6" x 2.4" x 1.3") and a weight of 297 grams (0.65 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus E-620 and Sony NEX-3 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you have at that moment. Underneath is a front view measurement comparison of the E-620 compared to the NEX-3.

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-620 and NEX-3 is 71 and 89 respectively.

Quite often, it can be hard to see the gap between sensor measurements purely by looking at specs. The graphic here will offer you a much better sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-620 and NEX-3.

As you can plainly see, both of these cameras have different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The E-620 with its tinier sensor will make shooting shallow DOF harder and the Sony NEX-3 will give you more detail using its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also enable you to crop photos a bit more aggressively. The older E-620 is going to be behind when it comes to sensor technology.