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Olympus FE-4030 vs Sony NEX-3

Portability
95
Imaging
36
Features
21
Overall
30
Olympus FE-4030 front
 
Sony Alpha NEX-3 front
Portability
89
Imaging
54
Features
55
Overall
54

Olympus FE-4030 vs Sony NEX-3 Key Specs

Olympus FE-4030
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 64 - 1600
  • 640 x 480 video
  • 26-105mm (F2.6-5.9) lens
  • 146g - 93 x 56 x 22mm
  • Released January 2010
Sony NEX-3
(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
  • Introduced June 2010
  • Successor is Sony NEX-C3
Photography Glossary

Olympus FE-4030 vs Sony NEX-3 Overview

Let's take a more detailed look at the Olympus FE-4030 vs Sony NEX-3, former being a Small Sensor Compact while the latter is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by manufacturers Olympus and Sony. The resolution of the FE-4030 (14MP) and the NEX-3 (14MP) is relatively comparable but the FE-4030 (1/2.3") and NEX-3 (APS-C) offer different sensor sizing.

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The FE-4030 was unveiled 5 months earlier than the NEX-3 so they are both of a similar age. Each of the cameras have different body design with the Olympus FE-4030 being a Compact camera and the Sony NEX-3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before getting into a full comparison, here is a quick view of how the FE-4030 scores vs the NEX-3 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus FE-4030 over the Sony NEX-3

 FE-4030 NEX-3 

Reasons to pick Sony NEX-3 over the Olympus FE-4030

 NEX-3 FE-4030 
Focus manually Dial exact focus
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen dimensions3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution920k230kClearer screen (+690k dot)

Common features in the Olympus FE-4030 and Sony NEX-3

 FE-4030 NEX-3 
IntroducedJanuary 2010June 2010Same age
Selfie screen Neither includes selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Lacking Touch friendly screen

Olympus FE-4030 vs Sony NEX-3 Physical Comparison

If you are looking to lug around your camera, you will have to take into account its weight and dimensions. The Olympus FE-4030 features outer dimensions of 93mm x 56mm x 22mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9") along with a weight of 146 grams (0.32 lbs) whilst the Sony NEX-3 has dimensions of 117mm x 62mm x 33mm (4.6" x 2.4" x 1.3") accompanied by a weight of 297 grams (0.65 lbs).

Examine the Olympus FE-4030 vs Sony NEX-3 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you have chosen at that time. Following is a front view overall size comparison of the FE-4030 and the NEX-3.

Olympus FE-4030 vs Sony NEX-3 size comparison

Factoring in size and weight, the portability rating of the FE-4030 and NEX-3 is 95 and 89 respectively.

Olympus FE-4030 vs Sony NEX-3 top view buttons comparison

Olympus FE-4030 vs Sony NEX-3 Sensor Comparison

Oftentimes, it is very tough to picture the gap in sensor measurements merely by checking out a spec sheet. The graphic below should offer you a more clear sense of the sensor dimensions in the FE-4030 and NEX-3.

Clearly, each of these cameras have the same MP albeit different sensor measurements. The FE-4030 features the smaller sensor which should make getting shallower depth of field harder.

Olympus FE-4030 vs Sony NEX-3 sensor size comparison

Olympus FE-4030 vs Sony NEX-3 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus FE-4030 vs Sony NEX-3 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus FE-4030 as a Portrait photography camera
Sony NEX-3 as a Portrait photography camera
28
good resolution (14MP)
no manual focus
manual exposure not possible
cannot use external flash
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
72
you can focus manually
decent megapixels (14 megapixels)
good sensor size (APS-C)
includes face detection focus
delivers RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Olympus FE-4030 Street photography info
Sony NEX-3 Street photography info
48
screen does not articulate
does not have image stabilization
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
76
tilting screen
good sensor size (APS-C)
delivers RAW formats
lack of image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Olympus FE-4030 Sports photography information
Sony NEX-3 Sports photography information
34
good resolution (14MP)
provides tracking focus
no shutter priority
does not have image stabilization
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
has no phase detect AF
52
decent megapixels (14 megapixels)
good sensor size (APS-C)
lack of image stabilization
lacks phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus FE-4030
Travel photography with Sony NEX-3
65
good resolution (14MP)
built-in flash
quite wide (26mm)
no Time Lapse function
display isn't selfie friendly
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.6)
59
decent megapixels (14 megapixels)
lack of Time Lapse function
does not posses selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus FE-4030 Landscape photography advice
Sony NEX-3 Landscape photography advice
32
quite wide (26mm)
good resolution (14 megapixels)
no manual focus
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.6)
small screen (2.7 inches)
manual exposure not possible
does not have image stabilization
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
no Time Lapse function
68
you can focus manually
change lenses (Sony E mount)
screen size is decent (3 inches)
decent megapixels (14MP)
good sensor size (APS-C)
delivers RAW formats
lack of image stabilization
lack of Time Lapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus FE-4030
Vlogging with Sony NEX-3
25
quite wide (26mm)
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.6)
display isn't selfie friendly
does not have image stabilization
video resolution low (640 x 480 resolution)
no mic socket
27
includes face detection focus
does not posses selfie friendly screen
lack of image stabilization
video quality not great (1280 x 720 resolution)
lack of external mic support
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Olympus FE-4030 vs Sony NEX-3 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus FE-4030 and Sony NEX-3
 Olympus FE-4030Sony Alpha NEX-3
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Sony
Model type Olympus FE-4030 Sony Alpha NEX-3
Class Small Sensor Compact Entry-Level Mirrorless
Released 2010-01-07 2010-06-07
Physical type Compact Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Powered by TruePic III Bionz
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" APS-C
Sensor dimensions 6.08 x 4.56mm 23.4 x 15.6mm
Sensor area 27.7mm² 365.0mm²
Sensor resolution 14MP 14MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Max resolution 4288 x 3216 4592 x 3056
Max native ISO 1600 12800
Minimum native ISO 64 200
RAW format
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch to focus
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Total focus points - 25
Lens
Lens support fixed lens Sony E
Lens zoom range 26-105mm (4.0x) -
Maximum aperture f/2.6-5.9 -
Macro focusing distance 4cm -
Number of lenses - 121
Crop factor 5.9 1.5
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Tilting
Screen diagonal 2.7 inches 3 inches
Screen resolution 230k dots 920k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Screen technology - TFT Xtra Fine LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None None
Features
Minimum shutter speed 4s 30s
Fastest shutter speed 1/2000s 1/4000s
Continuous shutter rate - 7.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation - Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 5.80 m 12.00 m
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Fill-in Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Fastest flash synchronize - 1/160s
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps) 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Max video resolution 640x480 1280x720
Video file format Motion JPEG MPEG-4
Mic support
Headphone support
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
Environment sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 146g (0.32 lbs) 297g (0.65 lbs)
Physical dimensions 93 x 56 x 22mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9") 117 x 62 x 33mm (4.6" x 2.4" x 1.3")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating not tested 68
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 22.1
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 12.0
DXO Low light rating not tested 830
Other
Battery life - 330 photos
Battery style - Battery Pack
Battery ID - NPFW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 seconds) Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10sec (3 images))
Time lapse feature
Storage type SD/SDHC, Internal SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Card slots One One
Launch pricing $130 $0