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Olympus E-M5 II vs Sony NEX-3

Portability
80
Imaging
53
Features
84
Overall
65
Olympus OM-D E-M5 II front
 
Sony Alpha NEX-3 front
Portability
89
Imaging
54
Features
55
Overall
54

Olympus E-M5 II vs Sony NEX-3 Key Specs

Olympus E-M5 II
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Display
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 469g - 124 x 85 x 45mm
  • Revealed February 2015
  • Old Model is Olympus E-M5
  • Updated by Olympus E-M5 III
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
  • Revealed June 2010
  • Replacement is Sony NEX-C3
Photography Glossary

Olympus E-M5 II vs Sony NEX-3 Overview

Here is a thorough analysis of the Olympus E-M5 II vs Sony NEX-3, former being a Advanced Mirrorless while the latter is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by rivals Olympus and Sony. The image resolution of the E-M5 II (16MP) and the NEX-3 (14MP) is pretty similar but the E-M5 II (Four Thirds) and NEX-3 (APS-C) enjoy totally different sensor measurements.

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The E-M5 II was revealed 4 years later than the NEX-3 and that is quite a serious difference as far as technology is concerned. Both of the cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-M5 II being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Sony NEX-3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before diving straight into a step-by-step comparison, below is a concise summary of how the E-M5 II matches up against the NEX-3 for portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-M5 II over the Sony NEX-3

 E-M5 II NEX-3 
RevealedFebruary 2015June 2010Fresher by 57 months
Screen typeFully ArticulatedTiltingFully Articulating screen
Screen resolution1037k920kClearer screen (+117k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Sony NEX-3 over the Olympus E-M5 II

 NEX-3 E-M5 II 

Common features in the Olympus E-M5 II and Sony NEX-3

 E-M5 II NEX-3 
Manually focus Dial exact focus
Screen sizing3"3"Equivalent screen measurements

Olympus E-M5 II vs Sony NEX-3 Physical Comparison

If you are aiming to carry your camera, you're going to have to take into account its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-M5 II enjoys external measurements of 124mm x 85mm x 45mm (4.9" x 3.3" x 1.8") along with a weight of 469 grams (1.03 lbs) while 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).

Compare the Olympus E-M5 II vs Sony NEX-3 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you have at that moment. Following is the front view size comparison of the E-M5 II compared to the NEX-3.

Olympus E-M5 II vs Sony NEX-3 size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-M5 II and NEX-3 is 80 and 89 respectively.

Olympus E-M5 II vs Sony NEX-3 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-M5 II vs Sony NEX-3 Sensor Comparison

Typically, it is very tough to visualise the difference between sensor sizing merely by reviewing specs. The photograph here will help offer you a stronger sense of the sensor measurements in the E-M5 II and NEX-3.

All in all, each of these cameras offer different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The E-M5 II having a tinier sensor will make getting shallow DOF trickier and the Olympus E-M5 II will deliver more detail because of its extra 2MP. Higher resolution will make it easier to crop shots a little more aggressively. The more modern E-M5 II is going to have a benefit with regard to sensor tech.

Olympus E-M5 II vs Sony NEX-3 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-M5 II vs Sony NEX-3 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-M5 II vs Sony NEX-3 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-M5 II as a Portrait photography camera
Sony NEX-3 as a Portrait photography camera
71
has manual focus
good MP (16MP)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
provides face detection focus
exports RAW formats
72
focusing manually
MP count good (14MP)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
supports face detect focusing
delivers RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-M5 II Street photography information
Sony NEX-3 Street photography information
82
fully articulated screen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
includes touch focus
weather sealing
above average high ISO (25,600)
76
tilting screen
sensor size is good (APS-C)
delivers RAW files
lack of image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-M5 II Sports photography advice
Sony NEX-3 Sports photography advice
65
maximum shutter speed is high (1/8,000s)
quiet shooting (1/16,000s)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good MP (16MP)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
provides tracking autofocus
weather sealing
bad battery power (310 shots)
has no phase detect auto focus
52
MP count good (14 megapixels)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
lack of image stabilization
has no phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus E-M5 II
Travel photography with Sony NEX-3
74
weather sealing
includes touch focus
good MP (16MP)
selfie friendly screen
bad battery power (310 CIPA)
59
MP count good (14MP)
lack of Timelapse mode
display isn't selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus E-M5 II
Landscape photography with Sony NEX-3
74
has manual focus
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen is a good size (3")
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good MP (16 megapixels)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
above average high ISO (25,600)
exports RAW formats
weather sealing
bad battery power (310 CIPA)
68
focusing manually
switch lenses (Sony E mount)
pretty good screen size (3")
MP count good (14 megapixels)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
delivers RAW files
lack of image stabilization
lack of Timelapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-M5 II Vlogging features
Sony NEX-3 Vlogging features
82
selfie friendly screen
touchscreen enabled
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
provides face detection focus
video res high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
has external microphone socket
27
supports face detect focusing
display isn't selfie friendly
lack of image stabilization
video quality not great (1280 x 720 resolution)
lack of microphone jack
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Olympus E-M5 II vs Sony NEX-3 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M5 II and Sony NEX-3
 Olympus OM-D E-M5 IISony Alpha NEX-3
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Sony
Model Olympus OM-D E-M5 II Sony Alpha NEX-3
Type Advanced Mirrorless Entry-Level Mirrorless
Revealed 2015-02-06 2010-06-07
Body design SLR-style mirrorless Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Processor Chip TruePic VII Bionz
Sensor type MOS 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 16 megapixels 14 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Highest Possible resolution 4608 x 3456 4592 x 3056
Maximum native ISO 25600 12800
Minimum native ISO 200 200
RAW images
Minimum enhanced ISO 100 -
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch to focus
AF continuous
Single AF
AF tracking
Selective AF
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Number of focus points 81 25
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds Sony E
Total lenses 107 121
Focal length multiplier 2.1 1.5
Screen
Range of display Fully Articulated Tilting
Display size 3" 3"
Resolution of display 1,037k dot 920k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Display tech - TFT Xtra Fine LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic None
Viewfinder resolution 2,360k dot -
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.74x -
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60 secs 30 secs
Fastest shutter speed 1/8000 secs 1/4000 secs
Fastest quiet shutter speed 1/16000 secs -
Continuous shutter speed 10.0 frames/s 7.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range no built-in flash 12.00 m
Flash settings Auto, redeye, fill, off, redeye slow sync, slow sync, 2nd-curtain slow sync, manual Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in
External flash
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Fastest flash sync 1/250 secs 1/160 secs
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60p, 50p, 30p, 25p, 24p), 1280 x 720 (60p, 50p, 30p, 25p, 24p), 640 x 480 (30p) 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video file format MPEG-4, H.264, Motion JPEG MPEG-4
Microphone input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In 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 469g (1.03 lbs) 297g (0.65 lbs)
Dimensions 124 x 85 x 45mm (4.9" x 3.3" x 1.8") 117 x 62 x 33mm (4.6" x 2.4" x 1.3")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score 73 68
DXO Color Depth score 23.0 22.1
DXO Dynamic range score 12.4 12.0
DXO Low light score 896 830
Other
Battery life 310 photos 330 photos
Battery format Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model BLN-1 NPFW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 secs, custom) Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10sec (3 images))
Time lapse feature
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots Single Single
Retail pricing $699 $0