Olympus SP-590 UZ vs Sony NEX-3

Its time to look a little more in depth at the Olympus SP-590 UZ and Sony NEX-3, one being a Small Sensor Superzoom and the other is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by competitors Olympus and Sony. The sensor resolution of the SP-590 UZ (12MP) and the NEX-3 (14MP) is very comparable but the SP-590 UZ (1/2.3") and NEX-3 (APS-C) boast different sensor dimensions.

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The SP-590 UZ was manufactured 17 months before the NEX-3 making them a generation apart from each other. The two cameras have different body design with the Olympus SP-590 UZ being a SLR-like (bridge) camera and the Sony NEX-3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before getting straight to a comprehensive comparison, here is a brief summary of how the SP-590 UZ scores vs the NEX-3 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

The following is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus SP-590 UZ and Sony Alpha NEX-3. The entire galleries are provided at Olympus SP-590 UZ Gallery and Sony NEX-3 Gallery.

For those who are aiming to carry your camera regularly, you will want to take into account its weight and dimensions. The Olympus SP-590 UZ comes with outer measurements of 116mm x 84mm x 81mm (4.6" x 3.3" x 3.2") with a weight of 413 grams (0.91 lbs) while 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).

Take a look at the Olympus SP-590 UZ and Sony NEX-3 in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ based on the lens you have chosen at that time. Following is a front view proportions comparison of the SP-590 UZ compared to the NEX-3.

Considering size and weight, the portability score of the SP-590 UZ and NEX-3 is 72 and 89 respectively.

Often, it is very tough to visualize the difference in sensor sizing purely by seeing specs. The photograph here should provide you a more clear sense of the sensor measurements in the SP-590 UZ and NEX-3.

As you can plainly see, the 2 cameras provide different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The SP-590 UZ because of its smaller sensor is going to make getting shallow DOF more difficult and the Sony NEX-3 will produce extra detail due to its extra 2MP. Greater resolution can also let you crop pics more aggressively. The older SP-590 UZ will be disadvantaged in sensor tech.