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Olympus Tough-3000 vs Sony NEX-3

Portability
94
Imaging
35
Features
26
Overall
31
Olympus Stylus Tough-3000 front
 
Sony Alpha NEX-3 front
Portability
89
Imaging
54
Features
55
Overall
54

Olympus Tough-3000 vs Sony NEX-3 Key Specs

Olympus Tough-3000
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • ISO 64 - 1600
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-102mm (F3.5-5.1) lens
  • 159g - 96 x 65 x 23mm
  • Announced January 2010
  • Also referred to as mju Tough 3000
Sony NEX-3
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 200 - 12800
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 297g - 117 x 62 x 33mm
  • Announced June 2010
  • Successor is Sony NEX-C3
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Olympus Tough-3000 vs Sony NEX-3 Overview

On this page, we are evaluating the Olympus Tough-3000 versus Sony NEX-3, one is a Waterproof and the other is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by companies Olympus and Sony. The resolution of the Tough-3000 (12MP) and the NEX-3 (14MP) is very comparable but the Tough-3000 (1/2.3") and NEX-3 (APS-C) posses different sensor measurements.

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The Tough-3000 was released 5 months before the NEX-3 which means that they are of a similar generation. Both cameras have different body design with the Olympus Tough-3000 being a Compact camera and the Sony NEX-3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before delving straight to a in depth comparison, here is a brief overview of how the Tough-3000 matches up versus the NEX-3 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus Tough-3000 over the Sony NEX-3

 Tough-3000 NEX-3 

Reasons to pick Sony NEX-3 over the Olympus Tough-3000

 NEX-3 Tough-3000 
Manual focus More precise focusing
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display dimensions3"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")
Display resolution920k230kCrisper display (+690k dot)

Common features in the Olympus Tough-3000 and Sony NEX-3

 Tough-3000 NEX-3 
AnnouncedJanuary 2010June 2010Same generation
Selfie screen Missing selfie screen
Touch friendly display Missing Touch friendly display

Olympus Tough-3000 vs Sony NEX-3 Physical Comparison

For anyone who is looking to travel with your camera often, you'll have to take into account its weight and dimensions. The Olympus Tough-3000 offers external measurements of 96mm x 65mm x 23mm (3.8" x 2.6" x 0.9") along with a weight of 159 grams (0.35 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).

Examine the Olympus Tough-3000 versus Sony NEX-3 in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into account, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change depending on the lens you have chosen at the time. Below is a front view measurements comparison of the Tough-3000 against the NEX-3.

Olympus Tough-3000 vs Sony NEX-3 size comparison

Looking at size and weight, the portability score of the Tough-3000 and NEX-3 is 94 and 89 respectively.

Olympus Tough-3000 vs Sony NEX-3 top view buttons comparison

Olympus Tough-3000 vs Sony NEX-3 Sensor Comparison

Generally, it can be hard to visualize the difference in sensor dimensions simply by seeing specs. The pic here will help provide you a better sense of the sensor sizing in the Tough-3000 and NEX-3.

All in all, both of the cameras provide different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The Tough-3000 because of its smaller sensor is going to make getting shallow depth of field tougher and the Sony NEX-3 will provide extra detail as a result of its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution will allow you to crop pics more aggressively.

Olympus Tough-3000 vs Sony NEX-3 sensor size comparison

Olympus Tough-3000 vs Sony NEX-3 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus Tough-3000 vs Sony NEX-3 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus Tough-3000 as a Portrait photography camera
Sony NEX-3 as a Portrait photography camera
21
lack of manual focus
manual mode not possible
can't use external flash
low resolution (12 megapixels)
small sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
72
manual focus
good MP (14 megapixels)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
features face detect focusing
supports RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus Tough-3000 as a Street photography camera
Sony NEX-3 as a Street photography camera
62
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
weather proofing
screen does not articulate
small sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
76
screen tilts
sensor size is good (APS-C)
supports RAW files
does not have image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus Tough-3000
Sports photography with Sony NEX-3
36
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
has tracking focus
weather proofing
painfully slow continuous shooting (1.0 frames/s)
no shutter priority
low resolution (12MP)
small sensor (1/2.3")
has no phase detect autofocus
52
good MP (14 megapixels)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
does not have image stabilization
does not have phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus Tough-3000
Travel photography with Sony NEX-3
61
weather proofing
has built in flash
quite wide (28mm)
missing Timelapse function
low resolution (12MP)
display isn't selfie friendly
slow max aperture (f3.5)
59
good MP (14MP)
missing Timelapse mode
display isn't selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus Tough-3000
Landscape photography with Sony NEX-3
35
quite wide (28mm)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
weather proofing
lack of manual focus
cannot change lens (fixed lens mount)
slow max aperture (f3.5)
screen is small (2.7")
manual mode not possible
low resolution (12 megapixels)
small sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
missing Timelapse function
68
manual focus
switch lenses (Sony E mount)
screen size is good (3")
good MP (14 megapixels)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
supports RAW files
does not have image stabilization
missing Timelapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus Tough-3000 Vlogging advice
Sony NEX-3 Vlogging advice
28
quite wide (28mm)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
slow max aperture (f3.5)
display isn't selfie friendly
low res video (1280 x 720 resolution)
missing microphone support
27
features face detect focusing
display isn't selfie friendly
does not have image stabilization
low video resolution (1280 x 720 pixels)
missing microphone jack
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Olympus Tough-3000 vs Sony NEX-3 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus Tough-3000 and Sony NEX-3
 Olympus Stylus Tough-3000Sony Alpha NEX-3
General Information
Company Olympus Sony
Model Olympus Stylus Tough-3000 Sony Alpha NEX-3
Also referred to as mju Tough 3000 -
Class Waterproof Entry-Level Mirrorless
Announced 2010-01-07 2010-06-07
Body design Compact Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Processor TruePic III Bionz
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" APS-C
Sensor measurements 6.08 x 4.56mm 23.4 x 15.6mm
Sensor area 27.7mm² 365.0mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixel 14 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Highest Possible resolution 3968 x 2976 4592 x 3056
Maximum native ISO 1600 12800
Lowest native ISO 64 200
RAW files
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Autofocus touch
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Tracking autofocus
Autofocus selectice
Autofocus center weighted
Autofocus multi area
Live view autofocus
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Number of focus points - 25
Lens
Lens mounting type fixed lens Sony E
Lens focal range 28-102mm (3.6x) -
Highest aperture f/3.5-5.1 -
Macro focus range 2cm -
Available lenses - 121
Focal length multiplier 5.9 1.5
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Tilting
Display diagonal 2.7 inch 3 inch
Display resolution 230 thousand dot 920 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Display tech - TFT Xtra Fine LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None None
Features
Min shutter speed 4s 30s
Max shutter speed 1/2000s 1/4000s
Continuous shutter speed 1.0fps 7.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation - Yes
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 4.00 m 12.00 m
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Fill-in Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Max flash sync - 1/160s
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps) 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15 fps) 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1280x720 1280x720
Video format MPEG-4 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 159 grams (0.35 lb) 297 grams (0.65 lb)
Physical dimensions 96 x 65 x 23mm (3.8" x 2.6" x 0.9") 117 x 62 x 33mm (4.6" x 2.4" x 1.3")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score not tested 68
DXO Color Depth score not tested 22.1
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 12.0
DXO Low light score not tested 830
Other
Battery life - 330 photos
Form of battery - Battery Pack
Battery model - NPFW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 seconds) Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10sec (3 images))
Time lapse recording
Storage media SD/SDHC, Internal SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots 1 1
Retail cost $0 $0