Olympus Tough-3000 vs Sony NEX-7

Below, we will be evaluating the Olympus Tough-3000 vs Sony NEX-7, one is a Waterproof and the latter is a Advanced Mirrorless by competitors Olympus and Sony. There is a huge difference among the resolutions of the Tough-3000 (12MP) and NEX-7 (24MP) and the Tough-3000 (1/2.3") and NEX-7 (APS-C) possess different sensor measurements.

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The Tough-3000 was launched 23 months earlier than the NEX-7 which makes the cameras a generation away from each other. Both cameras come with different body type with the Olympus Tough-3000 being a Compact camera and the Sony NEX-7 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before we go through a more detailed comparison, below is a simple view of how the Tough-3000 scores versus the NEX-7 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Following is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus Stylus Tough-3000 and Sony Alpha NEX-7. The complete galleries are provided at Olympus Tough-3000 Gallery and Sony NEX-7 Gallery.

For those who are planning to travel with your camera frequently, you'll need to take into account its weight and size. The Olympus Tough-3000 provides exterior measurements of 96mm x 65mm x 23mm (3.8" x 2.6" x 0.9") and a weight of 159 grams (0.35 lbs) while the Sony NEX-7 has specifications of 120mm x 67mm x 43mm (4.7" x 2.6" x 1.7") along with a weight of 400 grams (0.88 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus Tough-3000 vs Sony NEX-7 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change based on the lens you select at the time. Following is the front view measurements comparison of the Tough-3000 vs the NEX-7.

Using size and weight, the portability score of the Tough-3000 and NEX-7 is 94 and 84 respectively.

Often, it can be difficult to visualize the difference in sensor dimensions purely by seeing technical specs. The pic underneath should offer you a better sense of the sensor measurements in the Tough-3000 and NEX-7.

As you can tell, both the cameras posses different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The Tough-3000 due to its smaller sensor is going to make shooting shallower DOF more difficult and the Sony NEX-7 will show more detail utilizing its extra 12MP. Higher resolution can also allow you to crop photographs somewhat more aggressively. The more aged Tough-3000 will be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor innovation.