Olympus 8000 vs Sony NEX-3

Its time to look more closely at the Olympus 8000 versus Sony NEX-3, one being a Small Sensor Compact and the latter is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by companies Olympus and Sony. The sensor resolution of the 8000 (12MP) and the NEX-3 (14MP) is relatively similar but the 8000 (1/2.3") and NEX-3 (APS-C) provide totally different sensor sizing.

Photography Glossary

The 8000 was manufactured 11 months earlier than the NEX-3 so they are both of a similar generation. Both the cameras have different body design with the Olympus 8000 being a Compact camera and the Sony NEX-3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before delving into a full comparison, here is a brief introduction of how the 8000 scores against the NEX-3 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

This is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus Stylus Tough 8000 and Sony Alpha NEX-3. The entire galleries are provided at Olympus 8000 Gallery and Sony NEX-3 Gallery.

When you are aiming to lug around your camera frequently, you are going to need to factor its weight and measurements. The Olympus 8000 enjoys exterior measurements of 95mm x 62mm x 22mm (3.7" x 2.4" x 0.9") accompanied by a weight of 182 grams (0.40 lbs) and the Sony NEX-3 has proportions of 117mm x 62mm x 33mm (4.6" x 2.4" x 1.3") and a weight of 297 grams (0.65 lbs).

Look at the Olympus 8000 versus Sony NEX-3 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change based on the lens you are utilising at the time. The following is a front view scale comparison of the 8000 against the NEX-3.

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability score of the 8000 and NEX-3 is 94 and 89 respectively.

Quite often, it can be tough to envision the gap between sensor measurements purely by going over specifications. The graphic below will offer you a clearer sense of the sensor measurements in the 8000 and NEX-3.

To sum up, each of the cameras have different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The 8000 due to its tinier sensor will make getting shallower depth of field tougher and the Sony NEX-3 will offer extra detail due to its extra 2MP. Higher resolution will make it easier to crop photographs a bit more aggressively. The older 8000 is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor technology.