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Olympus TG-310 vs Sony NEX-3

Portability
94
Imaging
37
Features
33
Overall
35
Olympus TG-310 front
 
Sony Alpha NEX-3 front
Portability
89
Imaging
54
Features
55
Overall
54

Olympus TG-310 vs Sony NEX-3 Key Specs

Olympus TG-310
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 1600
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-102mm (F3.9-5.9) lens
  • 155g - 96 x 63 x 23mm
  • Revealed January 2011
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
  • Launched June 2010
  • Renewed by Sony NEX-C3
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Olympus TG-310 vs Sony NEX-3 Overview

Let's look more in depth at the Olympus TG-310 and Sony NEX-3, one being a Waterproof and the other is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by competitors Olympus and Sony. The sensor resolution of the TG-310 (14MP) and the NEX-3 (14MP) is fairly close but the TG-310 (1/2.3") and NEX-3 (APS-C) posses different sensor size.

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The TG-310 was revealed 8 months later than the NEX-3 which means that they are both of a similar generation. Both cameras have different body design with the Olympus TG-310 being a Compact camera and the Sony NEX-3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before diving into a in depth comparison, here is a concise view of how the TG-310 scores versus the NEX-3 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus TG-310 over the Sony NEX-3

 TG-310 NEX-3 
LaunchedJanuary 2011June 2010More recent by 8 months

Reasons to pick Sony NEX-3 over the Olympus TG-310

 NEX-3 TG-310 
Manually focus More precise focus
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display dimensions3"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")
Display resolution920k230kClearer display (+690k dot)

Common features in the Olympus TG-310 and Sony NEX-3

 TG-310 NEX-3 
Selfie screen No selfie screen
Touch friendly display No Touch friendly display

Olympus TG-310 vs Sony NEX-3 Physical Comparison

In case you're aiming to lug around your camera often, you will have to take into account its weight and size. The Olympus TG-310 comes with physical dimensions of 96mm x 63mm x 23mm (3.8" x 2.5" x 0.9") and a weight of 155 grams (0.34 lbs) and the Sony NEX-3 has specifications of 117mm x 62mm x 33mm (4.6" x 2.4" x 1.3") with a weight of 297 grams (0.65 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus TG-310 and Sony NEX-3 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into account, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change based on the lens you are employing at the time. The following is a front view scale comparison of the TG-310 versus the NEX-3.

Olympus TG-310 vs Sony NEX-3 size comparison

Using size and weight, the portability rating of the TG-310 and NEX-3 is 94 and 89 respectively.

Olympus TG-310 vs Sony NEX-3 top view buttons comparison

Olympus TG-310 vs Sony NEX-3 Sensor Comparison

Often, it can be hard to imagine the gap in sensor measurements only by looking through specs. The photograph below will give you a better sense of the sensor sizes in the TG-310 and NEX-3.

As you can plainly see, both of the cameras have the same MP but different sensor measurements. The TG-310 includes the smaller sensor which will make getting shallow DOF trickier. The more recent TG-310 should have an advantage with regard to sensor innovation.

Olympus TG-310 vs Sony NEX-3 sensor size comparison

Olympus TG-310 vs Sony NEX-3 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus TG-310 vs Sony NEX-3 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus TG-310 Portrait photography highlights
Sony NEX-3 Portrait photography highlights
33
MP count decent (14 megapixels)
offers face detect focusing
lack of manual focus
no manual mode
no external flash support
small sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have RAW files
72
has manual focus
resolution is good (14 megapixels)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
provides face detect focus
saves RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus TG-310 Street photography information
Sony NEX-3 Street photography information
66
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
weather proofing
lighter than competition (155 grams)
no articulating screen
small sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have RAW files
76
screen tilts
sensor size is good (APS-C)
saves RAW files
no image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Olympus TG-310 Sports photography information
Sony NEX-3 Sports photography information
40
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
MP count decent (14MP)
offers tracking focus
weather proofing
slow frames per second (1.0 fps)
no shutter priority
small sensor size (1/2.3")
low battery life (150 shots)
does not have phase detect AF
52
resolution is good (14MP)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
no image stabilization
does not have phase detect auto focus
Photography Glossary

Travel Comparison

Olympus TG-310 as a Travel photography camera
Sony NEX-3 as a Travel photography camera
67
lighter than competition (155g)
weather proofing
MP count decent (14MP)
has built in flash
rather wide (28mm)
missing Time Lapse mode
low battery life (150 shots)
does not feature selfie friendly screen
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.9)
59
resolution is good (14MP)
lack of Time Lapse function
display isn't selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus TG-310 Landscape photography details
Sony NEX-3 Landscape photography details
39
rather wide (28mm)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
MP count decent (14 megapixels)
weather proofing
lack of manual focus
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.9)
screen is somewhat small (2.7 inch)
no manual mode
small sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have RAW files
low battery life (150 CIPA)
missing Time Lapse mode
68
has manual focus
switch lenses (Sony E mount)
screen is a good size (3")
resolution is good (14 megapixels)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
saves RAW files
no image stabilization
lack of Time Lapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus TG-310
Vlogging with Sony NEX-3
32
rather wide (28mm)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
offers face detect focusing
lighter than competition (155g)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.9)
does not feature selfie friendly screen
low res video (1280 x 720 resolution)
missing mic jack
27
provides face detect focus
display isn't selfie friendly
no image stabilization
video res low (1280 x 720 resolution)
lack of mic port
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Olympus TG-310 vs Sony NEX-3 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus TG-310 and Sony NEX-3
 Olympus TG-310Sony Alpha NEX-3
General Information
Brand Olympus Sony
Model Olympus TG-310 Sony Alpha NEX-3
Class Waterproof Entry-Level Mirrorless
Revealed 2011-01-06 2010-06-07
Body design Compact Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Processor Chip TruePic III+ Bionz
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" APS-C
Sensor dimensions 6.17 x 4.55mm 23.4 x 15.6mm
Sensor surface area 28.1mm² 365.0mm²
Sensor resolution 14 megapixel 14 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio - 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 4288 x 3216 4592 x 3056
Maximum native ISO 1600 12800
Minimum native ISO 80 200
RAW format
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Tracking autofocus
Autofocus selectice
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detect autofocus
Contract detect autofocus
Phase detect autofocus
Number of focus points - 25
Cross focus points - -
Lens
Lens mount fixed lens Sony E
Lens focal range 28-102mm (3.6x) -
Largest aperture f/3.9-5.9 -
Macro focus range 3cm -
Total lenses - 121
Crop factor 5.8 1.5
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Tilting
Display size 2.7 inches 3 inches
Display resolution 230 thousand dot 920 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Display technology TFT Color LCD TFT Xtra Fine LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None None
Features
Slowest shutter speed 4 secs 30 secs
Maximum shutter speed 1/2000 secs 1/4000 secs
Continuous shooting speed 1.0fps 7.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation - Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 4.20 m 12.00 m
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in
Hot shoe
AEB
WB bracketing
Maximum flash sync - 1/160 secs
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 fps), 320 x 180 (30fps) 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1280x720 1280x720
Video file format Motion JPEG MPEG-4
Mic jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless Eye-Fi Connected Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 155g (0.34 lbs) 297g (0.65 lbs)
Physical dimensions 96 x 63 x 23mm (3.8" x 2.5" x 0.9") 117 x 62 x 33mm (4.6" x 2.4" x 1.3")
DXO scores
DXO All around 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 150 shots 330 shots
Battery form Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model LI-42B NPFW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) 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
Price at launch $0 $0