Olympus VG-120 vs Sony NEX-3
96 Imaging
37 Features
24 Overall
31
89 Imaging
54 Features
55 Overall
54
Olympus VG-120 vs Sony NEX-3 Key Specs
(Full Review)
- 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
- 3" Fixed Display
- ISO 80 - 1600
- 1280 x 720 video
- 26-130mm (F2.8-6.5) lens
- 120g - 96 x 57 x 19mm
- Released January 2011
(Full Review)
- 14MP - APS-C Sensor
- 3" Tilting Screen
- ISO 200 - 12800
- 1280 x 720 video
- Sony E Mount
- 297g - 117 x 62 x 33mm
- Launched June 2010
- Refreshed by Sony NEX-C3
Olympus VG-120 vs Sony NEX-3 Overview
The following is a in-depth assessment of the Olympus VG-120 versus Sony NEX-3, one is a Ultracompact and the latter is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by competitors Olympus and Sony. The resolution of the VG-120 (14MP) and the NEX-3 (14MP) is pretty comparable but the VG-120 (1/2.3") and NEX-3 (APS-C) come with totally different sensor size.
Apple Innovates by Creating Next-Level Optical Stabilization for iPhoneThe VG-120 was brought out 8 months after the NEX-3 and they are of a similar generation. Both of the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus VG-120 being a Ultracompact camera and the Sony NEX-3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.
Before going straight into a thorough comparison, below is a concise synopsis of how the VG-120 grades versus the NEX-3 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.
Olympus VG-120 vs Sony NEX-3 Gallery
This is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus VG-120 and Sony Alpha NEX-3. The entire galleries are viewable at Olympus VG-120 Gallery and Sony NEX-3 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus VG-120 over the Sony NEX-3
VG-120 | NEX-3 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Launched | January 2011 | June 2010 | Newer by 8 months |
Reasons to pick Sony NEX-3 over the Olympus VG-120
NEX-3 | VG-120 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Manual focus | More accurate focusing | |||
Screen type | Tilting | Fixed | Tilting screen | |
Screen resolution | 920k | 230k | Crisper screen (+690k dot) |
Common features in the Olympus VG-120 and Sony NEX-3
VG-120 | NEX-3 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Screen dimension | 3" | 3" | Identical screen size | |
Selfie screen | Neither features selfie screen | |||
Touch friendly screen | Lack of Touch friendly screen |
Olympus VG-120 vs Sony NEX-3 Physical Comparison
If you're going to travel with your camera frequently, you'll have to factor its weight and proportions. The Olympus VG-120 enjoys physical dimensions of 96mm x 57mm x 19mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.7") accompanied by a weight of 120 grams (0.26 lbs) whilst the Sony NEX-3 has measurements of 117mm x 62mm x 33mm (4.6" x 2.4" x 1.3") accompanied by a weight of 297 grams (0.65 lbs).
Check the Olympus VG-120 versus Sony NEX-3 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ dependant on the lens you use at the time. Underneath is the front view proportions comparison of the VG-120 compared to the NEX-3.
Taking into account size and weight, the portability score of the VG-120 and NEX-3 is 96 and 89 respectively.
Olympus VG-120 vs Sony NEX-3 Sensor Comparison
Oftentimes, it is very hard to envision the contrast in sensor dimensions merely by seeing a spec sheet. The picture below might offer you a far better sense of the sensor dimensions in the VG-120 and NEX-3.
Clearly, both cameras posses the exact same MP albeit not the same sensor dimensions. The VG-120 includes the smaller sensor which is going to make achieving shallower DOF harder. The fresher VG-120 is going to have an advantage in sensor innovation.
Olympus VG-120 vs Sony NEX-3 Screen and ViewFinder
Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison
Street Comparison
Sports Comparison
Travel Comparison
Landscape Comparison
Vlogging Comparison
Olympus VG-120 vs Sony NEX-3 Specifications
Olympus VG-120 | Sony Alpha NEX-3 | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Brand Name | Olympus | Sony |
Model | Olympus VG-120 | Sony Alpha NEX-3 |
Class | Ultracompact | Entry-Level Mirrorless |
Released | 2011-01-06 | 2010-06-07 |
Body design | Ultracompact | 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 | 14MP | 14MP |
Anti aliasing filter | ||
Aspect ratio | 4:3 | 3:2 and 16:9 |
Highest resolution | 4288 x 3216 | 4592 x 3056 |
Highest native ISO | 1600 | 12800 |
Min native ISO | 80 | 200 |
RAW images | ||
Autofocusing | ||
Focus manually | ||
AF touch | ||
Continuous AF | ||
Single AF | ||
AF tracking | ||
AF selectice | ||
Center weighted AF | ||
AF multi area | ||
Live view AF | ||
Face detect focusing | ||
Contract detect focusing | ||
Phase detect focusing | ||
Number of focus points | - | 25 |
Lens | ||
Lens mounting type | fixed lens | Sony E |
Lens focal range | 26-130mm (5.0x) | - |
Maximum aperture | f/2.8-6.5 | - |
Macro focus range | 7cm | - |
Total lenses | - | 121 |
Focal length multiplier | 5.8 | 1.5 |
Screen | ||
Display type | Fixed Type | Tilting |
Display diagonal | 3" | 3" |
Display resolution | 230 thousand dot | 920 thousand dot |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch friendly | ||
Display technology | TFT Color LCD | TFT Xtra Fine LCD |
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder | None | None |
Features | ||
Lowest shutter speed | 4 seconds | 30 seconds |
Highest shutter speed | 1/2000 seconds | 1/4000 seconds |
Continuous shooting speed | - | 7.0 frames/s |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Manually set exposure | ||
Exposure compensation | - | Yes |
Change WB | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Inbuilt flash | ||
Flash range | 4.40 m | 12.00 m |
Flash modes | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in |
External flash | ||
Auto exposure bracketing | ||
White balance bracketing | ||
Highest flash sync | - | 1/160 seconds |
Exposure | ||
Multisegment exposure | ||
Average exposure | ||
Spot exposure | ||
Partial exposure | ||
AF area exposure | ||
Center weighted exposure | ||
Video features | ||
Video resolutions | 1280 x 720 (30, 15fps), 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15fps) | 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) |
Highest video resolution | 1280x720 | 1280x720 |
Video format | Motion JPEG | MPEG-4 |
Mic 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 | 120 gr (0.26 lbs) | 297 gr (0.65 lbs) |
Dimensions | 96 x 57 x 19mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.7") | 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 | 160 shots | 330 shots |
Battery format | Battery Pack | Battery Pack |
Battery model | LI-70B | NPFW50 |
Self timer | Yes (2 or 12 sec) | Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10sec (3 images)) |
Time lapse feature | ||
Type of storage | SD/SDHC | SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo |
Storage slots | One | One |
Cost at launch | $190 | $0 |