Clicky

Olympus VG-120 vs Sony NEX-3

Portability
96
Imaging
37
Features
24
Overall
31
Olympus VG-120 front
 
Sony Alpha NEX-3 front
Portability
89
Imaging
54
Features
55
Overall
54

Olympus VG-120 vs Sony NEX-3 Key Specs

Olympus VG-120
(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
Sony NEX-3
(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
Photobucket discusses licensing 13 billion images with AI firms

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 iPhone

The 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.

Meta to Introduce 'AI-Generated' Labels for Media starting next month
	
	

Reasons to pick Olympus VG-120 over the Sony NEX-3

 VG-120 NEX-3 
LaunchedJanuary 2011June 2010Newer by 8 months

Reasons to pick Sony NEX-3 over the Olympus VG-120

 NEX-3 VG-120 
Manual focus More accurate focusing
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen resolution920k230kCrisper screen (+690k dot)

Common features in the Olympus VG-120 and Sony NEX-3

 VG-120 NEX-3 
Screen dimension3"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. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

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.

Olympus VG-120 vs Sony NEX-3 size comparison

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 top view buttons comparison

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 sensor size comparison

Olympus VG-120 vs Sony NEX-3 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus VG-120 vs Sony NEX-3 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Snapchat Adds Watermarks to AI-Created Images

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus VG-120
Portrait photography with Sony NEX-3
33
MP count decent (14MP)
provides face detection autofocus
focusing manually not possible
no manual control
no external flash support
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW files
72
has manual focus
resolution is good (14 megapixels)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
features face detect focus
exports RAW files
President Biden pushes bill mandating TikTok sale or ban

Street Comparison

Olympus VG-120 Street photography details
Sony NEX-3 Street photography details
48
no articulating screen
no image stabilization
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW files
76
screen tilts up and down
sensor size is good (APS-C)
exports RAW files
no image stabilization
Samsung Releases Faster Versions of EVO MicroSD Cards

Sports Comparison

Olympus VG-120 as a Sports photography camera
Sony NEX-3 as a Sports photography camera
26
MP count decent (14 megapixels)
no shutter priority mode
no image stabilization
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
bad battery pack (160 per charge)
doesn't have phase detect autofocus
52
resolution is good (14MP)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
no image stabilization
doesn't have phase detect auto focus
Photography Glossary

Travel Comparison

Olympus VG-120 as a Travel photography camera
Sony NEX-3 as a Travel photography camera
62
MP count decent (14 megapixels)
has built in flash
really wide (26mm)
missing Time Lapse recording
bad battery pack (160 shots)
screen isn't selfie friendly
slow max aperture (f2.8)
59
resolution is good (14 megapixels)
doesn't have Time Lapse recording
display isn't selfie friendly
Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide

Landscape Comparison

Olympus VG-120 Landscape photography features
Sony NEX-3 Landscape photography features
36
really wide (26mm)
pretty good screen size (3")
MP count decent (14 megapixels)
focusing manually not possible
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
slow max aperture (f2.8)
no manual control
no image stabilization
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW files
bad battery pack (160 CIPA)
missing Time Lapse recording
68
has manual focus
switch lenses (Sony E mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inch)
resolution is good (14MP)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
exports RAW files
no image stabilization
doesn't have Time Lapse recording
Japan-exclusive Leica Leitz Phone 3 features big sensor and new modes

Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus VG-120
Vlogging with Sony NEX-3
28
really wide (26mm)
provides face detection autofocus
slow max aperture (f2.8)
screen isn't selfie friendly
no image stabilization
video quality not great (1280 x 720 pixels)
missing external mic port
27
features face detect focus
display isn't selfie friendly
no image stabilization
low quality video (1280 x 720 resolution)
doesn't have mic jack
Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music video

Olympus VG-120 vs Sony NEX-3 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus VG-120 and Sony NEX-3
 Olympus VG-120Sony 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