Olympus VG-160 vs Sony NEX-3
96 Imaging
37 Features
26 Overall
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89 Imaging
54 Features
55 Overall
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Olympus VG-160 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
- 125g - 96 x 57 x 19mm
- Introduced January 2012
(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
- Newer Model is Sony NEX-C3
Olympus VG-160 vs Sony NEX-3 Overview
Here is a comprehensive analysis of the Olympus VG-160 and Sony NEX-3, former being a Small Sensor Compact while the other is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by rivals Olympus and Sony. The sensor resolution of the VG-160 (14MP) and the NEX-3 (14MP) is very close but the VG-160 (1/2.3") and NEX-3 (APS-C) enjoy different sensor size.
Meta to Introduce 'AI-Generated' Labels for Media starting next monthThe VG-160 was announced 20 months later than the NEX-3 making the cameras a generation apart from each other. Each of the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus VG-160 being a Compact camera and the Sony NEX-3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.
Before we go through a full comparison, below is a brief overview of how the VG-160 scores vs the NEX-3 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.
Olympus VG-160 vs Sony NEX-3 Gallery
Here is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus VG-160 & Sony Alpha NEX-3. The whole galleries are available at Olympus VG-160 Gallery & Sony NEX-3 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus VG-160 over the Sony NEX-3
VG-160 | NEX-3 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Launched | January 2012 | June 2010 | Fresher by 20 months |
Reasons to pick Sony NEX-3 over the Olympus VG-160
NEX-3 | VG-160 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Focus manually | Dial precise focus | |||
Display type | Tilting | Fixed | Tilting display | |
Display resolution | 920k | 230k | Crisper display (+690k dot) |
Common features in the Olympus VG-160 and Sony NEX-3
VG-160 | NEX-3 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Display dimension | 3" | 3" | Identical display size | |
Selfie screen | Lacking selfie screen | |||
Touch display | Lacking Touch display |
Olympus VG-160 vs Sony NEX-3 Physical Comparison
If you are aiming to carry your camera frequently, you are going to need to consider its weight and measurements. The Olympus VG-160 comes with outer dimensions of 96mm x 57mm x 19mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.7") with a weight of 125 grams (0.28 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).
Analyze the Olympus VG-160 and Sony NEX-3 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you are using at the time. Below is the front view size comparison of the VG-160 compared to the NEX-3.
Looking at size and weight, the portability grade of the VG-160 and NEX-3 is 96 and 89 respectively.
Olympus VG-160 vs Sony NEX-3 Sensor Comparison
Often, its difficult to imagine the difference in sensor sizing purely by looking through technical specs. The photograph below might offer you a greater sense of the sensor dimensions in the VG-160 and NEX-3.
As you can tell, both cameras posses the exact same MP but different sensor sizing. The VG-160 contains the smaller sensor which should make achieving shallower DOF more difficult. The more recent VG-160 provides an edge when it comes to sensor technology.
Olympus VG-160 vs Sony NEX-3 Screen and ViewFinder
Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison
Street Comparison
Sports Comparison
Travel Comparison
Landscape Comparison
Vlogging Comparison
Olympus VG-160 vs Sony NEX-3 Specifications
Olympus VG-160 | Sony Alpha NEX-3 | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Manufacturer | Olympus | Sony |
Model | Olympus VG-160 | Sony Alpha NEX-3 |
Type | Small Sensor Compact | Entry-Level Mirrorless |
Introduced | 2012-01-10 | 2010-06-07 |
Body design | Compact | Rangefinder-style mirrorless |
Sensor Information | ||
Chip | - | Bionz |
Sensor type | CCD | CMOS |
Sensor size | 1/2.3" | APS-C |
Sensor measurements | 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 |
Max resolution | 4288 x 3216 | 4592 x 3056 |
Max native ISO | 1600 | 12800 |
Lowest native ISO | 80 | 200 |
RAW pictures | ||
Autofocusing | ||
Focus manually | ||
AF touch | ||
AF continuous | ||
AF single | ||
Tracking AF | ||
AF selectice | ||
AF center weighted | ||
Multi area AF | ||
Live view AF | ||
Face detect focusing | ||
Contract detect focusing | ||
Phase detect focusing | ||
Number of focus points | - | 25 |
Cross focus points | - | - |
Lens | ||
Lens mounting type | fixed lens | Sony E |
Lens focal range | 26-130mm (5.0x) | - |
Max aperture | f/2.8-6.5 | - |
Macro focus distance | 7cm | - |
Amount of lenses | - | 121 |
Crop factor | 5.8 | 1.5 |
Screen | ||
Range of display | Fixed Type | Tilting |
Display diagonal | 3 inches | 3 inches |
Resolution of display | 230 thousand dot | 920 thousand dot |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch capability | ||
Display tech | TFT Color LCD | TFT Xtra Fine LCD |
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder type | None | None |
Features | ||
Min shutter speed | 4 seconds | 30 seconds |
Max shutter speed | 1/2000 seconds | 1/4000 seconds |
Continuous shutter speed | - | 7.0fps |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Expose Manually | ||
Exposure compensation | - | Yes |
Change WB | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Integrated flash | ||
Flash range | 4.80 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 | ||
Max flash sync | - | 1/160 seconds |
Exposure | ||
Multisegment | ||
Average | ||
Spot | ||
Partial | ||
AF area | ||
Center weighted | ||
Video features | ||
Video resolutions | 1280 x 720 (30,15 fps), 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 180 (30,15 fps) | 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) |
Max video resolution | 1280x720 | 1280x720 |
Video data format | Motion JPEG | MPEG-4 |
Microphone 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 | ||
Environment seal | ||
Water proof | ||
Dust proof | ||
Shock proof | ||
Crush proof | ||
Freeze proof | ||
Weight | 125 grams (0.28 pounds) | 297 grams (0.65 pounds) |
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 Overall 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 | 165 photos | 330 photos |
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 shooting | ||
Type of storage | SD/SDHC | SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo |
Storage slots | Single | Single |
Cost at release | $90 | $0 |