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Olympus VG-160 vs Sony NEX-3

Portability
96
Imaging
37
Features
26
Overall
32
Olympus VG-160 front
 
Sony Alpha NEX-3 front
Portability
89
Imaging
54
Features
55
Overall
54

Olympus VG-160 vs Sony NEX-3 Key Specs

Olympus VG-160
(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
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
  • Newer Model is Sony NEX-C3
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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.

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The 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.

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Reasons to pick Olympus VG-160 over the Sony NEX-3

 VG-160 NEX-3 
LaunchedJanuary 2012June 2010Fresher by 20 months

Reasons to pick Sony NEX-3 over the Olympus VG-160

 NEX-3 VG-160 
Focus manually Dial precise focus
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display resolution920k230kCrisper display (+690k dot)

Common features in the Olympus VG-160 and Sony NEX-3

 VG-160 NEX-3 
Display dimension3"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. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

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.

Olympus VG-160 vs Sony NEX-3 size comparison

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 top view buttons comparison

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 sensor size comparison

Olympus VG-160 vs Sony NEX-3 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus VG-160 vs Sony NEX-3 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus VG-160
Portrait photography with Sony NEX-3
33
sensor resolution is decent (14 megapixels)
has face detection focus
no manual focus
manual mode not possible
cannot use external flash
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
72
focusing manually
good megapixels (14 megapixels)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
comes with face detection focusing
supports RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus VG-160 as a Street photography camera
Sony NEX-3 as a Street photography camera
56
lighter than competition (125g)
screen is fixed
lack of image stabilization
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
76
has a tilting screen
nice sensor size (APS-C)
supports RAW files
does not have image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Olympus VG-160 Sports photography advice
Sony NEX-3 Sports photography advice
26
sensor resolution is decent (14 megapixels)
no shutter priority
lack of image stabilization
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
bad battery (165 per charge)
does not have phase detect auto focus
52
good megapixels (14 megapixels)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
does not have image stabilization
lack of phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus VG-160 as a Travel photography camera
Sony NEX-3 as a Travel photography camera
65
lighter than competition (125 grams)
sensor resolution is decent (14 megapixels)
flash built-in
reasonably wide (26mm)
does not have Time Lapse function
bad battery (165 CIPA)
doesn't have selfie friendly screen
slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
59
good megapixels (14MP)
doesn't have Timelapse mode
does not have selfie friendly display
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus VG-160 Landscape photography factors
Sony NEX-3 Landscape photography factors
36
reasonably wide (26mm)
pretty good screen size (3 inches)
sensor resolution is decent (14 megapixels)
no manual focus
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
manual mode not possible
lack of image stabilization
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
bad battery (165 per charge)
does not have Time Lapse function
68
focusing manually
interchangeable lenses (Sony E mount)
good sized screen (3 inch)
good megapixels (14 megapixels)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
supports RAW files
does not have image stabilization
doesn't have Timelapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus VG-160 Vlogging info
Sony NEX-3 Vlogging info
30
reasonably wide (26mm)
has face detection focus
lighter than competition (125 grams)
slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
doesn't have selfie friendly screen
lack of image stabilization
low res video (1280 x 720 pixels)
does not have external mic jack
27
comes with face detection focusing
does not have selfie friendly display
does not have image stabilization
video quality not great (1280 x 720 pixels)
doesn't have external microphone jack
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Olympus VG-160 vs Sony NEX-3 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus VG-160 and Sony NEX-3
 Olympus VG-160Sony 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