Olympus VH-515 vs Sony NEX-3
95 Imaging
36 Features
34 Overall
35
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89 Imaging
54 Features
55 Overall
54
Olympus VH-515 vs Sony NEX-3 Key Specs
(Full Review)
- 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
- 3" Fixed Display
- ISO 100 - 1600
- Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
- 1920 x 1080 video
- 26-130mm (F2.8-6.5) lens
- 152g - 102 x 60 x 21mm
- Launched August 2012
(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
- Revealed June 2010
- Replacement is Sony NEX-C3
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Olympus VH-515 vs Sony NEX-3 Overview
Let's look a bit more closely at the Olympus VH-515 and Sony NEX-3, one being a Small Sensor Compact and the latter is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by brands Olympus and Sony. The resolution of the VH-515 (12MP) and the NEX-3 (14MP) is pretty similar but the VH-515 (1/2.3") and NEX-3 (APS-C) feature totally different sensor dimensions.
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The VH-515 was released 2 years later than the NEX-3 and that is quite a big gap as far as tech is concerned. Each of these cameras come with different body type with the Olympus VH-515 being a Compact camera and the Sony NEX-3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.
Before going in to a thorough comparison, below is a concise view of how the VH-515 matches up vs the NEX-3 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.
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Olympus VH-515 vs Sony NEX-3 Gallery
This is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus VH-515 and Sony Alpha NEX-3. The complete galleries are provided at Olympus VH-515 Gallery and Sony NEX-3 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus VH-515 over the Sony NEX-3
VH-515 | NEX-3 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Revealed | August 2012 | ![]() | June 2010 | Fresher by 27 months |
Touch friendly screen | ![]() | Quickly navigate |
Reasons to pick Sony NEX-3 over the Olympus VH-515
NEX-3 | VH-515 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Focus manually | ![]() | Dial accurate focusing | ||
Screen type | Tilting | ![]() | Fixed | Tilting screen |
Screen resolution | 920k | ![]() | 460k | Sharper screen (+460k dot) |
Common features in the Olympus VH-515 and Sony NEX-3
VH-515 | NEX-3 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Screen dimension | 3" | ![]() | 3" | Identical screen sizing |
Selfie screen | ![]() | Neither has selfie screen |
Olympus VH-515 vs Sony NEX-3 Physical Comparison
If you are looking to carry your camera often, you will have to consider its weight and size. The Olympus VH-515 has outer measurements of 102mm x 60mm x 21mm (4.0" x 2.4" x 0.8") accompanied by a weight of 152 grams (0.34 lbs) while 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).
See the Olympus VH-515 and Sony NEX-3 in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary depending on the lens you have attached at that time. Following is the front view size comparison of the VH-515 versus the NEX-3.
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Looking at size and weight, the portability rating of the VH-515 and NEX-3 is 95 and 89 respectively.
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Olympus VH-515 vs Sony NEX-3 Sensor Comparison
Generally, it can be difficult to visualise the gap between sensor sizing purely by reading specs. The photograph here will help offer you a greater sense of the sensor sizing in the VH-515 and NEX-3.
All in all, both of those cameras have got different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The VH-515 featuring a tinier sensor will make getting shallow DOF trickier and the Sony NEX-3 will offer greater detail as a result of its extra 2MP. Higher resolution can also allow you to crop photographs much more aggressively. The more recent VH-515 will have an advantage with regard to sensor innovation.
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Olympus VH-515 vs Sony NEX-3 Screen and ViewFinder
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Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison
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Street Comparison
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Sports Comparison
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Travel Comparison
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Landscape Comparison
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Vlogging Comparison
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Olympus VH-515 vs Sony NEX-3 Specifications
Olympus VH-515 | Sony Alpha NEX-3 | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Brand Name | Olympus | Sony |
Model | Olympus VH-515 | Sony Alpha NEX-3 |
Type | Small Sensor Compact | Entry-Level Mirrorless |
Launched | 2012-08-21 | 2010-06-07 |
Body design | Compact | Rangefinder-style mirrorless |
Sensor Information | ||
Processor | TruePic III+ | Bionz |
Sensor type | BSI-CMOS | 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 | 12MP | 14MP |
Anti aliasing filter | ||
Aspect ratio | 4:3 and 16:9 | 3:2 and 16:9 |
Maximum resolution | 4608 x 3456 | 4592 x 3056 |
Maximum native ISO | 1600 | 12800 |
Lowest native ISO | 100 | 200 |
RAW photos | ||
Autofocusing | ||
Focus manually | ||
Touch focus | ||
Continuous AF | ||
Single AF | ||
Tracking AF | ||
AF selectice | ||
Center weighted AF | ||
AF multi area | ||
Live view AF | ||
Face detect AF | ||
Contract detect AF | ||
Phase detect AF | ||
Number of focus points | - | 25 |
Lens | ||
Lens mount | fixed lens | Sony E |
Lens focal range | 26-130mm (5.0x) | - |
Highest aperture | f/2.8-6.5 | - |
Macro focus distance | 5cm | - |
Available lenses | - | 121 |
Crop factor | 5.8 | 1.5 |
Screen | ||
Range of display | Fixed Type | Tilting |
Display diagonal | 3" | 3" |
Display resolution | 460k dot | 920k 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 | 2.0fps | 7.0fps |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Expose Manually | ||
Exposure compensation | - | Yes |
Change WB | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Integrated flash | ||
Flash range | 4.70 m | 12.00 m |
Flash settings | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in |
External flash | ||
AE bracketing | ||
White balance bracketing | ||
Maximum flash sync | - | 1/160 secs |
Exposure | ||
Multisegment | ||
Average | ||
Spot | ||
Partial | ||
AF area | ||
Center weighted | ||
Video features | ||
Supported video resolutions | 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 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) |
Maximum video resolution | 1920x1080 | 1280x720 |
Video format | MPEG-4, H.264 | 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 | 152 grams (0.34 lb) | 297 grams (0.65 lb) |
Dimensions | 102 x 60 x 21mm (4.0" x 2.4" x 0.8") | 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 | - | 330 photos |
Battery form | - | Battery Pack |
Battery model | LI-50B | NPFW50 |
Self timer | Yes (2 or 12 sec) | Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10sec (3 images)) |
Time lapse shooting | ||
Storage media | SD/SDHC/SDXC | SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo |
Storage slots | Single | Single |
Price at launch | $648 | $0 |