Olympus VH-515 vs Sony NEX-3

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.

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.

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.

Looking at size and weight, the portability rating of the VH-515 and NEX-3 is 95 and 89 respectively.

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.