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Olympus VH-515 vs Sony NEX-C3

Portability
95
Imaging
36
Features
34
Overall
35
Olympus VH-515 front
 
Sony Alpha NEX-C3 front
Portability
91
Imaging
56
Features
57
Overall
56

Olympus VH-515 vs Sony NEX-C3 Key Specs

Olympus VH-515
(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
Sony NEX-C3
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 100 - 12800
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 225g - 110 x 60 x 33mm
  • Released August 2011
  • Replaced the Sony NEX-3
  • Refreshed by Sony NEX-F3
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Olympus VH-515 vs Sony NEX-C3 Overview

Lets take a deeper look at the Olympus VH-515 and Sony NEX-C3, former is a Small Sensor Compact while the other is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by brands Olympus and Sony. There exists a noticeable gap between the resolutions of the VH-515 (12MP) and NEX-C3 (16MP) and the VH-515 (1/2.3") and NEX-C3 (APS-C) have totally different sensor dimensions.

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The VH-515 was launched 13 months after the NEX-C3 making them a generation away from one another. Each of the cameras have different body design with the Olympus VH-515 being a Compact camera and the Sony NEX-C3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before delving into a more detailed comparison, here is a brief summation of how the VH-515 matches up vs the NEX-C3 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Photography Glossary
	
	

Reasons to pick Olympus VH-515 over the Sony NEX-C3

 VH-515 NEX-C3 
ReleasedAugust 2012August 2011Newer by 13 months
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Sony NEX-C3 over the Olympus VH-515

 NEX-C3 VH-515 
Manually focus Very accurate focusing
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display resolution920k460kClearer display (+460k dot)

Common features in the Olympus VH-515 and Sony NEX-C3

 VH-515 NEX-C3 
Display dimensions3"3"Equal display sizing
Selfie screen Lacking selfie screen

Olympus VH-515 vs Sony NEX-C3 Physical Comparison

When you are aiming to travel with your camera regularly, you will need to think about its weight and dimensions. The Olympus VH-515 has got external measurements of 102mm x 60mm x 21mm (4.0" x 2.4" x 0.8") along with a weight of 152 grams (0.34 lbs) whilst the Sony NEX-C3 has dimensions of 110mm x 60mm x 33mm (4.3" x 2.4" x 1.3") accompanied by a weight of 225 grams (0.50 lbs).

Examine the Olympus VH-515 and Sony NEX-C3 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you select at the time. Below is a front view dimensions comparison of the VH-515 against the NEX-C3.

Olympus VH-515 vs Sony NEX-C3 size comparison

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability score of the VH-515 and NEX-C3 is 95 and 91 respectively.

Olympus VH-515 vs Sony NEX-C3 top view buttons comparison

Olympus VH-515 vs Sony NEX-C3 Sensor Comparison

More often than not, its difficult to envision the gap between sensor dimensions purely by reading through a spec sheet. The pic below will provide you a greater sense of the sensor sizing in the VH-515 and NEX-C3.

As you can see, both the cameras provide different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The VH-515 due to its tinier sensor will make shooting shallower DOF trickier and the Sony NEX-C3 will resolve greater detail utilizing its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also allow you to crop photos more aggressively. The younger VH-515 will have an advantage with regard to sensor technology.

Olympus VH-515 vs Sony NEX-C3 sensor size comparison

Olympus VH-515 vs Sony NEX-C3 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus VH-515 vs Sony NEX-C3 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus VH-515
Portrait photography with Sony NEX-C3
27
provides face detect focus
no manual focus
manual mode not possible
cannot use external flash
resolution not great (12 megapixels)
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
lacks RAW files
73
manual focus
megapixel count good (16MP)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
delivers RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Olympus VH-515 Street photography information
Sony NEX-C3 Street photography information
62
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
boasts touch focus
no articulating screen
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
lacks RAW files
79
screen tilts up and down
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
delivers RAW formats
lighter than competition (225g)
does not have image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Olympus VH-515 Sports photography highlights
Sony NEX-C3 Sports photography highlights
32
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
provides tracking focus
low frames per second (2.0 frames per second)
lack of shutter priority mode
resolution not great (12 megapixels)
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
lacks phase detect auto focus
53
megapixel count good (16 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
good battery life (400 CIPA)
very slow continuous shooting (6.0 frames per second)
does not have image stabilization
no phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus VH-515
Travel photography with Sony NEX-C3
62
boasts touch focus
has built in flash
fairly wide (26mm)
doesn't have Timelapse recording
resolution not great (12MP)
does not have selfie friendly display
sluggish max aperture (f2.8)
71
good battery life (400 per charge)
lighter than competition (225 grams)
megapixel count good (16MP)
does not have Timelapse mode
does not feature selfie friendly display
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus VH-515 as a Landscape photography camera
Sony NEX-C3 as a Landscape photography camera
37
fairly wide (26mm)
screen is a good size (3")
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
no manual focus
cannot swap lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f2.8)
manual mode not possible
resolution not great (12MP)
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
lacks RAW files
doesn't have Timelapse recording
70
manual focus
switch lenses (Sony E mount)
screen size is good (3 inch)
megapixel count good (16MP)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
delivers RAW formats
good battery life (400 per charge)
does not have image stabilization
does not have Timelapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus VH-515 Vlogging details
Sony NEX-C3 Vlogging details
35
fairly wide (26mm)
built-in touchscreen
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
provides face detect focus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
sluggish max aperture (f2.8)
does not have selfie friendly display
doesn't have microphone port
27
lighter than competition (225 grams)
does not feature selfie friendly display
does not have image stabilization
low res video (1280 x 720 pixels)
does not have microphone port
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Olympus VH-515 vs Sony NEX-C3 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus VH-515 and Sony NEX-C3
 Olympus VH-515Sony Alpha NEX-C3
General Information
Make Olympus Sony
Model type Olympus VH-515 Sony Alpha NEX-C3
Class Small Sensor Compact Entry-Level Mirrorless
Launched 2012-08-21 2011-08-22
Body design Compact Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Processor Chip TruePic III+ Bionz
Sensor type BSI-CMOS CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" APS-C
Sensor measurements 6.17 x 4.55mm 23.4 x 15.6mm
Sensor area 28.1mm² 365.0mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixel 16 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Max resolution 4608 x 3456 4912 x 3264
Max native ISO 1600 12800
Min native ISO 100 100
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Live view autofocus
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Total focus points - 25
Lens
Lens mount type fixed lens Sony E
Lens zoom range 26-130mm (5.0x) -
Max aperture f/2.8-6.5 -
Macro focusing distance 5cm -
Total lenses - 121
Focal length multiplier 5.8 1.5
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Tilting
Display size 3" 3"
Resolution of display 460 thousand dot 920 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Display tech TFT Color LCD TFT Xtra Fine LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None None
Features
Minimum shutter speed 4s 30s
Fastest shutter speed 1/2000s 1/4000s
Continuous shutter speed 2.0 frames/s 6.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation - Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 4.70 m no built-in flash
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
Fastest flash sync - 1/160s
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
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)
Max video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video format MPEG-4, H.264 MPEG-4
Microphone 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
Environmental seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 152 grams (0.34 lbs) 225 grams (0.50 lbs)
Physical dimensions 102 x 60 x 21mm (4.0" x 2.4" x 0.8") 110 x 60 x 33mm (4.3" x 2.4" x 1.3")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating not tested 73
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 22.7
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 12.2
DXO Low light rating not tested 1083
Other
Battery life - 400 photos
Type of battery - Battery Pack
Battery ID LI-50B NPFW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10 sec 3 or 5 images)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots Single Single
Retail pricing $648 $343