Olympus VR-320 vs Sony NEX-3
94 Imaging
37 Features
35 Overall
36


89 Imaging
54 Features
55 Overall
54
Olympus VR-320 vs Sony NEX-3 Key Specs
(Full Review)
- 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
- 3" Fixed Screen
- ISO 80 - 1600
- Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
- 1280 x 720 video
- 24-300mm (F3.0-5.9) lens
- 158g - 101 x 58 x 29mm
- Released July 2011
- New Model is Olympus VR-330
(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
- Revealed June 2010
- Replacement is Sony NEX-C3

Olympus VR-320 vs Sony NEX-3 Overview
Following is a extended overview of the Olympus VR-320 vs Sony NEX-3, former is a Small Sensor Superzoom while the other is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by rivals Olympus and Sony. The image resolution of the VR-320 (14MP) and the NEX-3 (14MP) is very comparable but the VR-320 (1/2.3") and NEX-3 (APS-C) provide totally different sensor sizes.

The VR-320 was introduced 14 months after the NEX-3 making them a generation away from one another. Each of these cameras have different body design with the Olympus VR-320 being a Compact camera and the Sony NEX-3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.
Before going into a step-by-step comparison, here is a quick highlight of how the VR-320 scores against the NEX-3 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Olympus VR-320 vs Sony NEX-3 Gallery
Below is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus VR-320 & Sony Alpha NEX-3. The whole galleries are provided at Olympus VR-320 Gallery & Sony NEX-3 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus VR-320 over the Sony NEX-3
VR-320 | NEX-3 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Revealed | July 2011 | ![]() | June 2010 | More modern by 14 months |
Reasons to pick Sony NEX-3 over the Olympus VR-320
NEX-3 | VR-320 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Manually focus | ![]() | Dial accurate focus | ||
Display type | Tilting | ![]() | Fixed | Tilting display |
Display resolution | 920k | ![]() | 230k | Clearer display (+690k dot) |
Common features in the Olympus VR-320 and Sony NEX-3
VR-320 | NEX-3 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Display dimensions | 3" | ![]() | 3" | Equal display dimensions |
Selfie screen | ![]() | Neither offers selfie screen | ||
Touch friendly display | ![]() | Neither offers Touch friendly display |
Olympus VR-320 vs Sony NEX-3 Physical Comparison
When you are intending to carry around your camera frequently, you will want to consider its weight and size. The Olympus VR-320 offers outer measurements of 101mm x 58mm x 29mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.1") accompanied by a weight of 158 grams (0.35 lbs) whilst the Sony NEX-3 has specifications of 117mm x 62mm x 33mm (4.6" x 2.4" x 1.3") and a weight of 297 grams (0.65 lbs).
See the Olympus VR-320 vs Sony NEX-3 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Remember, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you are working with at that moment. The following is a front view physical size comparison of the VR-320 versus the NEX-3.

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability score of the VR-320 and NEX-3 is 94 and 89 respectively.

Olympus VR-320 vs Sony NEX-3 Sensor Comparison
Typically, it is hard to visualise the gap in sensor sizes purely by going through a spec sheet. The image below should provide you a much better sense of the sensor sizing in the VR-320 and NEX-3.
As you can see, both the cameras have the same megapixel count but not the same sensor sizes. The VR-320 features the smaller sensor which will make getting bokeh trickier. The younger VR-320 will have a benefit with regard to sensor technology.

Olympus VR-320 vs Sony NEX-3 Screen and ViewFinder


Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison

Street Comparison

Sports Comparison

Travel Comparison

Landscape Comparison

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus VR-320 vs Sony NEX-3 Specifications
Olympus VR-320 | Sony Alpha NEX-3 | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Brand Name | Olympus | Sony |
Model | Olympus VR-320 | Sony Alpha NEX-3 |
Category | Small Sensor Superzoom | Entry-Level Mirrorless |
Released | 2011-07-19 | 2010-06-07 |
Body design | Compact | Rangefinder-style mirrorless |
Sensor Information | ||
Powered by | TruePic III | Bionz |
Sensor type | CCD | 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 | 14 megapixel | 14 megapixel |
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 | ||
Touch to focus | ||
AF continuous | ||
AF single | ||
Tracking AF | ||
AF selectice | ||
AF center weighted | ||
Multi area AF | ||
Live view AF | ||
Face detection focusing | ||
Contract detection focusing | ||
Phase detection focusing | ||
Number of focus points | - | 25 |
Lens | ||
Lens mounting type | fixed lens | Sony E |
Lens focal range | 24-300mm (12.5x) | - |
Largest aperture | f/3.0-5.9 | - |
Macro focus distance | 1cm | - |
Number of lenses | - | 121 |
Crop factor | 5.8 | 1.5 |
Screen | ||
Screen type | Fixed Type | Tilting |
Screen sizing | 3 inch | 3 inch |
Resolution of screen | 230k dot | 920k dot |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch operation | ||
Screen technology | TFT Color LCD | TFT Xtra Fine LCD |
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder type | None | None |
Features | ||
Minimum shutter speed | 4s | 30s |
Fastest shutter speed | 1/2000s | 1/4000s |
Continuous shutter speed | - | 7.0 frames/s |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Expose Manually | ||
Exposure compensation | - | Yes |
Set WB | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Built-in flash | ||
Flash range | 4.70 m | 12.00 m |
Flash options | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in |
External flash | ||
AE bracketing | ||
WB bracketing | ||
Fastest flash sync | - | 1/160s |
Exposure | ||
Multisegment exposure | ||
Average exposure | ||
Spot exposure | ||
Partial exposure | ||
AF area exposure | ||
Center weighted exposure | ||
Video features | ||
Video resolutions | 1280 x 720 (30, 15fps), 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15fps) | 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) |
Max video resolution | 1280x720 | 1280x720 |
Video data format | Motion JPEG | MPEG-4 |
Mic jack | ||
Headphone jack | ||
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 | 158 gr (0.35 lbs) | 297 gr (0.65 lbs) |
Physical dimensions | 101 x 58 x 29mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.1") | 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 | - | 330 images |
Battery form | - | Battery Pack |
Battery model | LI-42B | NPFW50 |
Self timer | Yes (2 or 12 sec) | Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10sec (3 images)) |
Time lapse feature | ||
Type of storage | SD/SDHC | SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo |
Storage slots | 1 | 1 |
Launch pricing | $179 | $0 |