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Olympus VR-340 vs Sony NEX-3

Portability
96
Imaging
39
Features
36
Overall
37
Olympus VR-340 front
 
Sony Alpha NEX-3 front
Portability
89
Imaging
54
Features
55
Overall
54

Olympus VR-340 vs Sony NEX-3 Key Specs

Olympus VR-340
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 24-240mm (F3.0-5.7) lens
  • 125g - 96 x 57 x 19mm
  • Announced 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
  • Introduced June 2010
  • Later Model is Sony NEX-C3
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Olympus VR-340 vs Sony NEX-3 Overview

Following is a detailed assessment of the Olympus VR-340 versus Sony NEX-3, one is a Small Sensor Compact and the other is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by rivals Olympus and Sony. The image resolution of the VR-340 (16MP) and the NEX-3 (14MP) is very similar but the VR-340 (1/2.3") and NEX-3 (APS-C) offer different sensor dimensions.

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The VR-340 was released 20 months after the NEX-3 making them a generation away from one another. Each of the cameras have different body design with the Olympus VR-340 being a Compact camera and the Sony NEX-3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before we go straight to a in-depth comparison, here is a concise synopsis of how the VR-340 matches up against the NEX-3 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus VR-340 over the Sony NEX-3

 VR-340 NEX-3 
IntroducedJanuary 2012June 2010More modern by 20 months

Reasons to pick Sony NEX-3 over the Olympus VR-340

 NEX-3 VR-340 
Manually focus Very exact focusing
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display resolution920k460kCrisper display (+460k dot)

Common features in the Olympus VR-340 and Sony NEX-3

 VR-340 NEX-3 
Display dimensions3"3"Equal display sizing
Selfie screen Absent selfie screen
Touch display Absent Touch display

Olympus VR-340 vs Sony NEX-3 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is planning to carry around your camera frequently, you will have to consider its weight and dimensions. The Olympus VR-340 enjoys outer measurements of 96mm x 57mm x 19mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.7") having a weight of 125 grams (0.28 lbs) while the Sony NEX-3 has dimensions of 117mm x 62mm x 33mm (4.6" x 2.4" x 1.3") along with a weight of 297 grams (0.65 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus VR-340 versus Sony NEX-3 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Do not forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change based on the lens you use at that moment. The following is a front view physical size comparison of the VR-340 versus the NEX-3.

Olympus VR-340 vs Sony NEX-3 size comparison

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the VR-340 and NEX-3 is 96 and 89 respectively.

Olympus VR-340 vs Sony NEX-3 top view buttons comparison

Olympus VR-340 vs Sony NEX-3 Sensor Comparison

More often than not, it is difficult to visualize the difference between sensor sizes only by reading specifications. The picture below might give you a far better sense of the sensor measurements in the VR-340 and NEX-3.

To sum up, both the cameras have different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The VR-340 because of its tinier sensor is going to make achieving shallower depth of field trickier and the Olympus VR-340 will offer you greater detail as a result of its extra 2MP. Greater resolution can also make it easier to crop photos a bit more aggressively. The newer VR-340 provides a benefit in sensor technology.

Olympus VR-340 vs Sony NEX-3 sensor size comparison

Olympus VR-340 vs Sony NEX-3 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus VR-340 vs Sony NEX-3 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photography Glossary

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus VR-340 as a Portrait photography camera
Sony NEX-3 as a Portrait photography camera
34
MP count good (16MP)
offers face detection autofocus
no manual focus
lack of manual exposure
no external flash support
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW files
72
manual focus
megapixel count good (14 megapixels)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
offers face detection focusing
delivers RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus VR-340 Street photography info
Sony NEX-3 Street photography info
63
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
lighter than competitors (125 grams)
screen does not articulate
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW files
76
has a tilting screen
sensor size is good (APS-C)
delivers RAW files
lack of image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Olympus VR-340 Sports photography features
Sony NEX-3 Sports photography features
44
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
MP count good (16MP)
offers tracking autofocus
no shutter priority
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
doesn't have phase detect autofocus
52
megapixel count good (14 megapixels)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
lack of image stabilization
has no phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus VR-340 as a Travel photography camera
Sony NEX-3 as a Travel photography camera
69
lighter than competitors (125 grams)
MP count good (16 megapixels)
has built in flash
decently wide (24mm)
doesn't have Time Lapse mode
does not offer selfie friendly display
sluggish max aperture (f3.0)
59
megapixel count good (14MP)
does not have Timelapse recording
does not have selfie friendly display
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus VR-340 Landscape photography factors
Sony NEX-3 Landscape photography factors
43
decently wide (24mm)
screen size is good (3")
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
MP count good (16 megapixels)
no manual focus
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f3.0)
lack of manual exposure
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW files
doesn't have Time Lapse mode
68
manual focus
switch lenses (Sony E mount)
screen size is good (3")
megapixel count good (14 megapixels)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
delivers RAW files
lack of image stabilization
does not have Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus VR-340 as a Vlogging camera
Sony NEX-3 as a Vlogging camera
33
decently wide (24mm)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
offers face detection autofocus
lighter than competitors (125g)
sluggish max aperture (f3.0)
does not offer selfie friendly display
low res video (1280 x 720 pxls)
doesn't have external mic support
27
offers face detection focusing
does not have selfie friendly display
lack of image stabilization
low res video (1280 x 720 pxls)
does not have external microphone jack
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Olympus VR-340 vs Sony NEX-3 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus VR-340 and Sony NEX-3
 Olympus VR-340Sony Alpha NEX-3
General Information
Company Olympus Sony
Model Olympus VR-340 Sony Alpha NEX-3
Class Small Sensor Compact Entry-Level Mirrorless
Announced 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 area 28.1mm² 365.0mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixels 14 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 4608 x 3456 4592 x 3056
Highest native ISO 3200 12800
Min native ISO 100 200
RAW images
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch focus
AF continuous
AF single
Tracking AF
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Number of focus points - 25
Cross focus points - -
Lens
Lens mounting type fixed lens Sony E
Lens focal range 24-240mm (10.0x) -
Largest aperture f/3.0-5.7 -
Amount of lenses - 121
Crop factor 5.8 1.5
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Tilting
Display diagonal 3 inch 3 inch
Display resolution 460k dot 920k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
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 - 7.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation - Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 4.80 m 12.00 m
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
WB 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 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)
Highest video resolution 1280x720 1280x720
Video format Motion JPEG MPEG-4
Microphone input
Headphone input
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 125g (0.28 lb) 297g (0.65 lb)
Physical 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 - 330 photos
Type of battery - Battery Pack
Battery model LI-50B NPFW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10sec (3 images))
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots Single Single
Retail price $130 $0