Olympus E-3
- 10MP - Four Thirds Sensor
- 2.5" Fully Articulated Display
- ISO 100 - 3200
- Sensor based Image Stabilization
- 1/8000s Max Shutter
- No Video
- Micro Four Thirds Mount
- 890g - 142 x 116 x 75mm
- Launched February 2008
- Succeeded the Olympus E-1
- Replacement is Olympus E-5
- Read full specs
- Alternatives
- Lenses
- Size Comparison
- FAQ
56 Imaging
44 Features
56 Overall
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Olympus E-3 overview
Olympus E-3 is Olympus's Advanced DSLR camera first released on February of 2008. The camera has a 10MP, CMOS Four Thirds sized sensor and has a peak resolution of 3648 x 2736.
Olympus launched this camera to upgrade the older Olympus E-1 (Read Full Comparison) and afterwards introduced the more recent Olympus E-5 (Read Full Comparison) in order to upgrade this camera.
The E-3 places at #62 out of 92 in Advanced DSLR cameras and all around #467 out of 1465 for cameras in our list. You can test our Smart camera finder to find camera listings based on your personalized factors.
The following is a diagram of various criteria used in the scoring system.
Olympus E-3 family
The Olympus E-3 comes with a history of related cameras. Down below, you can discover all previous and more recent models alongside key specs.
Olympus E-3 Gallery
You can check the E-3 from different angles in the gallery here.
Olympus E-3 Pros and Cons
Below is a collection of advantages and disadvantages of the Olympus E-3 based on aspects that are usually seen as necessary in a camera.
Olympus E-3 Sensor specifications
The Olympus E-3 is powered by the TruePic III processor. The spec of the sensor on the Olympus E-3 is 17.3mm x 13mm (Four Thirds). The 225 mm² sensor has the capability to resolve 3648 x 2736 pixels and aspect ratios of 4:3. The camera includes Image Stabilization (Sensor based). Sensor stabilization is more effective than digital stabilization since the latter may lead to cropping.
Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music videoThe CMOS sensor boasts 10 megapixels and has a native ISO range of 100 to 3200. RAW files are supported which means that you have wider margin for error.
The picture below shows the E-3's sensor dimensions compared to other common sizes. The E-3 sensor comes with a crop factor of 2.1 and is presented in green.
Snapchat Adds Watermarks to AI-Created ImagesTo get a sense of different aspect ratios, you should refer to the visual below.
Olympus E-3 dimensions
Olympus E-3 weighs about 1.96 pounds (890g or 31.39 oz) and features external dimensions of 142mm x 116mm x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0"). The weight of general Advanced DSLR camera is 776g and the Olympus E-3 is weightier when compared to various rivals.
Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a LandslideThe following is a visual of the Olympus E-3 next to a soft drink so you're able to have a feel for its scale.
The top view here will show the button layout on the E-3.
Olympus E-3 Lens specifications
The E-3 fits the Micro Four Thirds mount and has 162 lenses on sale. Below is a small number of the lenses we have in our database which will work with the E-3.
Olympus E-3 Connectivity
The E-3 has the following connectivity:
- USB Yes
Cameras that contain NFC and Bluetooth connectivity can be controlled wirelessly by smartphones. You will be able to send pictures and sometimes alter settings without the hassle of connecting straight to the camera.
Many applications even enable a Liveview and press the shutter if you aren't close to the camera. If the camera contains a HDMI out, it can be connected to an external display. The majority of cameras will allow you to charge the battery through the USB socket.
Olympus E-3 Video specifications
Olympus E-3 doesn't capture video. If you are searching for a camera to take only photos, this is not an issue.
Olympus E-3 Weather Sealing
Olympus E-3 features weather sealing making it a good pick to use for tough environments. This can be especially helpful if you are unsure about the conditions you may encounter for outdoor photography.
Olympus E-3 Display and Viewfinder
The Olympus E-3 has a 2.5" fully articulated screen supporting a resolution of 230k dots.
It features a selfie friendly display to get self portraits as well as group photos if needed. Please note that the screen offers no touch support. The E-3 also has a Top display so you can quickly checkout your settings.
Japan-exclusive Leica Leitz Phone 3 features big sensor and new modesThe ViewFinder specs regarding Olympus E-3 are as follows:
- ViewFinder Optical (pentaprism)
- ViewFinder Coverage 100 percent
- ViewFinder Magnification 0.58x
Viewfinders are very handy for bright outdoor conditions which will make the camera display washed out and very difficult to view.
Olympus E-3 Shutter specifications
Olympus E-3 has the capability to shoot continuously at 5.0 fps. The maximum shutter speed is 1/8000 seconds.
Olympus E-3 Flash and Hot shoe specifications
Olympus E-3 includes both in-built flash and also external flash ability. The highest flash sync speed is 1/250 seconds.
Olympus E-3 Autofocusing specifications
Olympus E-3 includes both Phase Detect AF and Contrast Based AF. Phase Detection autofocusing is a lot more faster and accurate when compared to Contrast Based autofocusing.
The AF system has 11 focus points to choose from. Olympus E-3 has got manual focusing in case it is required for low light or you want to have more exact focusing control.
Olympus E-3 Battery life
The typical Advanced DSLR camera battery life is 909. Nikon D780 comes with the highest (2260) battery life for this kind of cameras.
Following is a listing of Advanced DSLR cameras having the strongest battery life:
Olympus E-3 for various categories of photography
The following bar chart shows a summation of the Olympus E-3 for various categories of photography. To learn more, scroll to the specific paragraph below.
Portrait photography with Olympus E-3
The Olympus E-3 receives a score of 56 which is modest, meaning that it is fairly adequate for portraits. Taking portrait images favors heavily to sensor resolution, support for RAW files & flexibility to utilize external flash.
Olympus E-3 as a Street photography camera
Getting a above average rating of 69, the Olympus E-3 is a fine choice for street photography. A decent street photography camera provides a perfect balance of picture quality and portability.
Olympus E-3 as a Sports photography camera
A modest sports photography score of 57 indicates the Olympus E-3 is reasonably adequate for taking pictures of sports. A camera needs good autofocus and fast continuous shooting for sports photography.
Olympus E-3 Travel photography highlights
Portability is super critical when getting a travel camera. In general, the Olympus E-3 gets a decent 55 as a travel camera which is fairly acceptable to buy for your vacations.
Olympus E-3 as a Landscape photography camera
If you are planning to purchase a digital camera for landscape photos, the most significant factor is going to be image quality. The Olympus E-3 and it's average score of 56 as a landscape camera is reasonably suitable among it's rivals.
Olympus E-3 Vlogging highlights
A vlogging camera really should posses a articulating display, mic input and if possible image stabilization. Considering every thing, the Olympus E-3 is not very good as a vlog camera as it delivers a really bad score of 18.
Olympus E-3 Alternatives
If you are in the market for replacements to the E-3, below is a range of the top placed cameras that fall within the category of Advanced DSLR.
The graph here gives you an overview of the E-3 versus it's highest ranking rivals suggested previously.
Following are additional cameras you may see as alternatives. To read through a complete comparison, visit the "compare" link.