Sony A7S vs Olympus E-3 Comparison

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Sony A7S

12 MP | Full frame (35.8 x 23.9 mm) CMOS Sensor

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Olympus E-3

10 MP | Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) CMOS Sensor

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Sony A7S vs Olympus E-3 Comparison Overview

Here we are comparing two cameras with different body types: Sony A7S, which was introduced in April 2014 is a Pro Mirrorless camera with a 12.0MP Full frame sensor whereas Olympus E-3, which was introduced in February 2008 is a Advanced DSLR camera with a 10.0MP Four Thirds sensor. As you can see, E-3 is 6 years older than A7S. Let's see if this age difference between two cameras makes a big difference.

Despite some fundamental differences of these two body types, Mirrorless cameras are becoming serious alternatives to DSLR cameras thanks to their size/weight advantages and recent improvements in their focus speeds , which makes this comparison even more interesting.

Let's have a brief look at the main features of Sony A7S and Olympus E-3 before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Sony A7S Key Specs

Announcement Date: 2014-04-06

12MP - Full frame CMOS Sensor

ISO 100 - 409600

Sony E Mount

3 Tilting Screen

2359k dot Electronic viewfinder

5 fps continuous shooting

4K (UHD) - 3840 x 2160 video resolution

120 fps High-Speed Video

Built-in Wireless

489g. 127 x 94 x 48 mm

Weather Sealed Body

Olympus E-3 Key Specs

Announcement Date: 2008-02-20

10MP - Four Thirds CMOS Sensor

ISO 100 - 3200

Four Thirds Mount

Sensor-shift Image Stabilization

2.5" Fully Articulated Screen

Optical (pentaprism) viewfinder

5 fps continuous shooting

No Video Mode

890g. 142 x 116 x 75 mm

Weather Sealed Body

Replaced Olympus E-1 Compare

Sony A7S was replaced by Sony Alpha 7S II. You may also be interested in these comparisons:
Sony Alpha 7S II vs Sony Alpha A7S
Sony Alpha 7S II vs Olympus E-3

Olympus E-3 was replaced by Olympus E-5. You may also be interested in these comparisons:
Olympus E-5 vs Olympus E-3
Olympus E-5 vs Sony Alpha A7S

Let's read on the following sections in order to better understand in detail how Sony A7S and Olympus E-3 compares and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one is better for you.

Reasons to choose Sony Alpha A7S over Olympus E-3

Wireless Connection	Built-In vs None	Better connectivity
Viewfinder Magnification	0.71x vs 0.58x	Larger Viewfinder
Face Detection Focus	Yes vs No	very handy for portraits
Max Sensor Resolution	12 MP vs 10 MP	19% more pixels
Max ISO	409.600 vs 3.200	12700% higher Max ISO
Number of Focus Points	25 vs 11	14 more focus points
LCD Screen Size	3 vs 2.5"	0.5 inches larger display
LCD Screen Resolution	1.230k dots vs 230k dots	434% higher resolution screen
Weight	489 g vs 890 g	401 g lighter
Microphone Port	Yes vs No	High quality audio recording option
Headphone Port	Yes vs No	better video control
Color Depth	23.9 vs 21.6	higher color depth
Dynamic Range	13.2 vs 10.5	higher dynamic range
Low Light ISO	3702 vs 571	better High ISO performance
Sensor Pixel Area	71.24µm² vs 22.54µm²	216% larger pixel area
Max Video Resolution	3840 x 2160 vs None	Higher Resolution Video
AE Bracketing	Yes vs No	Useful for tough lighting conditions and HDR
NFC Connection	Yes vs No	Easy wireless connectivity with compatible devices
Smartphone Remote	Yes vs No	Remote control your camera with a smartphone

Reasons to choose Olympus E-3 over Sony Alpha A7S

Image Stabilization	Sensor-shift vs None	Sharper images at longer focal lengths and long exposures
Built-in Flash	Yes vs No	Useful in low-light
Top LCD	Yes vs No	Help viewing and changing settings easily
Flash Sync Port	Yes vs No	Connect off-camera flash
Selfie & Vlogger Friendly LCD	Yes vs No	Rotate LCD for taking Selfies

Common Strengths of Sony Alpha A7S and Olympus E-3

Adjustable LCD Screen	Tilting vs Fully Articulated	Flexible shooting positions
External Flash Shoe	Yes vs Yes	Better for flash photography
Viewfinder	Yes (Electronic) vs Yes (Optical)	Better framing and control
RAW Support	Yes vs Yes	Better image quality
Environmental Sealing	Yes vs Yes	shoot at tough conditions

Common Weaknesses of Sony Alpha A7S and Olympus E-3

LCD Screen Size	3 vs 2.5"	Small display

Sony A7S vs Olympus E-3: Physical Specs and Body features Comparison

Size and weight is a big decision factor when you are trying to find the ideal camera for your needs. In this section, We are going to illustrate Sony A7S and Olympus E-3 side-by-side from the front, back and top in their relative dimensions. Sony A7S has external dimensions of 127 x 94 x 48 mm (5 x 3.7 x 1.89″) and weighs 489 g (1.08 lb / 17.25 oz) (including batteries). Olympus E-3 has external dimensions of 142 x 116 x 75 mm (5.59 x 4.57 x 2.95″) and weighs 890 g (1.96 lb / 31.39 oz) (including batteries).

Below you can see the front view size comparison of Sony A7S and Olympus E-3. Sony A7S is clearly the smaller of the two cameras. Its body is 15mm narrower, 22mm shorter and 27mm thinner than Olympus E-3.

Comparison image of Sony A7S and Olympus E-3 Size, Weight and External Dimensions - Front View

Here is the back view size comparison of Sony A7S and Olympus E-3.

Comparison image of Sony A7S and Olympus E-3 Size and Weight - Back View

Weight is another important factor especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day. Sony A7S is significantly lighter (401g ) than the Olympus E-3 which may become a big advantage especially on long walking trips.

Also keep in mind that body weight is not the only deciding factor when comparing two interchangeable camera bodies, you have to also take into account the lenses that you will be using with these bodies. Since Sony A7S has a Full frame sensor and Olympus E-3 has a smaller Four Thirds sensor, Olympus E-3's lenses for a similar focal length and aperture will generally be lighter and smaller than the Sony A7S lenses.

Weight Comparison

DSLR Cameras

A7S

E-3

Min

Average

Max

Thickness Comparison

DSLR Cameras

A7S

E-3

Min

Average

Max

Weather Sealing

Both A7S and E-3 have weather sealings in their body, making them resistant to water and dust.

LCD Screen Size and Features

Sony A7S's 3 LCD screen is slightly larger than Olympus E-3's 2.5" screen.

Sony A7S vs Olympus E-3: Sensor Comparison

Sony A7S has a 12.0MP Full frame (35.8 x 23.9 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Bionz X processor. On the other hand, Olympus E-3 has a 10.0MP Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features TruePic III processor.

Below you can see the A7S and E-3 sensor size comparison.

Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Sony A7S and Olympus E-3 Cameras

As seen above, Sony A7S has a 3.8x Larger sensor area than Olympus E-3. Larger sensors give photographer more control on the depth of field and blurry background compared to smaller sensor when shot in same focal length and aperture.

DxOMark Sensor Scores

Both Sony A7S and Olympus E-3 sensors have been tested by DxoMark. DxoMark scores camera sensors for color depth (DXO Portrait), dynamic range (DXO Landscape) and low-light sensitivity (DXO Sports), and also gives them an overall score. Of the two cameras that we are comparing, A7S has scored 87, 31 points higher than E-3.

Model	Overall	Color Depth	Dynamic Range	Low-light ISO
Sony A7S	87	23.9 bits	13.2 Evs	3702 ISO
Olympus E-3	56	21.6 bits	10.5 Evs	571 ISO

Sony A7S vs Olympus E-3 Comparison of Available Lenses

Which camera has more lenses?

Number of available lenses is a big decision factor while choosing your interchangeable lens camera. When we look at the available lenses for these two cameras, we see that Sony A7S has an advantage over Olympus E-3. There are 122 lenses for Sony A7S's Sony E mount, on the other hand there are only 45 lenses for Olympus E-3's Four Thirds lens mount.

Another important factor is the availability of image stabilization. Olympus E-3 has a big advantage in this regard because it has a sensor based image stabilization which means that all the lenses mounted to this body will be stabilized. On the other hand, Sony A7S doesn't have this feature so you have to buy a lens with optical stabilization feature. Currently there are 30 lenses for Sony E mount with Optical Image Stabilization features.

Lens Type	# of Sony A7S Lenses	# of Olympus E-3 Lenses
Standard Zoom	11 (8 Full Frame)	8
Standard Prime	18 (9 Full Frame)	4
Wideangle Zoom	7 (6 Full Frame)	4
Wideangle Prime	39 (23 Full Frame)	9
Telephoto Zoom	9 (7 Full Frame)	6
Telephoto Prime	18 (14 Full Frame)	4
SuperZoom	8 (1 Full Frame)	2
Wideangle Fisheye Prime	2 (0 Full Frame)	3
Macro Prime	8 (7 Full Frame)	4
Perspective Control Prime	2 (2 Full Frame)	n/a
Telephoto Mirror Prime	n/a	1
TOTAL	122 (77 Full Frame)	45

What types of Photography are Sony A7S and Olympus E-3 Good for?

In this section, we rank and compare Sony A7S and Olympus E-3 for five different photography types in order to make your decision process easier in case you are specifically interested in one or more of these areas.

Sony A7S for Portrait Photography

GOOD

Olympus E-3 for Portrait Photography

AVERAGE

Large Full frame (35.8 x 23.9 mm) sensor
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Average Resolution Sensor: 12.0MP
No Image Stabilization
Read the details

Large Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) sensor
Image Stabilization
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Very Low Resolution Sensor: 10.0MP
Read the details

Sony A7S for Street Photography

GOOD

Olympus E-3 for Street Photography

GOOD

Large Full frame (35.8 x 23.9 mm) sensor
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Tilting LCD Screen
Medium sized Body
No Image Stabilization
Read the details

Large Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) sensor
Image Stabilization
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Live-view
Fully Articulated LCD Screen
Large Body
Read the details

Sony A7S for Sports Photography

GOOD

Olympus E-3 for Sports Photography

GOOD

Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Environmental Sealings
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/8000s
25 Focus Points
Good Low Light ISO
Wireless Connection
Average Continuous Shooting: 5.0fps
No Image Stabilization
Read the details

Image Stabilization
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Environmental Sealings
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/8000s
11 Focus Points
Average Continuous Shooting: 5.0fps
Read the details

Sony A7S for Daily Photography

EXCELLENT

Olympus E-3 for Daily Photography

GOOD

Large Full frame (35.8 x 23.9 mm) sensor
Environmental Sealings
Medium size Body
489g
Body Thickness 48mm
Read the details

Large Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) sensor
Environmental Sealings
Large Body
890g
Body Thickness 75mm
Read the details

Sony A7S for Landscape Photography

AVERAGE

Olympus E-3 for Landscape Photography

POOR

Large Full frame (35.8 x 23.9 mm) sensor
Environmental Sealings
Live-view
Average Resolution Sensor: 12.0MP
Read the details

Large Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) sensor
Environmental Sealings
Live-view
Very Low Resolution Sensor: 10.0MP
Read the details

Sony A7S vs Olympus E-3: OUR DECISION

You may have already made your decision about which camera suits better for your needs and your budget so far but in case you wonder how we rated Sony A7S and Olympus E-3, below you can find their scores in five different aspects. Our Decision Algorithm dynamically scores cameras using 63 different specs, current price and DxO Mark scores (where possible) in order to make a more objective and consistent comparison.

Here is a summary of how Sony A7S and Olympus E-3 scores compare:

Sony A7S

Imaging

Features

Value

Portability

Overall

Ranked #38 out of 85 in SLR-style mirrorless cameras
Ranked #70 out of 1218 in all Cameras

Olympus E-3

Imaging

Features

Value

Portability

Overall

Ranked #59 out of 94 in Mid-size SLR cameras
Ranked #429 out of 1218 in all Cameras

Sony A7S is the clear winner of this comparison. It has a higher Overall Score and beats Olympus E-3 in all criteria. It has better general image quality, more features, more compact body and offers more value for the money

Olympus E-3 vs Sony A7S Specs Table

Detailed comparison of specifications

General	Sony Alpha A7S	Olympus E-3
Brand	Sony	Olympus
Announced	2014-04-06	2008-02-20
Body Type	SLR-style mirrorless	Mid-size SLR
Sensor
Type	CMOS	CMOS
Size	Full frame	Four Thirds
Dimensions	35.8 x 23.9 mm	17.3 x 13 mm
Area	855.62mm²	224.90mm²
Megapixels	12 megapixels	10 megapixels
Max Resolution	4240 x 2832	3648 x 2736
Max Native Light sensitivity	409,600 ISO	3,200 ISO
Min Native Light sensitivity	100 ISO	100 ISO
RAW Support
Autofocus
AF Touch
AF Continuous
AF Single
AF Tracking
AF Selective
AF Center
AF Multi Area
AF Live View
AF Face Detection
AF Contrast Detection
AF Phase Detection
Number of Focus Points	25	11
Lens
Manual Focus
Lens Mount	Sony E	Four Thirds
Number of Available Lenses	122	45
Screen
Type	Tilting	Fully Articulated
Size	3	2.5"
Resolution	1,230k dots	230k dots
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder	Electronic	Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder Resolution	2,359k dots	no electronic viewfinder
Viewfinder Coverage	100%	100%
Viewfinder Magnification	0.71x	0.58x
Photography Features
Max Mechanical Shutter	1/8000s	1/8000s
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Custom White Balance
Image Stabilization	No	Sensor-shift
Built-in Flash
Flash Range	no built-in flash	13.00 m
Max Flash Sync	no built-in flash	1/250s
External Flash
Continuous Shooting	5.0 fps	5.0 fps
Multi-Segment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF-Area
Center Weighted
AE Bracketing
WB Bracketing
Video Features
Max Video Resolution	3840 x 2160	None
Video Formats	MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC	n/a
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Connectivity
Wireless Connectivity	Built-In	None
HDMI
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Weight	489g	890g
Dimensions	127 x 94 x 48mm	142 x 116 x 75mm
Battery Life	360 shots	n/a
Other Features
Timelapse Recording	With Downloadable App
GPS	None	None
DxO Sensor Scores
DxO Overall Score	87	56
DxO Color Depth	23.9	21.6
DxO Dynamic Range	13.2	10.5
DxO Low Light ISO	3702	571
	Report a correction	Report a correction