Compared to...

Studio scene comparison (JPEG)

This is our standard studio scene comparison shot taken from exactly the same tripod position. Lighting: daylight simulation, >98% CRI. Crops are 100%. Ambient temperature was approximately 22°C (~72°F).

Nikon D300 vs. Olympus E-3

Camera settings:

• Nikon D300: Nikkor 50 mm F1.8 lens, Aperture Priority, ISO 200
  JPEG Large/Fine, Manual WB, Default Parameters (Normal), Self-Timer (with exposure delay)
   
• Olympus E-3: Olympus 50 mm F2.0 Macro lens, Aperture Priority, ISO 100
  JPEG Large/Fine, Manual WB, Default Parameters (Natural), Self-Timer (with MLU)
  

Nikon D300	Olympus E-3
4.4 MB JPEG (4288 x 2848)	4.5 MB JPEG (3648 x 2736)

Because of the difference in aspect ratio between the Olympus E-3 and the D300 there isn't a huge vertical pixel count difference (just 112 lines) despite the two megapixel deficit, what's lost are to the left and right of the scene (and we frame these studio comparisons vertically). The E-3 produces very nice sharp images with plenty of low contrast detail (texture) and pretty good per pixel sharpness (we should note that the Olympus 50 mm F2.0 macro is a very sharp lens and may help a little here). As we have noted in both our E-3 and DSLR-A700 reviews you should perhaps compare the E-3's handling of highlights on the paperclips versus the D300.