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Nikon 1 J3 vs Olympus PEN-F

Portability
92
Imaging
44
Features
63
Overall
51
Nikon 1 J3 front
 
Olympus PEN-F front
Portability
84
Imaging
59
Features
79
Overall
67

Nikon 1 J3 vs Olympus PEN-F Key Specs

Nikon 1 J3
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 160 - 6400
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Nikon 1 Mount
  • 201g - 101 x 61 x 29mm
  • Introduced November 2013
  • Older Model is Nikon 1 J2
  • Refreshed by Nikon 1 J4
Olympus PEN-F
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 427g - 125 x 72 x 37mm
  • Announced January 2016
Photography Glossary

Nikon 1 J3 vs Olympus PEN-F Overview

Its time to take a closer look at the Nikon 1 J3 vs Olympus PEN-F, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the latter is a Advanced Mirrorless by competitors Nikon and Olympus. There exists a big gap among the sensor resolutions of the 1 J3 (14MP) and PEN-F (20MP) and the 1 J3 (1") and PEN-F (Four Thirds) boast totally different sensor size.

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The 1 J3 was released 3 years before the PEN-F and that is a fairly big gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of the cameras have the same body design (Rangefinder-style mirrorless).

Before going right into a more detailed comparison, here is a simple highlight of how the 1 J3 matches up versus the PEN-F in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Nikon 1 J3 over the Olympus PEN-F

 1 J3 PEN-F 

Reasons to pick Olympus PEN-F over the Nikon 1 J3

 PEN-F 1 J3 
AnnouncedJanuary 2016November 2013More recent by 26 months
Screen typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating screen
Screen resolution1037k921kClearer screen (+116k dot)
Selfie screen Take selfies
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Common features in the Nikon 1 J3 and Olympus PEN-F

 1 J3 PEN-F 
Manually focus Very accurate focusing
Screen dimensions3"3"Equal screen size

Nikon 1 J3 vs Olympus PEN-F Physical Comparison

For anybody who is aiming to lug around your camera often, you need to factor in its weight and measurements. The Nikon 1 J3 provides outside dimensions of 101mm x 61mm x 29mm (4.0" x 2.4" x 1.1") along with a weight of 201 grams (0.44 lbs) whilst the Olympus PEN-F has proportions of 125mm x 72mm x 37mm (4.9" x 2.8" x 1.5") having a weight of 427 grams (0.94 lbs).

Take a look at the Nikon 1 J3 vs Olympus PEN-F in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ dependant on the lens you select at that time. Following is a front view measurement comparison of the 1 J3 and the PEN-F.

Nikon 1 J3 vs Olympus PEN-F size comparison

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability score of the 1 J3 and PEN-F is 92 and 84 respectively.

Nikon 1 J3 vs Olympus PEN-F top view buttons comparison

Nikon 1 J3 vs Olympus PEN-F Sensor Comparison

More often than not, it is hard to see the gap in sensor measurements simply by viewing specifications. The visual below might offer you a greater sense of the sensor dimensions in the 1 J3 and PEN-F.

To sum up, each of these cameras provide different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The 1 J3 due to its smaller sensor will make getting shallower depth of field trickier and the Olympus PEN-F will result in extra detail as a result of its extra 6MP. Higher resolution can also let you crop photographs more aggressively. The older 1 J3 will be behind with regard to sensor tech.

Nikon 1 J3 vs Olympus PEN-F sensor size comparison

Nikon 1 J3 vs Olympus PEN-F Screen and ViewFinder

Nikon 1 J3 vs Olympus PEN-F Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Nikon 1 J3
Portrait photography with Olympus PEN-F
58
focusing manually
decent sensor resolution (14 megapixels)
nice sensor size (1")
supports RAW files
no external flash support
75
you can focus manually
good megapixels (20 megapixels)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
comes with face detection autofocus
delivers RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Nikon 1 J3
Street photography with Olympus PEN-F
70
nice sensor size (1")
supports RAW files
lighter than competitors in class (201 grams)
no moving screen
no image stabilization
84
screen articulates fully
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
includes focus via touch
good ISO range (25,600)
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Nikon 1 J3
Sports photography with Olympus PEN-F
57
silent shooting (1/16,000s)
decent sensor resolution (14 megapixels)
nice sensor size (1")
comes with tracking autofocus
comes with phase detect AF
no image stabilization
not so great battery pack (220 CIPA)
67
high shutter speed (1/8,000s)
quiet shooting (1/16,000s)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good megapixels (20MP)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
comes with tracking autofocus
bad battery life (330 CIPA)
has no phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Nikon 1 J3 Travel photography details
Olympus PEN-F Travel photography details
69
lighter than competitors in class (201g)
decent sensor resolution (14 megapixels)
built-in flash
not so great battery pack (220 CIPA)
screen isn't selfie friendly
75
includes focus via touch
good megapixels (20MP)
selfie friendly screen
bad battery life (330 per charge)
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Landscape Comparison

Nikon 1 J3 as a Landscape photography camera
Olympus PEN-F as a Landscape photography camera
64
focusing manually
swap lenses (Nikon 1 mount)
decent sized screen (3")
decent sensor resolution (14 megapixels)
nice sensor size (1")
supports RAW files
no image stabilization
not so great battery pack (220 shots)
76
you can focus manually
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inches)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good megapixels (20MP)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
good ISO range (25,600)
delivers RAW formats
bad battery life (330 shots)
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Vlogging Comparison

Nikon 1 J3 as a Vlogging camera
Olympus PEN-F as a Vlogging camera
30
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
lighter than competitors in class (201g)
screen isn't selfie friendly
no image stabilization
doesn't have external mic support
78
selfie friendly screen
screen is touchscreen
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
comes with face detection autofocus
great video quality (1920 x 1080 pixels)
no external microphone jack
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Nikon 1 J3 vs Olympus PEN-F Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Nikon 1 J3 and Olympus PEN-F
 Nikon 1 J3Olympus PEN-F
General Information
Company Nikon Olympus
Model type Nikon 1 J3 Olympus PEN-F
Category Entry-Level Mirrorless Advanced Mirrorless
Introduced 2013-11-30 2016-01-27
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Chip - TruePic VII
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size 1" Four Thirds
Sensor measurements 13.2 x 8.8mm 17.3 x 13mm
Sensor area 116.2mm² 224.9mm²
Sensor resolution 14 megapixel 20 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 4608 x 3072 5184 x 3888
Highest native ISO 6400 25600
Minimum native ISO 160 200
RAW format
Minimum enhanced ISO - 80
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch focus
AF continuous
AF single
Tracking AF
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Total focus points 135 81
Cross type focus points 41 -
Lens
Lens support Nikon 1 Micro Four Thirds
Amount of lenses 13 107
Crop factor 2.7 2.1
Screen
Range of display Fixed Type Fully Articulated
Display size 3 inch 3 inch
Display resolution 921k dot 1,037k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Display tech TFT LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 2,360k dot
Viewfinder coverage - 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.62x
Features
Minimum shutter speed 30 secs 60 secs
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/8000 secs
Fastest quiet shutter speed 1/16000 secs 1/16000 secs
Continuous shutter speed 15.0fps 10.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 5.00 m no built-in flash
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow sync, Rear curtain Flash Auto, Redeye, Fill-in, Flash Off, Red-eye Slow sync (1st curtain), Slow sync (1st curtain), Slow sync (2nd curtain)
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Fastest flash sync 1/60 secs -
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60, 30 fps), 1280 x 720 (60 fps), 1072 x 720 (60 fps) 640 x 240 (400), 320 x 120 (1200) 1920 x 1080 (60p, 50p, 30p, 25p, 24p), 1280 x 720 (60p, 50p, 30p, 25p, 24p)
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video format MPEG-4, H.264 MPEG-4, H.264, Motion JPEG
Microphone input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless Optional Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 201g (0.44 lbs) 427g (0.94 lbs)
Physical dimensions 101 x 61 x 29mm (4.0" x 2.4" x 1.1") 125 x 72 x 37mm (4.9" x 2.8" x 1.5")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 52 74
DXO Color Depth rating 20.4 23.1
DXO Dynamic range rating 11.0 12.4
DXO Low light rating 420 894
Other
Battery life 220 photographs 330 photographs
Battery format Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID EN-EL20 BLN-1
Self timer Yes Yes (2 or 12 seconds, custom)
Time lapse feature
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC card SD/SDHC/SDXC
Storage slots Single Single
Retail price $170 $1,000