Olympus E-1 vs Olympus E-P3

Its time to take a deeper look at the Olympus E-1 and Olympus E-P3, one being a Pro DSLR and the latter is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and both are produced by Olympus. There exists a big gap between the resolutions of the E-1 (5MP) and E-P3 (12MP) but they use the exact same sensor sizing (Four Thirds).

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The E-1 was revealed 8 years before the E-P3 and that is quite a big gap as far as technology is concerned. Both of the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-1 being a Large SLR camera and the Olympus E-P3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before delving straight into a in depth comparison, below is a simple introduction of how the E-1 grades against the E-P3 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

The following is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus E-1 and Olympus PEN E-P3. The full galleries are viewable at Olympus E-1 Gallery and Olympus E-P3 Gallery.

For anyone who is going to lug around your camera often, you need to think about its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-1 has exterior measurements of 141mm x 104mm x 81mm (5.6" x 4.1" x 3.2") with a weight of 735 grams (1.62 lbs) and the Olympus E-P3 has measurements of 122mm x 69mm x 34mm (4.8" x 2.7" x 1.3") with a weight of 369 grams (0.81 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-1 and Olympus E-P3 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change based on the lens you have chosen during that time. Underneath is the front view dimension comparison of the E-1 compared to the E-P3.

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-1 and E-P3 is 59 and 86 respectively.

Quite often, it's tough to visualize the gap between sensor measurements simply by reviewing technical specs. The photograph below will give you a much better sense of the sensor measurements in the E-1 and E-P3.

As you can tell, both of these cameras have got the exact same sensor measurements albeit different megapixels. You should count on the Olympus E-P3 to deliver more detail because of its extra 7MP. Higher resolution can also make it easier to crop shots much more aggressively. The older E-1 is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor technology.