Olympus E-3 vs Olympus E-PL7

Let's look more in depth at the Olympus E-3 vs Olympus E-PL7, former is a Advanced DSLR while the latter is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and both of them are built by Olympus. There is a substantial difference among the resolutions of the E-3 (10MP) and E-PL7 (16MP) but both cameras posses the same sensor size (Four Thirds).

Photography Glossary

The E-3 was brought out 7 years before the E-PL7 which is a fairly big difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both the cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-3 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Olympus E-PL7 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before diving right into a more detailed comparison, here is a short highlight of how the E-3 scores against the E-PL7 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Below is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus E-3 & Olympus PEN E-PL7. The entire galleries are viewable at Olympus E-3 Gallery & Olympus E-PL7 Gallery.

For those who are intending to carry around your camera frequently, you're going to have to consider its weight and volume. The Olympus E-3 comes with outside measurements of 142mm x 116mm x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0") and a weight of 890 grams (1.96 lbs) whilst the Olympus E-PL7 has sizing of 115mm x 67mm x 38mm (4.5" x 2.6" x 1.5") and a weight of 357 grams (0.79 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus E-3 vs Olympus E-PL7 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Always remember, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you choose at the time. Following is a front view overall size comparison of the E-3 against the E-PL7.

Factoring in size and weight, the portability grade of the E-3 and E-PL7 is 56 and 86 respectively.

Often, it is difficult to imagine the contrast in sensor sizes merely by viewing technical specs. The image underneath may give you a greater sense of the sensor sizing in the E-3 and E-PL7.

As you can tell, both of the cameras have the same sensor dimensions albeit different MP. You can expect the Olympus E-PL7 to render extra detail having its extra 6MP. Higher resolution will allow you to crop shots a bit more aggressively. The more aged E-3 will be disadvantaged with regard to sensor innovation.