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Olympus E-M1 II vs Sony G3

Portability
68
Imaging
59
Features
93
Overall
72
Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-G3 front
Portability
94
Imaging
33
Features
30
Overall
31

Olympus E-M1 II vs Sony G3 Key Specs

Olympus E-M1 II
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Display
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 4096 x 2160 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 574g - 134 x 91 x 67mm
  • Revealed September 2016
  • Old Model is Olympus E-M1
  • Replacement is Olympus E-M1 III
Sony G3
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3.5" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 3200
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 640 x 480 video
  • 35-140mm (F3.5-10.0) lens
  • 185g - 97 x 59 x 22mm
  • Announced January 2009
Photography Glossary

Olympus E-M1 II vs Sony G3 Overview

In this write-up, we will be analyzing the Olympus E-M1 II versus Sony G3, former being a Pro Mirrorless while the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by competitors Olympus and Sony. There is a considerable difference between the image resolutions of the E-M1 II (20MP) and G3 (10MP) and the E-M1 II (Four Thirds) and G3 (1/2.3") come with different sensor measurements.

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The E-M1 II was unveiled 7 years later than the G3 and that is quite a large difference as far as tech is concerned. Both of these cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-M1 II being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Sony G3 being a Compact camera.

Before getting straight into a full comparison, below is a brief view of how the E-M1 II matches up vs the G3 for portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-M1 II over the Sony G3

 E-M1 II G3 
AnnouncedSeptember 2016January 2009More recent by 94 months
Screen typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating screen
Screen resolution1037k921kSharper screen (+116k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies

Reasons to pick Sony G3 over the Olympus E-M1 II

 G3 E-M1 II 
Screen sizing3.5"3"Bigger screen (+0.5")

Common features in the Olympus E-M1 II and Sony G3

 E-M1 II G3 
Manual focus More exact focus
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Olympus E-M1 II vs Sony G3 Physical Comparison

For those who are planning to lug around your camera frequently, you should factor in its weight and size. The Olympus E-M1 II has external measurements of 134mm x 91mm x 67mm (5.3" x 3.6" x 2.6") with a weight of 574 grams (1.27 lbs) and the Sony G3 has specifications of 97mm x 59mm x 22mm (3.8" x 2.3" x 0.9") along with a weight of 185 grams (0.41 lbs).

Look at the Olympus E-M1 II versus Sony G3 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you are working with at the time. Following is the front view overall size comparison of the E-M1 II against the G3.

Olympus E-M1 II vs Sony G3 size comparison

Looking at size and weight, the portability rating of the E-M1 II and G3 is 68 and 94 respectively.

Olympus E-M1 II vs Sony G3 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-M1 II vs Sony G3 Sensor Comparison

Often, its tough to imagine the gap between sensor measurements simply by reading through technical specs. The visual below might offer you a far better sense of the sensor sizing in the E-M1 II and G3.

As you can tell, the 2 cameras enjoy different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The E-M1 II with its bigger sensor is going to make shooting shallow DOF easier and the Olympus E-M1 II will give extra detail having an extra 10MP. Higher resolution will also make it easier to crop pictures far more aggressively. The more modern E-M1 II should have an edge in sensor technology.

Olympus E-M1 II vs Sony G3 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-M1 II vs Sony G3 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-M1 II vs Sony G3 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-M1 II as a Portrait photography camera
Sony G3 as a Portrait photography camera
75
focusing manually
decent sensor resolution (20 megapixels)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
has face detect autofocus
delivers RAW files
26
you can focus manually
no manual control
cannot use external flash
low megapixels (10 megapixels)
small sensor (1/2.3")
does not have RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-M1 II as a Street photography camera
Sony G3 as a Street photography camera
78
fully articulated screen
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW files
supports focus by touch
environment proofing
lighter than others (574g)
good ISO range (25,600)
56
has image stabilization (Optical)
screen is fixed
small sensor (1/2.3")
does not have RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-M1 II Sports photography features
Sony G3 Sports photography features
74
great max shutter speed (1/8,000 seconds)
silent shooting (1/32,000 seconds)
fast shooting (60.0 frames/s)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent sensor resolution (20MP)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
has tracking focus
environment proofing
supports phase detect autofocus
bad battery life (350 per charge)
23
has image stabilization (Optical)
maximum shutter speed is a little low (1/1,000s)
very slow continuous shooting (2.0 frames per second)
no shutter priority mode
low megapixels (10MP)
small sensor (1/2.3")
does not have phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-M1 II Travel photography info
Sony G3 Travel photography info
72
lighter than others (574 grams)
environment proofing
supports focus by touch
decent sensor resolution (20 megapixels)
selfie friendly display
bad battery life (350 per charge)
50
built-in flash
no Timelapse recording
low megapixels (10MP)
doesn't have a selfie friendly display
wide angle not good (35mm)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.5)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-M1 II Landscape photography info
Sony G3 Landscape photography info
76
focusing manually
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
decent sized screen (3 inches)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent sensor resolution (20 megapixels)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
doesnt have anti-alias filter
good ISO range (25,600)
delivers RAW files
environment proofing
has dual storage slots
bad battery life (350 per charge)
36
you can focus manually
lovely big screen (3.5 inches)
has image stabilization (Optical)
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not good (35mm)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.5)
no manual control
low megapixels (10MP)
small sensor (1/2.3")
does not have RAW files
no Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-M1 II Vlogging advice
Sony G3 Vlogging advice
79
selfie friendly display
has touchscreen
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
has face detect autofocus
high quality video (4096 x 2160 pxls)
comes with mic jack
lighter than others (574g)
27
touchscreen enabled
has image stabilization (Optical)
wide angle not good (35mm)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.5)
doesn't have a selfie friendly display
video quality not great (640 x 480 resolution)
no external microphone support
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Olympus E-M1 II vs Sony G3 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M1 II and Sony G3
 Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark IISony Cyber-shot DSC-G3
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Sony
Model Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II Sony Cyber-shot DSC-G3
Category Pro Mirrorless Small Sensor Compact
Revealed 2016-09-19 2009-01-08
Physical type SLR-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Chip TruePic VIII -
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 17.4 x 13mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor area 226.2mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 20 megapixel 10 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Highest resolution 5184 x 3888 3648 x 2736
Highest native ISO 25600 3200
Min native ISO 200 80
RAW pictures
Min boosted ISO 64 -
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch focus
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detect autofocus
Contract detect autofocus
Phase detect autofocus
Number of focus points 121 9
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 35-140mm (4.0x)
Largest aperture - f/3.5-10.0
Amount of lenses 107 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.8
Screen
Display type Fully Articulated Fixed Type
Display size 3 inches 3.5 inches
Resolution of display 1,037k dots 921k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic None
Viewfinder resolution 2,360k dots -
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.74x -
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60 seconds 1 seconds
Maximum shutter speed 1/8000 seconds 1/1000 seconds
Maximum quiet shutter speed 1/32000 seconds -
Continuous shooting rate 60.0fps 2.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes -
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range 9.10 m (at ISO 100) 4.30 m (Auto ISO)
Flash options Redeye, Fill-in, Flash Off, Red-eye Slow sync.(1st curtain), Slow sync.(1st curtain), Slow sync.(2nd curtain), Manual Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction, Slow Sync
External flash
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Maximum flash synchronize 1/250 seconds -
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions 4096 x 2160 @ 24p / 237 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM, 3840 x 2160 @ 30p / 102 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15 fps)
Highest video resolution 4096x2160 640x480
Video data format MOV, H.264 Motion JPEG
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 3.0 (5 GBit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 574 grams (1.27 lb) 185 grams (0.41 lb)
Dimensions 134 x 91 x 67mm (5.3" x 3.6" x 2.6") 97 x 59 x 22mm (3.8" x 2.3" x 0.9")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 80 not tested
DXO Color Depth score 23.7 not tested
DXO Dynamic range score 12.8 not tested
DXO Low light score 1312 not tested
Other
Battery life 350 pictures -
Battery style Battery Pack -
Battery model BLH-1 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 secs, custom) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC slots Memory Stick Duo/Pro Duo, Internal
Card slots 2 Single
Retail price $1,700 $200