Clicky

Olympus E-M1 vs Sony A3000

Portability
71
Imaging
52
Features
85
Overall
65
Olympus OM-D E-M1 front
 
Sony Alpha A3000 front
Portability
69
Imaging
62
Features
54
Overall
58

Olympus E-M1 vs Sony A3000 Key Specs

Olympus E-M1
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 497g - 130 x 94 x 63mm
  • Introduced October 2013
  • Updated by Olympus E-M1 II
Sony A3000
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 16000
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 411g - 128 x 91 x 85mm
  • Launched August 2013
  • Replacement is Sony a3500
Japan-exclusive Leica Leitz Phone 3 features big sensor and new modes

Olympus E-M1 vs Sony A3000 Overview

Below is a extended assessment of the Olympus E-M1 versus Sony A3000, former being a Pro Mirrorless while the other is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by manufacturers Olympus and Sony. The sensor resolution of the E-M1 (16MP) and the A3000 (20MP) is fairly comparable but the E-M1 (Four Thirds) and A3000 (APS-C) have totally different sensor size.

Apple Innovates by Creating Next-Level Optical Stabilization for iPhone

The E-M1 was unveiled 3 months later than the A3000 which means that they are both of a similar age. Each of the cameras feature the same body design (SLR-style mirrorless).

Before we go straight to a complete comparison, here is a brief summation of how the E-M1 scores versus the A3000 for portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Snapchat Adds Watermarks to AI-Created Images

        

Reasons to pick Olympus E-M1 over the Sony A3000

 E-M1 A3000 
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display resolution1037k230kClearer display (+807k dot)
Touch display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Sony A3000 over the Olympus E-M1

 A3000 E-M1 

Common features in the Olympus E-M1 and Sony A3000

 E-M1 A3000 
LaunchedOctober 2013August 2013Same age
Manual focus Very precise focus
Display size3"3"Same display size
Selfie screen Neither offers selfie screen

Olympus E-M1 vs Sony A3000 Physical Comparison

If you're looking to lug around your camera, you'll have to factor in its weight and size. The Olympus E-M1 offers outside measurements of 130mm x 94mm x 63mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.5") along with a weight of 497 grams (1.10 lbs) while the Sony A3000 has specifications of 128mm x 91mm x 85mm (5.0" x 3.6" x 3.3") along with a weight of 411 grams (0.91 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus E-M1 versus Sony A3000 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into account, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you are working with at that moment. Following is a front view measurement comparison of the E-M1 vs the A3000.

Olympus E-M1 vs Sony A3000 size comparison

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-M1 and A3000 is 71 and 69 respectively.

Olympus E-M1 vs Sony A3000 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-M1 vs Sony A3000 Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, it's difficult to visualise the gap in sensor measurements only by checking out specifications. The visual here should give you a far better sense of the sensor measurements in the E-M1 and A3000.

Plainly, both of the cameras come with different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The E-M1 with its smaller sensor will make achieving shallower depth of field more challenging and the Sony A3000 will show greater detail having an extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also let you crop photos a good deal more aggressively.

Olympus E-M1 vs Sony A3000 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-M1 vs Sony A3000 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-M1 vs Sony A3000 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photobucket discusses licensing 13 billion images with AI firms

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus E-M1
Portrait photography with Sony A3000
71
focusing manually
great flash sync speed (1/320 seconds)
decent MP (16 megapixels)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
has face detect autofocus
exports RAW formats
77
has manual focus
decent MP (20MP)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
has face detection autofocus
delivers RAW files
President Biden pushes bill mandating TikTok sale or ban

Street Comparison

Olympus E-M1 Street photography highlights
Sony A3000 Street photography highlights
77
has a tilting screen
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
offers touch focus
weather proof
lighter than competitors (497 grams)
very good high ISO (25,600)
56
sensor size is good (APS-C)
delivers RAW files
no articulating screen
lack of image stabilization
more heavy than average in class (411 grams)
Samsung Releases Faster Versions of EVO MicroSD Cards

Sports Comparison

Olympus E-M1 Sports photography info
Sony A3000 Sports photography info
69
great max shutter speed (1/8,000s)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent MP (16 megapixels)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
has tracking focus
weather proof
sensor has phase detect autofocus
low battery power (350 CIPA)
59
decent MP (20MP)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
has tracking autofocus
better than average battery life (470 per charge)
continuous shooting slow (3.0 frames/s)
lack of image stabilization
lacks phase detect autofocus
Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide

Travel Comparison

Olympus E-M1 Travel photography advice
Sony A3000 Travel photography advice
65
lighter than competitors (497g)
weather proof
offers touch focus
decent MP (16MP)
low battery power (350 CIPA)
doesn't contain selfie friendly screen
60
better than average battery life (470 CIPA)
decent MP (20 megapixels)
has built in flash
does not have Timelapse recording
more heavy than average in class (411g)
screen isn't selfie friendly
Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music video

Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-M1 as a Landscape photography camera
Sony A3000 as a Landscape photography camera
72
focusing manually
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent MP (16 megapixels)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
very good high ISO (25,600)
exports RAW formats
weather proof
low battery power (350 CIPA)
70
has manual focus
swap lenses (Sony E mount)
screen size is decent (3 inch)
decent MP (20 megapixels)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
delivers RAW files
better than average battery life (470 CIPA)
lack of image stabilization
does not have Timelapse recording
Meta to Introduce 'AI-Generated' Labels for Media starting next month

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-M1 as a Vlogging camera
Sony A3000 as a Vlogging camera
36
touchscreen
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
has face detect autofocus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
includes mic port
lighter than competitors (497 grams)
doesn't contain selfie friendly screen
26
has face detection autofocus
video res high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
screen isn't selfie friendly
lack of image stabilization
does not have external microphone port
more heavy than average in class (411 grams)
Photography Glossary

Olympus E-M1 vs Sony A3000 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M1 and Sony A3000
 Olympus OM-D E-M1Sony Alpha A3000
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Sony
Model Olympus OM-D E-M1 Sony Alpha A3000
Type Pro Mirrorless Entry-Level Mirrorless
Introduced 2013-10-28 2013-08-27
Body design SLR-style mirrorless SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Chip TruePIC VII BIONZ image
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds APS-C
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixel 20 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Max resolution 4608 x 3456 5456 x 3632
Max native ISO 25600 16000
Lowest native ISO 100 100
RAW files
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Number of focus points 81 25
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds Sony E
Amount of lenses 107 121
Crop factor 2.1 1.5
Screen
Range of screen Tilting Fixed Type
Screen size 3 inches 3 inches
Resolution of screen 1,037k dot 230k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Screen tech - TFT LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic Electronic
Viewfinder resolution 2,360k dot -
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification 0.74x 0.47x
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60 secs 30 secs
Fastest shutter speed 1/8000 secs 1/4000 secs
Continuous shutter speed 10.0fps 3.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range no built-in flash 6.00 m (at ISO200 / 4m at ISO100)
Flash options Flash Auto, Redeye, Fill-in, Flash Off, Red-eye Slow sync (1st curtain), Slow sync (1st curtain), Slow sync (2nd curtain), Manual Flash off, Auto flash, Fill-flash, Slow Sync., Rear Sync.
External flash
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Fastest flash sync 1/320 secs 1/160 secs
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080
Max video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video data format H.264, Motion JPEG AVCHD, H.264, MP4
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 497 gr (1.10 pounds) 411 gr (0.91 pounds)
Physical dimensions 130 x 94 x 63mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.5") 128 x 91 x 85mm (5.0" x 3.6" x 3.3")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score 73 78
DXO Color Depth score 23.0 23.7
DXO Dynamic range score 12.7 12.8
DXO Low light score 757 1068
Other
Battery life 350 pictures 470 pictures
Form of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model BLN-1 NP-FW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 secs, custom) Yes (2-sec. or 10-sec. delay)
Time lapse recording
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC -
Storage slots One One
Pricing at release $799 $398