Olympus E-M1 vs Sony A3000
71 Imaging
52 Features
85 Overall
65


69 Imaging
62 Features
54 Overall
58
Olympus E-M1 vs Sony A3000 Key Specs
(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
(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

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.

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.

Olympus E-M1 vs Sony A3000 Gallery
Following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus OM-D E-M1 & Sony Alpha A3000. The full galleries are available at Olympus E-M1 Gallery & Sony A3000 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus E-M1 over the Sony A3000
E-M1 | A3000 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Display type | Tilting | ![]() | Fixed | Tilting display |
Display resolution | 1037k | ![]() | 230k | Clearer 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 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Launched | October 2013 | ![]() | August 2013 | Same age |
Manual focus | ![]() | Very precise focus | ||
Display size | 3" | ![]() | 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.
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.

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 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 Screen and ViewFinder


Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison

Street Comparison

Sports Comparison

Travel Comparison

Landscape Comparison

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-M1 vs Sony A3000 Specifications
Olympus OM-D E-M1 | Sony 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 |