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Olympus E-M5 III vs Sony A3000

Portability
80
Imaging
62
Features
88
Overall
72
Olympus OM-D E-M5 III front
 
Sony Alpha A3000 front
Portability
69
Imaging
63
Features
54
Overall
59

Olympus E-M5 III vs Sony A3000 Key Specs

Olympus E-M5 III
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 4096 x 2160 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 414g - 125 x 85 x 50mm
  • Introduced October 2019
  • Older Model is Olympus E-M5 II
  • Successor is OM System OM-5
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
  • Revealed August 2013
  • Successor is Sony a3500
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Olympus E-M5 III vs Sony A3000 Overview

Following is a extensive review of the Olympus E-M5 III versus Sony A3000, former is a Advanced Mirrorless while the other is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by brands Olympus and Sony. The resolution of the E-M5 III (20MP) and the A3000 (20MP) is fairly well matched but the E-M5 III (Four Thirds) and A3000 (APS-C) offer different sensor size.

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The E-M5 III was revealed 6 years after the A3000 which is quite a serious difference as far as tech is concerned. The two cameras have the same body design (SLR-style mirrorless).

Before diving straight to a comprehensive comparison, here is a short summary of how the E-M5 III matches up against the A3000 for portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-M5 III over the Sony A3000

 E-M5 III A3000 
RevealedOctober 2019August 2013More modern by 75 months
Display typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating display
Display resolution1040k230kCrisper display (+810k dot)
Selfie screen Take selfies
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Sony A3000 over the Olympus E-M5 III

 A3000 E-M5 III 

Common features in the Olympus E-M5 III and Sony A3000

 E-M5 III A3000 
Focus manually Dial exact focus
Display dimensions3"3"Equal display size

Olympus E-M5 III vs Sony A3000 Physical Comparison

If you are planning to carry around your camera, you should factor in its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-M5 III has physical measurements of 125mm x 85mm x 50mm (4.9" x 3.3" x 2.0") having a weight of 414 grams (0.91 lbs) while the Sony A3000 has proportions of 128mm x 91mm x 85mm (5.0" x 3.6" x 3.3") and a weight of 411 grams (0.91 lbs).

Compare the Olympus E-M5 III versus Sony A3000 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you are employing at the time. Here is a front view overall size comparison of the E-M5 III against the A3000.

Olympus E-M5 III vs Sony A3000 size comparison

Looking at size and weight, the portability rating of the E-M5 III and A3000 is 80 and 69 respectively.

Olympus E-M5 III vs Sony A3000 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-M5 III vs Sony A3000 Sensor Comparison

Often, it can be hard to picture the difference between sensor sizes only by looking at a spec sheet. The picture below might provide you a stronger sense of the sensor sizing in the E-M5 III and A3000.

As you can see, the 2 cameras have the same MP but different sensor sizes. The E-M5 III uses the tinier sensor which should make achieving shallow DOF tougher. The fresher E-M5 III should have a benefit with regard to sensor tech.

Olympus E-M5 III vs Sony A3000 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-M5 III vs Sony A3000 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-M5 III vs Sony A3000 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-M5 III Portrait photography highlights
Sony A3000 Portrait photography highlights
77
has manual focus
good MP (20MP)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
comes with face detection focusing
saves RAW formats
77
focusing manually
decent megapixels (20MP)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
supports face detect focus
exports RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-M5 III as a Street photography camera
Sony A3000 as a Street photography camera
83
screen articulates fully
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
supports touch to focus
weather sealing
good high ISO (25,600)
57
sensor size is good (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
no moving screen
lack of image stabilization
heavier than others in class (411g)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-M5 III Sports photography features
Sony A3000 Sports photography features
76
high shutter speed (1/8,000s)
quiet shooting (1/32,000s)
fast continuous shooting (30.0 frames per second)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good MP (20MP)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
comes with tracking autofocus
weather sealing
supports phase detect AF
not so great battery (310 per charge)
60
decent megapixels (20MP)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
supports tracking focus
great battery power (470 shots)
very slow continuous shooting (3.0 fps)
lack of image stabilization
doesn't have phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-M5 III as a Travel photography camera
Sony A3000 as a Travel photography camera
77
weather sealing
supports bluetooth
supports touch to focus
good MP (20 megapixels)
selfie friendly screen
not so great battery (310 CIPA)
60
great battery power (470 shots)
decent megapixels (20 megapixels)
flash built-in
no Time Lapse recording
heavier than others in class (411g)
doesn't feature selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-M5 III Landscape photography advice
Sony A3000 Landscape photography advice
77
has manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
good sized screen (3")
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good MP (20 megapixels)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
good high ISO (25,600)
saves RAW formats
weather sealing
not so great battery (310 CIPA)
70
focusing manually
swap lenses (Sony E mount)
screen size is decent (3")
decent megapixels (20MP)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
great battery power (470 shots)
lack of image stabilization
no Time Lapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-M5 III Vlogging details
Sony A3000 Vlogging details
84
selfie friendly screen
touchscreen functionality
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
comes with face detection focusing
video res high (4096 x 2160 pixels)
comes with external microphone jack
26
supports face detect focus
high res video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
doesn't feature selfie friendly screen
lack of image stabilization
no mic port
heavier than others in class (411 grams)
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Olympus E-M5 III vs Sony A3000 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M5 III and Sony A3000
 Olympus OM-D E-M5 IIISony Alpha A3000
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Sony
Model type Olympus OM-D E-M5 III Sony Alpha A3000
Type Advanced Mirrorless Entry-Level Mirrorless
Introduced 2019-10-17 2013-08-27
Body design SLR-style mirrorless SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Processor Chip TruePic VIII BIONZ image
Sensor type MOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds APS-C
Sensor dimensions 17.4 x 13mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor area 226.2mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 20 megapixel 20 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 5184 x 3888 5456 x 3632
Maximum native ISO 25600 16000
Lowest native ISO 200 100
RAW pictures
Lowest boosted ISO 64 -
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
AF touch
AF continuous
Single AF
Tracking AF
Selective AF
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Total focus points 121 25
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds Sony E
Total lenses 107 121
Crop factor 2.1 1.5
Screen
Range of screen Fully Articulated Fixed Type
Screen size 3 inches 3 inches
Resolution of screen 1,040 thousand dot 230 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Screen technology - TFT LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic Electronic
Viewfinder resolution 2,360 thousand dot -
Viewfinder coverage 100% 100%
Viewfinder magnification 0.68x 0.47x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 seconds 30 seconds
Highest shutter speed 1/8000 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Highest silent shutter speed 1/32000 seconds -
Continuous shooting speed 30.0 frames per sec 3.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance no built-in flash 6.00 m (at ISO200 / 4m at ISO100)
Flash settings Auto, redeye, fill, off, redeye slow sync, slow sync, 2nd-curtain slow sync, manual Flash off, Auto flash, Fill-flash, Slow Sync., Rear Sync.
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Highest flash sync 1/250 seconds 1/160 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 4096 x 2160 @ 24p / 237 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM 1920 x 1080
Maximum video resolution 4096x2160 1920x1080
Video data format MPEG-4, H.264 AVCHD, H.264, MP4
Mic 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 proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 414g (0.91 lbs) 411g (0.91 lbs)
Physical dimensions 125 x 85 x 50mm (4.9" x 3.3" x 2.0") 128 x 91 x 85mm (5.0" x 3.6" x 3.3")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating not tested 78
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 23.7
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 12.8
DXO Low light rating not tested 1068
Other
Battery life 310 pictures 470 pictures
Battery form Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLN-1 NP-FW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 secs, custom) Yes (2-sec. or 10-sec. delay)
Time lapse feature
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-II supported) -
Storage slots 1 1
Launch price $1,199 $398