Olympus E-P3 vs Olympus SP-800 UZ

The following is a detailed assessment of the Olympus E-P3 vs Olympus SP-800 UZ, one is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom and they are both manufactured by Olympus. The resolution of the E-P3 (12MP) and the SP-800 UZ (14MP) is very close but the E-P3 (Four Thirds) and SP-800 UZ (1/2.3") feature different sensor measurements.

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The E-P3 was launched 19 months after the SP-800 UZ making the cameras a generation away from one another. Both cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-P3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Olympus SP-800 UZ being a Compact camera.

Before diving straight into a more detailed comparison, below is a simple highlight of how the E-P3 grades vs the SP-800 UZ in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Following is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus PEN E-P3 and Olympus SP-800 UZ. The complete galleries are provided at Olympus E-P3 Gallery and Olympus SP-800 UZ Gallery.

In case you're going to travel with your camera regularly, you should factor in its weight and size. The Olympus E-P3 features outer measurements of 122mm x 69mm x 34mm (4.8" x 2.7" x 1.3") with a weight of 369 grams (0.81 lbs) and the Olympus SP-800 UZ has specifications of 110mm x 90mm x 91mm (4.3" x 3.5" x 3.6") having a weight of 455 grams (1.00 lbs).

Check out the Olympus E-P3 vs Olympus SP-800 UZ in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary dependant on the lens you are working with at that time. Below is the front view scale comparison of the E-P3 compared to the SP-800 UZ.

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-P3 and SP-800 UZ is 86 and 69 respectively.

Quite often, it is very tough to visualize the difference in sensor dimensions merely by viewing specs. The image below should give you a better sense of the sensor measurements in the E-P3 and SP-800 UZ.

All in all, both cameras have got different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The E-P3 featuring a larger sensor is going to make shooting shallow depth of field simpler and the Olympus SP-800 UZ will render greater detail utilizing its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also make it easier to crop photos much more aggressively. The fresher E-P3 provides a benefit with regard to sensor tech.