Olympus E-P3 vs Sony A3000

Below is a thorough comparison of the Olympus E-P3 versus Sony A3000, both Entry-Level Mirrorless digital cameras by competitors Olympus and Sony. There is a noticeable difference between the image resolutions of the E-P3 (12MP) and A3000 (20MP) and the E-P3 (Four Thirds) and A3000 (APS-C) have totally different sensor measurements.

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The E-P3 was released 24 months before the A3000 which makes them a generation apart from each other. Both of these cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-P3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony A3000 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before diving into a in-depth comparison, here is a concise summation of how the E-P3 scores versus the A3000 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

This is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus PEN E-P3 & Sony Alpha A3000. The complete galleries are available at Olympus E-P3 Gallery & Sony A3000 Gallery.

If you're intending to lug around your camera regularly, you need to consider its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-P3 offers physical dimensions of 122mm x 69mm x 34mm (4.8" x 2.7" x 1.3") and a weight of 369 grams (0.81 lbs) while the Sony A3000 has measurements of 128mm x 91mm x 85mm (5.0" x 3.6" x 3.3") and a weight of 411 grams (0.91 lbs).

Look at the Olympus E-P3 versus Sony A3000 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you are employing at that time. Following is a front view physical size comparison of the E-P3 vs the A3000.

Using size and weight, the portability rating of the E-P3 and A3000 is 86 and 69 respectively.

In many cases, it is very hard to see the difference between sensor measurements just by reviewing technical specs. The graphic here will offer you a much better sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-P3 and A3000.

As you can tell, both of these cameras come with different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The E-P3 due to its tinier sensor will make getting shallow DOF more challenging and the Sony A3000 will offer more detail as a result of its extra 8MP. Higher resolution can also allow you to crop photographs a good deal more aggressively. The older E-P3 is going to be behind when it comes to sensor innovation.