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Olympus E-P3 vs Sony A100

Portability
86
Imaging
48
Features
60
Overall
52
Olympus PEN E-P3 front
 
Sony Alpha DSLR-A100 front
Portability
64
Imaging
48
Features
38
Overall
44

Olympus E-P3 vs Sony A100 Key Specs

Olympus E-P3
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 12800
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 369g - 122 x 69 x 34mm
  • Announced August 2011
  • Succeeded the Olympus E-P2
  • Successor is Olympus E-P5
Sony A100
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 2.5" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 1600
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • No Video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 638g - 133 x 95 x 71mm
  • Revealed July 2006
  • Old Model is Konica Minolta 5D
  • Newer Model is Sony A550
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Olympus E-P3 vs Sony A100 Overview

Following is a thorough overview of the Olympus E-P3 vs Sony A100, one is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by rivals Olympus and Sony. The sensor resolution of the E-P3 (12MP) and the A100 (10MP) is very similar but the E-P3 (Four Thirds) and A100 (APS-C) offer totally different sensor sizing.

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The E-P3 was brought out 5 years after the A100 which is quite a large gap as far as technology is concerned. Each of the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-P3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony A100 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before diving into a detailed comparison, here is a simple overview of how the E-P3 scores versus the A100 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-P3 over the Sony A100

 E-P3 A100 
RevealedAugust 2011July 2006More modern by 62 months
Display size3"2.5"Larger display (+0.5")
Display resolution614k230kCrisper display (+384k dot)
Touch display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Sony A100 over the Olympus E-P3

 A100 E-P3 

Common features in the Olympus E-P3 and Sony A100

 E-P3 A100 
Manual focus Very exact focusing
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Selfie screen Absent selfie screen

Olympus E-P3 vs Sony A100 Physical Comparison

In case you're aiming to carry around your camera, you need to take into account its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-P3 has outside dimensions of 122mm x 69mm x 34mm (4.8" x 2.7" x 1.3") with a weight of 369 grams (0.81 lbs) while the Sony A100 has dimensions of 133mm x 95mm x 71mm (5.2" x 3.7" x 2.8") with a weight of 638 grams (1.41 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-P3 vs Sony A100 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into account, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary depending on the lens you are using during that time. Here is a front view overall size comparison of the E-P3 against the A100.

Olympus E-P3 vs Sony A100 size comparison

Using dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-P3 and A100 is 86 and 64 respectively.

Olympus E-P3 vs Sony A100 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-P3 vs Sony A100 Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, its hard to see the contrast between sensor sizes just by going over specifications. The picture here will provide you a stronger sense of the sensor sizes in the E-P3 and A100.

To sum up, both the cameras feature different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The E-P3 due to its tinier sensor will make achieving shallow depth of field trickier and the Olympus E-P3 will offer you greater detail having its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution will let you crop images way more aggressively. The younger E-P3 is going to have a benefit in sensor innovation.

Olympus E-P3 vs Sony A100 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-P3 vs Sony A100 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-P3 vs Sony A100 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photography Glossary

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus E-P3
Portrait photography with Sony A100
60
manual focus
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
comes with face detect focus
saves RAW files
resolution not great (12MP)
52
has manual focus
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
saves RAW files
does not have liveview
MP count low (10MP)
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-P3 Street photography info
Sony A100 Street photography info
76
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
comes with focus by touch
no moving screen
64
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
saves RAW files
no articulating screen
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus E-P3
Sports photography with Sony A100
49
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
comes with tracking focus
continuous shooting slow (3.0 fps)
resolution not great (12MP)
lack of phase detect auto focus
49
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
has phase detect autofocus
does not have liveview
max fps low (3.0 fps)
MP count low (10MP)
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus E-P3
Travel photography with Sony A100
60
comes with focus by touch
built-in flash
no Time Lapse mode
resolution not great (12 megapixels)
doesn't posses selfie friendly display
45
flash built-in
doesn't have Time Lapse recording
MP count low (10 megapixels)
doesn't posses selfie friendly display
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-P3 Landscape photography features
Sony A100 Landscape photography features
65
manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is good (3")
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
resolution not great (12MP)
no Time Lapse mode
53
has manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
saves RAW files
screen is small (2.5 inches)
does not have liveview
MP count low (10MP)
doesn't have Time Lapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-P3 as a Vlogging camera
Sony A100 as a Vlogging camera
35
screen is touchscreen
image stabilization (Sensor based)
comes with face detect focus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
doesn't posses selfie friendly display
no mic support
9
can't record video
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Olympus E-P3 vs Sony A100 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-P3 and Sony A100
 Olympus PEN E-P3Sony Alpha DSLR-A100
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Sony
Model Olympus PEN E-P3 Sony Alpha DSLR-A100
Type Entry-Level Mirrorless Entry-Level DSLR
Announced 2011-08-17 2006-07-31
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Processor TruePic VI -
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds APS-C
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 23.6 x 15.8mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 372.9mm²
Sensor resolution 12MP 10MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 3:2
Full resolution 4032 x 3024 3872 x 2592
Max native ISO 12800 1600
Lowest native ISO 100 100
RAW format
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Autofocus touch
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Tracking autofocus
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Live view autofocus
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Number of focus points 35 9
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds Sony/Minolta Alpha
Available lenses 107 143
Crop factor 2.1 1.5
Screen
Type of display Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display diagonal 3 inches 2.5 inches
Display resolution 614k dots 230k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Display technology 3:2 OLED with Anti-Fingerprint Coating -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic (optional) Optical (pentamirror)
Viewfinder coverage - 95 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.55x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60s 30s
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000s 1/4000s
Continuous shooting rate 3.0 frames per second 3.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range 10.00 m (@ ISO 200) -
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Wireless, Manual (3 levels) Auto, Fill-in, Red-Eye reduction, Slow Sync, Off
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Maximum flash synchronize 1/180s 1/160s
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) -
Max video resolution 1920x1080 None
Video data format AVCHD, Motion JPEG -
Mic port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 369 grams (0.81 lb) 638 grams (1.41 lb)
Physical dimensions 122 x 69 x 34mm (4.8" x 2.7" x 1.3") 133 x 95 x 71mm (5.2" x 3.7" x 2.8")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 51 61
DXO Color Depth score 20.8 22.0
DXO Dynamic range score 10.1 11.2
DXO Low light score 536 476
Other
Battery life 330 shots -
Form of battery Battery Pack -
Battery model BLS-5 NP-FM55H
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC card Compact Flash (Type I or II)
Card slots 1 1
Price at launch $0 $1,000