Olympus E-P3 vs Sony A500
86 Imaging
48 Features
60 Overall
52
63 Imaging
52 Features
52 Overall
52
Olympus E-P3 vs Sony A500 Key Specs
(Full Review)
- 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
- 3" Fixed Screen
- ISO 100 - 12800
- Sensor based Image Stabilization
- 1920 x 1080 video
- Micro Four Thirds Mount
- 369g - 122 x 69 x 34mm
- Introduced August 2011
- Earlier Model is Olympus E-P2
- Successor is Olympus E-P5
(Full Review)
- 12MP - APS-C Sensor
- 3" Tilting Display
- ISO 200 - 12800
- Sensor based Image Stabilization
- No Video
- Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
- 630g - 137 x 104 x 84mm
- Announced August 2009
- Refreshed by Sony A560
Olympus E-P3 vs Sony A500 Overview
In this write-up, we are comparing the Olympus E-P3 vs Sony A500, one is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by competitors Olympus and Sony. The sensor resolution of the E-P3 (12MP) and the A500 (12MP) is very well matched but the E-P3 (Four Thirds) and A500 (APS-C) use totally different sensor measurements.
Snapchat Adds Watermarks to AI-Created ImagesThe E-P3 was manufactured 24 months after the A500 making the cameras a generation away from one another. The two cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-P3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony A500 being a Compact SLR camera.
Before going through a thorough comparison, below is a concise view of how the E-P3 scores against the A500 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.
Olympus E-P3 vs Sony A500 Gallery
Following is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus PEN E-P3 and Sony Alpha DSLR-A500. The entire galleries are viewable at Olympus E-P3 Gallery and Sony A500 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus E-P3 over the Sony A500
E-P3 | A500 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Announced | August 2011 | August 2009 | More modern by 24 months | |
Display resolution | 614k | 230k | Crisper display (+384k dot) | |
Touch friendly display | Easily navigate |
Reasons to pick Sony A500 over the Olympus E-P3
A500 | E-P3 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Display type | Tilting | Fixed | Tilting display |
Common features in the Olympus E-P3 and Sony A500
E-P3 | A500 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Manually focus | More precise focusing | |||
Display sizing | 3" | 3" | Equivalent display measurements | |
Selfie screen | Neither includes selfie screen |
Olympus E-P3 vs Sony A500 Physical Comparison
For those who are intending to carry around your camera regularly, you're going to have to consider its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-P3 features physical measurements of 122mm x 69mm x 34mm (4.8" x 2.7" x 1.3") accompanied by a weight of 369 grams (0.81 lbs) whilst the Sony A500 has proportions of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") along with a weight of 630 grams (1.39 lbs).
Analyze the Olympus E-P3 vs Sony A500 in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ depending on the lens you choose at the time. Here is the front view dimension comparison of the E-P3 compared to the A500.
Using dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-P3 and A500 is 86 and 63 respectively.
Olympus E-P3 vs Sony A500 Sensor Comparison
More often than not, it's hard to visualise the gap between sensor sizes only by reading through specs. The pic below will help offer you a more clear sense of the sensor sizing in the E-P3 and A500.
All in all, the 2 cameras offer the same exact megapixels but not the same sensor sizes. The E-P3 contains the tinier sensor which is going to make getting shallow depth of field trickier. The more recent E-P3 is going to have a benefit in sensor tech.
Olympus E-P3 vs Sony A500 Screen and ViewFinder
Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison
Street Comparison
Sports Comparison
Travel Comparison
Landscape Comparison
Vlogging Comparison
Olympus E-P3 vs Sony A500 Specifications
Olympus PEN E-P3 | Sony Alpha DSLR-A500 | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Brand Name | Olympus | Sony |
Model type | Olympus PEN E-P3 | Sony Alpha DSLR-A500 |
Category | Entry-Level Mirrorless | Entry-Level DSLR |
Introduced | 2011-08-17 | 2009-08-27 |
Body design | Rangefinder-style mirrorless | Compact SLR |
Sensor Information | ||
Processor Chip | TruePic VI | Bionz |
Sensor type | CMOS | CMOS |
Sensor size | Four Thirds | APS-C |
Sensor measurements | 17.3 x 13mm | 23.5 x 15.6mm |
Sensor area | 224.9mm² | 366.6mm² |
Sensor resolution | 12MP | 12MP |
Anti alias filter | ||
Aspect ratio | 4:3 | 3:2 and 16:9 |
Max resolution | 4032 x 3024 | 4272 x 2848 |
Max native ISO | 12800 | 12800 |
Minimum native ISO | 100 | 200 |
RAW pictures | ||
Autofocusing | ||
Focus manually | ||
Touch to focus | ||
AF continuous | ||
Single AF | ||
AF tracking | ||
Selective AF | ||
Center weighted AF | ||
Multi area AF | ||
AF live view | ||
Face detection AF | ||
Contract detection AF | ||
Phase detection AF | ||
Total focus points | 35 | 9 |
Lens | ||
Lens mount type | Micro Four Thirds | Sony/Minolta Alpha |
Total lenses | 107 | 143 |
Focal length multiplier | 2.1 | 1.5 |
Screen | ||
Screen type | Fixed Type | Tilting |
Screen diagonal | 3 inch | 3 inch |
Screen resolution | 614k dot | 230k dot |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch screen | ||
Screen tech | 3:2 OLED with Anti-Fingerprint Coating | - |
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder type | Electronic (optional) | Optical (pentamirror) |
Viewfinder coverage | - | 95 percent |
Viewfinder magnification | - | 0.53x |
Features | ||
Minimum shutter speed | 60 secs | 30 secs |
Fastest shutter speed | 1/4000 secs | 1/4000 secs |
Continuous shutter speed | 3.0 frames/s | 5.0 frames/s |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Expose Manually | ||
Exposure compensation | Yes | Yes |
Custom WB | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Built-in flash | ||
Flash distance | 10.00 m (@ ISO 200) | 12.00 m |
Flash settings | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Wireless, Manual (3 levels) | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless |
External flash | ||
AE bracketing | ||
WB bracketing | ||
Fastest flash sync | 1/180 secs | 1/160 secs |
Exposure | ||
Multisegment metering | ||
Average metering | ||
Spot metering | ||
Partial metering | ||
AF area metering | ||
Center weighted metering | ||
Video features | ||
Video resolutions | 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) | - |
Max video resolution | 1920x1080 | None |
Video format | AVCHD, Motion JPEG | - |
Microphone input | ||
Headphone input | ||
Connectivity | ||
Wireless | None | None |
Bluetooth | ||
NFC | ||
HDMI | ||
USB | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) |
GPS | None | None |
Physical | ||
Environmental seal | ||
Water proofing | ||
Dust proofing | ||
Shock proofing | ||
Crush proofing | ||
Freeze proofing | ||
Weight | 369 gr (0.81 lb) | 630 gr (1.39 lb) |
Dimensions | 122 x 69 x 34mm (4.8" x 2.7" x 1.3") | 137 x 104 x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") |
DXO scores | ||
DXO Overall rating | 51 | 64 |
DXO Color Depth rating | 20.8 | 21.8 |
DXO Dynamic range rating | 10.1 | 11.6 |
DXO Low light rating | 536 | 772 |
Other | ||
Battery life | 330 shots | 520 shots |
Battery format | Battery Pack | Battery Pack |
Battery ID | BLS-5 | NP-FM500H |
Self timer | Yes (2 or 12 sec) | Yes (2 or 10 sec) |
Time lapse recording | ||
Type of storage | SD/SDHC/SDXC card | SD/ SDHC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo |
Storage slots | 1 | 1 |
Launch pricing | $0 | $638 |