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Olympus E-P3 vs Sony a5000

Portability
86
Imaging
48
Features
60
Overall
52
Olympus PEN E-P3 front
 
Sony Alpha a5000 front
Portability
89
Imaging
63
Features
62
Overall
62

Olympus E-P3 vs Sony a5000 Key Specs

Olympus E-P3
(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
  • Launched August 2011
  • Superseded the Olympus E-P2
  • Updated by Olympus E-P5
Sony a5000
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 16000
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 269g - 110 x 63 x 36mm
  • Released January 2014
  • Earlier Model is Sony NEX-3N
  • Replacement is Sony a5100
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Olympus E-P3 vs Sony a5000 Overview

Below is a extended analysis of the Olympus E-P3 versus Sony a5000, both Entry-Level Mirrorless digital cameras by companies Olympus and Sony. There is a huge difference between the sensor resolutions of the E-P3 (12MP) and a5000 (20MP) and the E-P3 (Four Thirds) and a5000 (APS-C) come with totally different sensor dimensions.

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The E-P3 was manufactured 3 years earlier than the a5000 and that is quite a significant gap as far as tech is concerned. Both cameras offer the identical body type (Rangefinder-style mirrorless).

Before delving in to a step-by-step comparison, below is a concise introduction of how the E-P3 grades versus the a5000 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-P3 over the Sony a5000

 E-P3 a5000 
Screen resolution614k461kCrisper screen (+153k dot)
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Sony a5000 over the Olympus E-P3

 a5000 E-P3 
ReleasedJanuary 2014August 2011More recent by 29 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen

Common features in the Olympus E-P3 and Sony a5000

 E-P3 a5000 
Focus manually Very exact focusing
Screen sizing3"3"Equivalent screen sizing
Selfie screen Lack of selfie screen

Olympus E-P3 vs Sony a5000 Physical Comparison

In case you're looking to lug around your camera, you should consider its weight and volume. The Olympus E-P3 features exterior dimensions of 122mm x 69mm x 34mm (4.8" x 2.7" x 1.3") along with a weight of 369 grams (0.81 lbs) whilst the Sony a5000 has sizing of 110mm x 63mm x 36mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.4") with a weight of 269 grams (0.59 lbs).

Compare the Olympus E-P3 versus Sony a5000 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Do not forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ based on the lens you are utilizing at that moment. Here is the front view sizing comparison of the E-P3 versus the a5000.

Olympus E-P3 vs Sony a5000 size comparison

Factoring in size and weight, the portability rating of the E-P3 and a5000 is 86 and 89 respectively.

Olympus E-P3 vs Sony a5000 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-P3 vs Sony a5000 Sensor Comparison

Usually, its tough to visualise the difference between sensor measurements just by going over technical specs. The photograph below may offer you a better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-P3 and a5000.

As you can tell, each of the cameras enjoy different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The E-P3 due to its tinier sensor will make shooting shallower depth of field more challenging and the Sony a5000 will deliver more detail due to its extra 8 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also help you crop shots far more aggressively. The older E-P3 is going to be behind when it comes to sensor innovation.

Olympus E-P3 vs Sony a5000 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-P3 vs Sony a5000 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-P3 vs Sony a5000 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-P3 Portrait photography advice
Sony a5000 Portrait photography advice
60
focusing manually
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
has face detection focusing
supports RAW files
resolution not great (12 megapixels)
71
has manual focus
sensor resolution is decent (20MP)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
offers face detection focus
supports RAW formats
external flash not possible
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-P3 Street photography advice
Sony a5000 Street photography advice
76
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
offers focus via touch
no articulating screen
78
tilting screen
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
supports RAW formats
does not have image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-P3 as a Sports photography camera
Sony a5000 as a Sports photography camera
49
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
has tracking autofocus
max frames per second low (3.0 frames per second)
resolution not great (12MP)
has no phase detect AF
60
sensor resolution is decent (20 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
offers tracking autofocus
great battery pack (420 per charge)
slow continuous shooting (4.0 fps)
does not have image stabilization
doesn't have phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus E-P3
Travel photography with Sony a5000
60
offers focus via touch
has built in flash
does not have Timelapse recording
resolution not great (12 megapixels)
does not posses selfie friendly display
78
great battery pack (420 CIPA)
sensor resolution is decent (20 megapixels)
flash built-in
screen is not selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-P3 as a Landscape photography camera
Sony a5000 as a Landscape photography camera
65
focusing manually
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
pretty good screen size (3")
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
resolution not great (12MP)
does not have Timelapse recording
77
has manual focus
swap lenses (Sony E mount)
nice screen size (3 inch)
sensor resolution is decent (20 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
supports RAW formats
great battery pack (420 shots)
does not have image stabilization
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus E-P3
Vlogging with Sony a5000
35
touchscreen
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
has face detection focusing
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
does not posses selfie friendly display
does not have external microphone socket
32
offers face detection focus
high video quality (1920 x 1080 resolution)
screen is not selfie friendly
does not have image stabilization
does not have external microphone jack
Photography Glossary

Olympus E-P3 vs Sony a5000 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-P3 and Sony a5000
 Olympus PEN E-P3Sony Alpha a5000
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Sony
Model type Olympus PEN E-P3 Sony Alpha a5000
Category Entry-Level Mirrorless Entry-Level Mirrorless
Launched 2011-08-17 2014-01-07
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Chip TruePic VI Bionz X
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds APS-C
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 23.2 x 15.4mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 357.3mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixels 20 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 3:2 and 16:9
Max resolution 4032 x 3024 5456 x 3632
Max native ISO 12800 16000
Min native ISO 100 100
RAW support
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch focus
AF continuous
AF single
Tracking AF
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Total focus points 35 25
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds Sony E
Amount of lenses 107 121
Crop factor 2.1 1.6
Screen
Range of screen Fixed Type Tilting
Screen diagonal 3 inch 3 inch
Resolution of screen 614k dot 461k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Screen tech 3:2 OLED with Anti-Fingerprint Coating TFT LCD with 180 upward tilt
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic (optional) None
Features
Min shutter speed 60 seconds 30 seconds
Max shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Continuous shutter speed 3.0 frames/s 4.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 10.00 m (@ ISO 200) 4.00 m (at ISO 100)
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Wireless, Manual (3 levels) Flash off, Autoflash, Fill-flash, Rear Sync., Slow Sync., Red-eye reduction
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Max flash sync 1/180 seconds 1/160 seconds
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) 1920 x 1080 (60i/24p), 1440 x 1080 (25 fps), 640 x 480 (25 fps)
Max video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video file format AVCHD, Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD
Microphone input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
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 369g (0.81 lb) 269g (0.59 lb)
Dimensions 122 x 69 x 34mm (4.8" x 2.7" x 1.3") 110 x 63 x 36mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.4")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 51 79
DXO Color Depth rating 20.8 23.8
DXO Dynamic range rating 10.1 13.0
DXO Low light rating 536 1089
Other
Battery life 330 images 420 images
Form of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLS-5 NP-FW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 secs, custom)
Time lapse recording With downloadable app
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC card SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Pro Duo
Storage slots One One
Pricing at release $0 $448