Olympus E-P3 vs Sony a5100

In this write-up, we are evaluating the Olympus E-P3 vs Sony a5100, both Entry-Level Mirrorless digital cameras by companies Olympus and Sony. There is a sizable difference between the resolutions of the E-P3 (12MP) and a5100 (24MP) and the E-P3 (Four Thirds) and a5100 (APS-C) use totally different sensor sizes.

Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide

The E-P3 was unveiled 4 years before the a5100 and that is quite a significant difference as far as tech is concerned. Both cameras offer the identical body type (Rangefinder-style mirrorless).

Before getting straight into a detailed comparison, below is a simple introduction of how the E-P3 scores vs the a5100 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

This is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus PEN E-P3 & Sony Alpha a5100. The full galleries are provided at Olympus E-P3 Gallery & Sony a5100 Gallery.

For anyone who is intending to lug around your camera often, you need to consider its weight and volume. The Olympus E-P3 comes with outer measurements of 122mm x 69mm x 34mm (4.8" x 2.7" x 1.3") along with a weight of 369 grams (0.81 lbs) and the Sony a5100 has sizing of 110mm x 63mm x 36mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.4") accompanied by a weight of 283 grams (0.62 lbs).

Look at the Olympus E-P3 vs Sony a5100 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you use during that time. Below is the front view measurements comparison of the E-P3 and the a5100.

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability rating of the E-P3 and a5100 is 86 and 89 respectively.

Usually, its tough to envision the contrast between sensor measurements only by looking at a spec sheet. The graphic underneath will help offer you a clearer sense of the sensor sizing in the E-P3 and a5100.

As you can see, both of those cameras offer different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The E-P3 having a tinier sensor will make achieving shallow depth of field more challenging and the Sony a5100 will resolve extra detail having an extra 12MP. Greater resolution will also allow you to crop images a little more aggressively. The older E-P3 is going to be behind when it comes to sensor technology.