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Olympus E-P3 vs Sony H55

Portability
86
Imaging
48
Features
60
Overall
52
Olympus PEN E-P3 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H55 front
Portability
92
Imaging
37
Features
28
Overall
33

Olympus E-P3 vs Sony H55 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
  • Released August 2011
  • Old Model is Olympus E-P2
  • Newer Model is Olympus E-P5
Sony H55
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 3200
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 25-250mm (F3.5-5.5) lens
  • 200g - 103 x 58 x 29mm
  • Revealed June 2010
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Olympus E-P3 vs Sony H55 Overview

Let's look closer at the Olympus E-P3 vs Sony H55, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by rivals Olympus and Sony. The resolution of the E-P3 (12MP) and the H55 (14MP) is pretty similar but the E-P3 (Four Thirds) and H55 (1/2.3") posses different sensor size.

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The E-P3 was revealed 15 months later than the H55 which makes them a generation apart from one another. The two cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-P3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony H55 being a Compact camera.

Before going right into a comprehensive comparison, here is a short summary of how the E-P3 scores versus the H55 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-P3 over the Sony H55

 E-P3 H55 
RevealedAugust 2011June 2010More recent by 15 months
Focus manually More exact focus
Screen resolution614k230kCrisper screen (+384k dot)
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Sony H55 over the Olympus E-P3

 H55 E-P3 

Common features in the Olympus E-P3 and Sony H55

 E-P3 H55 
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Screen dimensions3"3"Equal screen size
Selfie screen Lack of selfie screen

Olympus E-P3 vs Sony H55 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is going to lug around your camera frequently, you're going to have to consider its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-P3 features external 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 H55 has proportions of 103mm x 58mm x 29mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.1") having a weight of 200 grams (0.44 lbs).

Check the Olympus E-P3 vs Sony H55 in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into account, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ depending on the lens you have during that time. The following is a front view measurements comparison of the E-P3 and the H55.

Olympus E-P3 vs Sony H55 size comparison

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-P3 and H55 is 86 and 92 respectively.

Olympus E-P3 vs Sony H55 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-P3 vs Sony H55 Sensor Comparison

Normally, its hard to imagine the difference between sensor measurements just by reading technical specs. The photograph underneath should give you a clearer sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-P3 and H55.

As you have seen, each of the cameras have different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The E-P3 with its bigger sensor is going to make achieving shallower DOF simpler and the Sony H55 will deliver greater detail because of its extra 2MP. Higher resolution will let you crop shots a bit more aggressively. The younger E-P3 provides an edge with regard to sensor technology.

Olympus E-P3 vs Sony H55 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-P3 vs Sony H55 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-P3 vs Sony H55 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus E-P3
Portrait photography with Sony H55
60
you can focus manually
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports face detection focusing
supports RAW formats
low MP (12MP)
28
decent sensor resolution (14MP)
lack of manual focus
no manual mode
no external flash support
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-P3 Street photography info
Sony H55 Street photography info
76
image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
includes focus via touch
screen is fixed
56
has image stabilization (Optical)
no moving screen
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-P3 Sports photography highlights
Sony H55 Sports photography highlights
49
image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports tracking autofocus
max fps very slow (3.0 fps)
low MP (12MP)
lack of phase detect AF
38
has image stabilization (Optical)
decent sensor resolution (14 megapixels)
no shutter priority
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
has no phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-P3 Travel photography highlights
Sony H55 Travel photography highlights
60
includes focus via touch
built-in flash
doesn't have Timelapse recording
low MP (12MP)
screen is not selfie friendly
67
decent sensor resolution (14 megapixels)
flash built-in
really wide (25mm)
long zoom (250mm)
does not have Timelapse recording
does not contain selfie friendly screen
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.5)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-P3 as a Landscape photography camera
Sony H55 as a Landscape photography camera
65
you can focus manually
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen is a decent size (3 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
low MP (12MP)
doesn't have Timelapse recording
42
really wide (25mm)
screen size is decent (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Optical)
decent sensor resolution (14MP)
lack of manual focus
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.5)
no manual mode
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
does not have Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-P3 as a Vlogging camera
Sony H55 as a Vlogging camera
35
touchscreen capability
image stabilization (Sensor based)
supports face detection focusing
high res video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
screen is not selfie friendly
doesn't have external microphone port
28
really wide (25mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.5)
does not contain selfie friendly screen
video res low (1280 x 720 resolution)
does not have external microphone jack
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Olympus E-P3 vs Sony H55 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-P3 and Sony H55
 Olympus PEN E-P3Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H55
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Sony
Model Olympus PEN E-P3 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H55
Category Entry-Level Mirrorless Small Sensor Compact
Released 2011-08-17 2010-06-16
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Powered by TruePic VI Bionz
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixels 14 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 4:3 and 16:9
Peak resolution 4032 x 3024 4320 x 3240
Highest native ISO 12800 3200
Min native ISO 100 80
RAW format
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
AF continuous
AF single
AF tracking
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Number of focus points 35 9
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 25-250mm (10.0x)
Maximal aperture - f/3.5-5.5
Macro focus range - 5cm
Number of lenses 107 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.8
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen diagonal 3 inch 3 inch
Screen resolution 614 thousand dot 230 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Screen tech 3:2 OLED with Anti-Fingerprint Coating -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic (optional) None
Features
Min shutter speed 60 secs 30 secs
Max shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/1600 secs
Continuous shutter speed 3.0fps 10.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes -
Set WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range 10.00 m (@ ISO 200) 3.80 m
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Wireless, Manual (3 levels) Auto, On, Slow Syncro, Off
External flash
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Max flash sync 1/180 secs -
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video format AVCHD, Motion JPEG MPEG-4
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 proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 369 grams (0.81 lb) 200 grams (0.44 lb)
Physical dimensions 122 x 69 x 34mm (4.8" x 2.7" x 1.3") 103 x 58 x 29mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.1")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score 51 not tested
DXO Color Depth score 20.8 not tested
DXO Dynamic range score 10.1 not tested
DXO Low light score 536 not tested
Other
Battery life 330 images -
Style of battery Battery Pack -
Battery model BLS-5 NP-BG1
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, portrait1/ portrait2)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC card Memory Stick Duo / Pro Duo/ PRO HG-Duo, SD/SDHC, Internal
Storage slots 1 1
Cost at release $0 $235