Olympus E-P3 vs Sony H70

Let's take a more detailed look at the Olympus E-P3 and Sony H70, former is a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the other is a Small Sensor Compact by rivals Olympus and Sony. There is a substantial difference between the sensor resolutions of the E-P3 (12MP) and H70 (16MP) and the E-P3 (Four Thirds) and H70 (1/2.3") have different sensor dimensions.

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The E-P3 was revealed 8 months after the H70 which means that they are of a similar age. Both of the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-P3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony H70 being a Compact camera.

Before going right into a comprehensive comparison, here is a concise highlight of how the E-P3 grades vs the H70 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Below is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus PEN E-P3 & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H70. The full galleries are available at Olympus E-P3 Gallery & Sony H70 Gallery.

If you're going to travel with your camera frequently, you will want to factor in its weight and volume. The Olympus E-P3 provides exterior measurements 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 H70 has sizing of 102mm x 58mm x 29mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.1") having a weight of 194 grams (0.43 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-P3 and Sony H70 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you are working with at the time. Underneath is a front view size comparison of the E-P3 against the H70.

Taking into account size and weight, the portability grade of the E-P3 and H70 is 86 and 93 respectively.

Usually, it is very tough to visualize the difference between sensor dimensions only by checking a spec sheet. The pic underneath should offer you a greater sense of the sensor sizing in the E-P3 and H70.

As you can see, each of the cameras feature different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The E-P3 having a larger sensor is going to make getting shallow depth of field simpler and the Sony H70 will resolve greater detail because of its extra 4MP. Greater resolution will also let you crop photos way more aggressively. The more recent E-P3 should have a benefit when it comes to sensor innovation.