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Olympus E-P3 vs Sony HX400V

Portability
86
Imaging
48
Features
60
Overall
52
Olympus PEN E-P3 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX400V front
Portability
62
Imaging
45
Features
60
Overall
51

Olympus E-P3 vs Sony HX400V 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
  • Introduced August 2011
  • Replaced the Olympus E-P2
  • Updated by Olympus E-P5
Sony HX400V
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 80 - 12800
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 24-1200mm (F2.8-6.3) lens
  • 660g - 130 x 93 x 103mm
  • Revealed February 2014
  • Superseded the Sony HX300
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Olympus E-P3 vs Sony HX400V Overview

Let's look more in depth at the Olympus E-P3 and Sony HX400V, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by competitors Olympus and Sony. There exists a sizable gap among the resolutions of the E-P3 (12MP) and HX400V (20MP) and the E-P3 (Four Thirds) and HX400V (1/2.3") provide different sensor sizing.

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The E-P3 was manufactured 3 years before the HX400V and that is a fairly significant difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both of these cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-P3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony HX400V being a SLR-like (bridge) camera.

Before diving right into a comprehensive comparison, here is a brief synopsis of how the E-P3 matches up vs the HX400V with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Photography Glossary
	
	

Reasons to pick Olympus E-P3 over the Sony HX400V

 E-P3 HX400V 
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Sony HX400V over the Olympus E-P3

 HX400V E-P3 
RevealedFebruary 2014August 2011Fresher by 30 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen resolution921k614kClearer screen (+307k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-P3 and Sony HX400V

 E-P3 HX400V 
Focus manually Very exact focusing
Screen dimensions3"3"Equal screen measurement
Selfie screen Neither has selfie screen

Olympus E-P3 vs Sony HX400V Physical Comparison

For anybody who is going to carry your camera often, you are going to need to take into account its weight and volume. The Olympus E-P3 has physical dimensions of 122mm x 69mm x 34mm (4.8" x 2.7" x 1.3") having a weight of 369 grams (0.81 lbs) whilst the Sony HX400V has sizing of 130mm x 93mm x 103mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 4.1") and a weight of 660 grams (1.46 lbs).

Check out the Olympus E-P3 and Sony HX400V in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you select at that time. The following is a front view measurements comparison of the E-P3 and the HX400V.

Olympus E-P3 vs Sony HX400V size comparison

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-P3 and HX400V is 86 and 62 respectively.

Olympus E-P3 vs Sony HX400V top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-P3 vs Sony HX400V Sensor Comparison

More often than not, it is very hard to visualize the gap in sensor sizing purely by viewing specs. The photograph below will help offer you a far better sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-P3 and HX400V.

All in all, both the cameras have different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The E-P3 due to its bigger sensor is going to make shooting shallower DOF easier and the Sony HX400V will result in extra detail due to its extra 8MP. Higher resolution can also allow you to crop shots a bit more aggressively. The older E-P3 will be disadvantaged with regard to sensor innovation.

Olympus E-P3 vs Sony HX400V sensor size comparison

Olympus E-P3 vs Sony HX400V Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-P3 vs Sony HX400V Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-P3 Portrait photography details
Sony HX400V Portrait photography details
60
you can focus manually
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
features face detect focusing
supports RAW formats
low resolution sensor (12 megapixels)
51
manual focus
decent megapixels (20 megapixels)
supports face detection autofocus
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-P3 Street photography features
Sony HX400V Street photography features
76
image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
includes touch to focus
no moving screen
50
screen tilts
image stabilization (Optical)
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW files
more heavy than competition (660g)
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus E-P3
Sports photography with Sony HX400V
49
image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
features tracking focus
continuous shooting slow (3.0 frames per second)
low resolution sensor (12 megapixels)
lacks phase detect AF
55
incredible zoom range (24-1200mm 50.0 x zoom)
image stabilization (Optical)
decent megapixels (20MP)
supports tracking autofocus
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
does not have phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-P3 Travel photography information
Sony HX400V Travel photography information
60
includes touch to focus
flash built-in
doesn't have Timelapse function
low resolution sensor (12MP)
does not contain selfie friendly screen
53
decent megapixels (20MP)
has built in flash
reasonably wide (24mm)
long reach (1200mm)
no Timelapse recording
more heavy than competition (660 grams)
doesn't contain selfie friendly screen
sluggish max aperture (f2.8)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-P3 as a Landscape photography camera
Sony HX400V 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)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
low resolution sensor (12MP)
doesn't have Timelapse function
49
manual focus
reasonably wide (24mm)
screen is a decent size (3 inches)
image stabilization (Optical)
decent megapixels (20 megapixels)
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f2.8)
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW files
no Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-P3 Vlogging advice
Sony HX400V Vlogging advice
35
built-in touchscreen
image stabilization (Sensor based)
features face detect focusing
high res video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
does not contain selfie friendly screen
doesn't have microphone port
29
reasonably wide (24mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
supports face detection autofocus
video res high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
includes external microphone port
sluggish max aperture (f2.8)
doesn't contain selfie friendly screen
more heavy than competition (660 grams)
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Olympus E-P3 vs Sony HX400V Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-P3 and Sony HX400V
 Olympus PEN E-P3Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX400V
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Sony
Model type Olympus PEN E-P3 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX400V
Type Entry-Level Mirrorless Small Sensor Superzoom
Introduced 2011-08-17 2014-02-12
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless SLR-like (bridge)
Sensor Information
Powered by TruePic VI Bionz X
Sensor type CMOS BSI-CMOS
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 20 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 4032 x 3024 5184 x 3888
Maximum native ISO 12800 12800
Min native ISO 100 80
RAW images
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch focus
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Total focus points 35 9
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 24-1200mm (50.0x)
Maximum aperture - f/2.8-6.3
Macro focusing distance - 1cm
Number of lenses 107 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.8
Screen
Range of screen Fixed Type Tilting
Screen diagonal 3 inches 3 inches
Screen resolution 614k dot 921k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Screen tech 3:2 OLED with Anti-Fingerprint Coating -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic (optional) Electronic
Viewfinder coverage - 100 percent
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60s 30s
Highest shutter speed 1/4000s 1/4000s
Continuous shooting speed 3.0 frames/s 10.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 10.00 m (@ ISO 200) 8.50 m (ISO Auto)
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Wireless, Manual (3 levels) Flash Off / Autoflash / Fill-flash / Slow Sync. / Advanced Flash / Rear Sync. / Wireless (with optional compliant flash)
Hot shoe
AEB
White balance bracketing
Highest flash sync 1/180s -
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 (60p, 60i, 24p), 1440 x 1080 (30p), 640 x 480 (30p)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video data format AVCHD, Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None BuiltIn
Physical
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 369g (0.81 lb) 660g (1.46 lb)
Physical dimensions 122 x 69 x 34mm (4.8" x 2.7" x 1.3") 130 x 93 x 103mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 4.1")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 51 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 20.8 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 10.1 not tested
DXO Low light rating 536 not tested
Other
Battery life 330 shots 300 shots
Battery form Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLS-5 NP-BX1
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, portrait)
Time lapse feature
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC card SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Duo/Memory Stick Pro Duo, Memory Stick Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots 1 1
Cost at launch $0 $448