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Olympus E-P3 vs Sony HX7V

Portability
86
Imaging
48
Features
60
Overall
52
Olympus PEN E-P3 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX7V front
Portability
92
Imaging
39
Features
37
Overall
38

Olympus E-P3 vs Sony HX7V Key Specs

Olympus E-P3
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 12800
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 369g - 122 x 69 x 34mm
  • Launched August 2011
  • Old Model is Olympus E-P2
  • Renewed by Olympus E-P5
Sony HX7V
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 125 - 3200
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 25-250mm (F3.5-5.5) lens
  • 208g - 102 x 58 x 29mm
  • Launched July 2011
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Olympus E-P3 vs Sony HX7V Overview

Let's look more in depth at the Olympus E-P3 and Sony HX7V, one is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the other is a Small Sensor Compact by manufacturers Olympus and Sony. There is a big difference among the image resolutions of the E-P3 (12MP) and HX7V (16MP) and the E-P3 (Four Thirds) and HX7V (1/2.3") provide different sensor sizes.

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The E-P3 was manufactured at a similar time to the HX7V which means that they are of a similar generation. Both cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-P3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony HX7V being a Compact camera.

Before getting right into a step-by-step comparison, here is a quick view of how the E-P3 grades versus the HX7V with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Photography Glossary
	
	

Reasons to pick Olympus E-P3 over the Sony HX7V

 E-P3 HX7V 
Focus manually Very precise focusing
Touch display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Sony HX7V over the Olympus E-P3

 HX7V E-P3 
Display resolution921k614kClearer display (+307k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-P3 and Sony HX7V

 E-P3 HX7V 
LaunchedAugust 2011July 2011Same generation
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Display dimensions3"3"Equal display dimensions
Selfie screen Lack of selfie screen

Olympus E-P3 vs Sony HX7V Physical Comparison

If you're aiming to travel with your camera regularly, you have to take into account its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-P3 has external measurements of 122mm x 69mm x 34mm (4.8" x 2.7" x 1.3") and a weight of 369 grams (0.81 lbs) and the Sony HX7V has dimensions of 102mm x 58mm x 29mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.1") with a weight of 208 grams (0.46 lbs).

Compare the Olympus E-P3 and Sony HX7V in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Keep in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change depending on the lens you choose during that time. The following is a front view measurement comparison of the E-P3 and the HX7V.

Olympus E-P3 vs Sony HX7V size comparison

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability rating of the E-P3 and HX7V is 86 and 92 respectively.

Olympus E-P3 vs Sony HX7V top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-P3 vs Sony HX7V Sensor Comparison

In many cases, it is hard to visualize the gap in sensor dimensions purely by seeing technical specs. The picture here will give you a better sense of the sensor measurements in the E-P3 and HX7V.

As you have seen, the two cameras have different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The E-P3 because of its larger sensor is going to make getting shallow depth of field easier and the Sony HX7V will provide more detail due to its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution will enable you to crop photos a bit more aggressively.

Olympus E-P3 vs Sony HX7V sensor size comparison

Olympus E-P3 vs Sony HX7V Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-P3 vs Sony HX7V Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-P3 as a Portrait photography camera
Sony HX7V as a Portrait photography camera
60
you can focus manually
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
comes with face detection focusing
exports RAW files
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
30
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
focusing manually not possible
no manual mode
cannot use external flash
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-P3 as a Street photography camera
Sony HX7V as a Street photography camera
76
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
comes with focus by touch
screen does not articulate
56
has image stabilization (Optical)
screen is fixed
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus E-P3
Sports photography with Sony HX7V
49
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
comes with tracking autofocus
slow fps (3.0 frames/s)
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
doesn't have phase detect AF
39
has image stabilization (Optical)
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
no shutter priority
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
has no phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-P3 Travel photography highlights
Sony HX7V Travel photography highlights
60
comes with focus by touch
has built in flash
no Time Lapse recording
megapixel count low (12MP)
display isn't selfie friendly
67
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
built-in flash
quite wide (25mm)
great zoom (250mm)
doesn't have Time Lapse mode
doesn't posses selfie friendly display
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.5)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-P3 Landscape photography details
Sony HX7V Landscape photography details
65
you can focus manually
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
good sized screen (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
no Time Lapse recording
42
quite wide (25mm)
nice screen size (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Optical)
resolution is good (16MP)
focusing manually not possible
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.5)
no manual mode
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
doesn't have Time Lapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-P3 as a Vlogging camera
Sony HX7V as a Vlogging camera
35
touchscreen enabled
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
comes with face detection focusing
high res video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
display isn't selfie friendly
no external mic jack
32
quite wide (25mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
high res video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.5)
doesn't posses selfie friendly display
doesn't have external mic support
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Olympus E-P3 vs Sony HX7V Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-P3 and Sony HX7V
 Olympus PEN E-P3Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX7V
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Sony
Model Olympus PEN E-P3 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX7V
Class Entry-Level Mirrorless Small Sensor Compact
Launched 2011-08-17 2011-07-19
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Powered by TruePic VI BIONZ
Sensor type CMOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 12MP 16MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 4:3 and 16:9
Full resolution 4032 x 3024 4608 x 3456
Max native ISO 12800 3200
Minimum native ISO 100 125
RAW support
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
Continuous AF
AF single
AF tracking
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect 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
Number of lenses 107 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.8
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display diagonal 3 inch 3 inch
Display resolution 614k dots 921k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Display technology 3:2 OLED with Anti-Fingerprint Coating XtraFine LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic (optional) None
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60s 30s
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000s 1/1600s
Continuous shooting rate 3.0fps 10.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes -
Set WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 10.00 m (@ ISO 200) 4.80 m
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Wireless, Manual (3 levels) Auto, On, Off, Slow Sync
Hot shoe
AEB
White balance bracketing
Maximum flash synchronize 1/180s -
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) 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Max video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video file format AVCHD, Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD
Mic support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None BuiltIn
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 369g (0.81 pounds) 208g (0.46 pounds)
Physical dimensions 122 x 69 x 34mm (4.8" x 2.7" x 1.3") 102 x 58 x 29mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.1")
DXO scores
DXO All around 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 pictures -
Battery style Battery Pack -
Battery model BLS-5 NP-BG1
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, Portrait 1/2)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC card SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Duo/Memory Stick Pro Duo, Memory Stick Pro-HG Duo
Card slots Single Single
Pricing at launch $0 $499