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Olympus E-P3 vs Sony RX100 III

Portability
86
Imaging
48
Features
60
Overall
52
Olympus PEN E-P3 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 III front
Portability
89
Imaging
51
Features
77
Overall
61

Olympus E-P3 vs Sony RX100 III 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
  • Revealed August 2011
  • Replaced the Olympus E-P2
  • Updated by Olympus E-P5
Sony RX100 III
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - 1" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 125 - 12800
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 24-70mm (F1.8-2.8) lens
  • 290g - 102 x 58 x 41mm
  • Revealed May 2014
  • Superseded the Sony RX100 II
  • Replacement is Sony RX100 IV
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Olympus E-P3 vs Sony RX100 III Overview

Its time to look more closely at the Olympus E-P3 versus Sony RX100 III, one is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the other is a Large Sensor Compact by brands Olympus and Sony. There exists a huge gap between the resolutions of the E-P3 (12MP) and RX100 III (20MP) and the E-P3 (Four Thirds) and RX100 III (1") offer totally different sensor sizes.

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The E-P3 was manufactured 3 years before the RX100 III which is quite a significant gap as far as technology is concerned. Each of the cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-P3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony RX100 III being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before getting into a detailed comparison, here is a brief synopsis of how the E-P3 grades vs the RX100 III in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-P3 over the Sony RX100 III

 E-P3 RX100 III 
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Sony RX100 III over the Olympus E-P3

 RX100 III E-P3 
RevealedMay 2014August 2011More modern by 33 months
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display resolution1229k614kCrisper display (+615k dot)
Selfie screen Take selfies

Common features in the Olympus E-P3 and Sony RX100 III

 E-P3 RX100 III 
Manual focus More precise focusing
Display dimensions3"3"Equal display dimensions

Olympus E-P3 vs Sony RX100 III Physical Comparison

In case you're going to carry around your camera frequently, you will have to factor in its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-P3 comes with external measurements of 122mm x 69mm x 34mm (4.8" x 2.7" x 1.3") accompanied by a weight of 369 grams (0.81 lbs) while the Sony RX100 III has measurements of 102mm x 58mm x 41mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.6") having a weight of 290 grams (0.64 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-P3 versus Sony RX100 III in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you choose during that time. Below is a front view physical size comparison of the E-P3 and the RX100 III.

Olympus E-P3 vs Sony RX100 III size comparison

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-P3 and RX100 III is 86 and 89 respectively.

Olympus E-P3 vs Sony RX100 III top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-P3 vs Sony RX100 III Sensor Comparison

Quite often, it is very hard to visualise the gap between sensor sizes merely by reading specs. The pic below may give you a better sense of the sensor measurements in the E-P3 and RX100 III.

All in all, both of the cameras provide different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The E-P3 featuring a larger sensor will make getting shallow depth of field easier and the Sony RX100 III will offer extra detail due to its extra 8MP. Greater resolution can also enable you to crop pics more aggressively. The more aged E-P3 is going to be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor innovation.

Olympus E-P3 vs Sony RX100 III sensor size comparison

Olympus E-P3 vs Sony RX100 III Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-P3 vs Sony RX100 III Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-P3 Portrait photography factors
Sony RX100 III Portrait photography factors
60
manual focus
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
includes face detect focus
saves RAW formats
MP count low (12MP)
64
manual focus
flash sync speed is above average (1/2,000s)
good MP (20 megapixels)
decent sensor size (1")
supports face detect focusing
delivers RAW formats
can't use external flash
Photography Glossary

Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus E-P3
Street photography with Sony RX100 III
76
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
has touch focus
screen does not articulate
85
has a tilting screen
has image stabilization (Optical)
decent sensor size (1")
delivers RAW formats
lighter than competition in class (290g)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-P3 Sports photography information
Sony RX100 III Sports photography information
49
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
includes tracking focus
max fps low (3.0 frames per second)
MP count low (12MP)
has no phase detect auto focus
65
has image stabilization (Optical)
good MP (20 megapixels)
decent sensor size (1")
supports tracking focus
does not have phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-P3 Travel photography info
Sony RX100 III Travel photography info
60
has touch focus
has built in flash
lack of Time Lapse mode
MP count low (12MP)
doesn't posses selfie friendly display
85
lighter than competition in class (290g)
good MP (20MP)
flash built-in
display is selfie friendly
relatively wide (24mm)
great maximum aperture (f1.8)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-P3 as a Landscape photography camera
Sony RX100 III as a Landscape photography camera
65
manual focus
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is good (3 inches)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
MP count low (12MP)
lack of Time Lapse mode
73
manual focus
relatively wide (24mm)
great maximum aperture (f1.8)
pretty good screen size (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Optical)
good MP (20MP)
decent sensor size (1")
delivers RAW formats
can't switch lens (fixed lens mount)
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-P3 as a Vlogging camera
Sony RX100 III as a Vlogging camera
35
built-in touchscreen
image stabilization (Sensor based)
includes face detect focus
high res video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
doesn't posses selfie friendly display
lack of mic support
80
relatively wide (24mm)
great maximum aperture (f1.8)
display is selfie friendly
has image stabilization (Optical)
supports face detect focusing
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
lighter than competition in class (290g)
lack of mic support
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Olympus E-P3 vs Sony RX100 III Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-P3 and Sony RX100 III
 Olympus PEN E-P3Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 III
General Information
Company Olympus Sony
Model type Olympus PEN E-P3 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 III
Type Entry-Level Mirrorless Large Sensor Compact
Revealed 2011-08-17 2014-05-15
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless Large Sensor Compact
Sensor Information
Processor TruePic VI Bionz X
Sensor type CMOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds 1"
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 13.2 x 8.8mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 116.2mm²
Sensor resolution 12MP 20MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Max resolution 4032 x 3024 5472 x 3648
Max native ISO 12800 12800
Min native ISO 100 125
RAW images
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Tracking autofocus
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Live view autofocus
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Total focus points 35 25
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 24-70mm (2.9x)
Largest aperture - f/1.8-2.8
Macro focusing distance - 5cm
Available lenses 107 -
Crop factor 2.1 2.7
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Tilting
Display size 3" 3"
Display resolution 614k dots 1,229k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Display technology 3:2 OLED with Anti-Fingerprint Coating -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic (optional) Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 1,440k dots
Viewfinder coverage - 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.59x
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60 seconds 30 seconds
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/2000 seconds
Continuous shutter rate 3.0 frames per second 10.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 10.00 m (@ ISO 200) -
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Wireless, Manual (3 levels) -
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Fastest flash synchronize 1/180 seconds 1/2000 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60p/60i/24p), 1280 x 720 (60p/30p/24p/120p), 1440 x 1080 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Max video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video file format AVCHD, Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC S
Mic support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 369g (0.81 lb) 290g (0.64 lb)
Physical dimensions 122 x 69 x 34mm (4.8" x 2.7" x 1.3") 102 x 58 x 41mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.6")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 51 67
DXO Color Depth rating 20.8 22.4
DXO Dynamic range rating 10.1 12.3
DXO Low light rating 536 495
Other
Battery life 330 photos 320 photos
Style of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLS-5 NP-BX1
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, self-portrait, continuous)
Time lapse shooting With downloadable app
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC card SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Card slots Single Single
Pricing at release $0 $748