Olympus E-P3 vs Sony RX100 III

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.

Samsung Releases Faster Versions of EVO MicroSD Cards

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.

Below is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus PEN E-P3 and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 III. The entire galleries are viewable at Olympus E-P3 Gallery and Sony RX100 III Gallery.

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.

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.

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

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.