Olympus E-P3 vs Sony RX100 VA

The following is a extended comparison of the Olympus E-P3 versus Sony RX100 VA, one is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the latter is a Large Sensor Compact by competitors Olympus and Sony. There is a big difference between the resolutions of the E-P3 (12MP) and RX100 VA (20MP) and the E-P3 (Four Thirds) and RX100 VA (1") enjoy totally different sensor sizing.

Photography Glossary

The E-P3 was announced 8 years earlier than the RX100 VA which is quite a big gap as far as tech is concerned. The two cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-P3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony RX100 VA being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before going through a thorough comparison, below is a short highlight of how the E-P3 grades vs the RX100 VA with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Below is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus PEN E-P3 and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 V(A). The whole galleries are available at Olympus E-P3 Gallery and Sony RX100 VA Gallery.

In case you're aiming to travel with your camera, you will need to take into account its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-P3 has got exterior measurements 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 RX100 VA has measurements of 102mm x 58mm x 41mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.6") with a weight of 299 grams (0.66 lbs).

Examine the Olympus E-P3 versus Sony RX100 VA in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into account, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you are utilising during that time. The following is the front view over all size comparison of the E-P3 versus the RX100 VA.

Using size and weight, the portability grade of the E-P3 and RX100 VA is 86 and 89 respectively.

In many cases, it is very difficult to envision the difference between sensor dimensions only by looking at a spec sheet. The picture here will offer you a much better sense of the sensor sizing in the E-P3 and RX100 VA.

Clearly, both of these cameras offer different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The E-P3 having a bigger sensor will make getting bokeh easier and the Sony RX100 VA will give you more detail with its extra 8MP. Higher resolution will make it easier to crop pictures a little more aggressively. The more aged E-P3 is going to be behind in sensor tech.