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Olympus E-P5 vs Sony NEX-3

Portability
85
Imaging
53
Features
76
Overall
62
Olympus PEN E-P5 front
 
Sony Alpha NEX-3 front
Portability
89
Imaging
54
Features
55
Overall
54

Olympus E-P5 vs Sony NEX-3 Key Specs

Olympus E-P5
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 420g - 122 x 69 x 37mm
  • Launched October 2013
  • Superseded the Olympus E-P3
Sony NEX-3
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 200 - 12800
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 297g - 117 x 62 x 33mm
  • Revealed June 2010
  • Updated by Sony NEX-C3
Photography Glossary

Olympus E-P5 vs Sony NEX-3 Overview

Below, we will be matching up the Olympus E-P5 vs Sony NEX-3, both Entry-Level Mirrorless cameras by manufacturers Olympus and Sony. The sensor resolution of the E-P5 (16MP) and the NEX-3 (14MP) is pretty close but the E-P5 (Four Thirds) and NEX-3 (APS-C) come with different sensor size.

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The E-P5 was manufactured 3 years after the NEX-3 which is a fairly serious gap as far as camera tech is concerned. The two cameras come with the identical body type (Rangefinder-style mirrorless).

Before diving through a detailed comparison, below is a short overview of how the E-P5 grades versus the NEX-3 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-P5 over the Sony NEX-3

 E-P5 NEX-3 
RevealedOctober 2013June 2010Newer by 41 months
Screen resolution1037k920kSharper screen (+117k dot)
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Sony NEX-3 over the Olympus E-P5

 NEX-3 E-P5 

Common features in the Olympus E-P5 and Sony NEX-3

 E-P5 NEX-3 
Focus manually More accurate focusing
Screen typeTiltingTiltingTilting screen
Screen dimension3"3"Identical screen size
Selfie screen Neither provides selfie screen

Olympus E-P5 vs Sony NEX-3 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is going to travel with your camera regularly, you are going to need to consider its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-P5 provides external dimensions of 122mm x 69mm x 37mm (4.8" x 2.7" x 1.5") accompanied by a weight of 420 grams (0.93 lbs) and the Sony NEX-3 has measurements of 117mm x 62mm x 33mm (4.6" x 2.4" x 1.3") along with a weight of 297 grams (0.65 lbs).

Examine the Olympus E-P5 vs Sony NEX-3 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Always remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ depending on the lens you have at that moment. Underneath is the front view size comparison of the E-P5 versus the NEX-3.

Olympus E-P5 vs Sony NEX-3 size comparison

Taking into account size and weight, the portability score of the E-P5 and NEX-3 is 85 and 89 respectively.

Olympus E-P5 vs Sony NEX-3 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-P5 vs Sony NEX-3 Sensor Comparison

In many cases, it can be hard to visualize the difference in sensor dimensions simply by viewing technical specs. The image below may offer you a more clear sense of the sensor sizes in the E-P5 and NEX-3.

As you have seen, each of the cameras posses different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The E-P5 featuring a smaller sensor is going to make getting shallow DOF tougher and the Olympus E-P5 will render greater detail due to its extra 2MP. Higher resolution can also let you crop photographs somewhat more aggressively. The newer E-P5 should have an edge in sensor innovation.

Olympus E-P5 vs Sony NEX-3 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-P5 vs Sony NEX-3 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-P5 vs Sony NEX-3 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus E-P5
Portrait photography with Sony NEX-3
71
focusing manually
high flash sync (1/320s)
MP count decent (16MP)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
provides face detect autofocus
saves RAW formats
72
focusing manually
good megapixels (14 megapixels)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
includes face detection focusing
exports RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-P5 as a Street photography camera
Sony NEX-3 as a Street photography camera
78
screen tilts up and down
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
has touch to focus
good ISO range (25,600)
more heavy than others (420g)
76
screen tilts up and down
decent sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW files
does not have image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-P5 Sports photography information
Sony NEX-3 Sports photography information
68
great max shutter speed (1/8,000s)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
MP count decent (16MP)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
provides tracking focus
does not have phase detect autofocus
52
good megapixels (14MP)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
does not have image stabilization
lacks phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus E-P5
Travel photography with Sony NEX-3
68
has touch to focus
MP count decent (16 megapixels)
has built in flash
more heavy than others (420g)
doesn't have selfie friendly screen
59
good megapixels (14 megapixels)
missing Timelapse recording
doesn't posses selfie friendly display
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus E-P5
Landscape photography with Sony NEX-3
79
focusing manually
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
MP count decent (16 megapixels)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
good ISO range (25,600)
saves RAW formats
68
focusing manually
switch lenses (Sony E mount)
pretty good screen size (3")
good megapixels (14 megapixels)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW files
does not have image stabilization
missing Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-P5 Vlogging features
Sony NEX-3 Vlogging features
33
has touchscreen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
provides face detect autofocus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
doesn't have selfie friendly screen
missing microphone jack
more heavy than others (420 grams)
27
includes face detection focusing
doesn't posses selfie friendly display
does not have image stabilization
low quality video (1280 x 720 resolution)
missing external microphone socket
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Olympus E-P5 vs Sony NEX-3 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-P5 and Sony NEX-3
 Olympus PEN E-P5Sony Alpha NEX-3
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Sony
Model Olympus PEN E-P5 Sony Alpha NEX-3
Category Entry-Level Mirrorless Entry-Level Mirrorless
Launched 2013-10-03 2010-06-07
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Chip - Bionz
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds APS-C
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 23.4 x 15.6mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 365.0mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixels 14 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 4608 x 3456 4592 x 3056
Max native ISO 25600 12800
Lowest native ISO 100 200
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Continuous autofocus
Single autofocus
Tracking autofocus
Selective autofocus
Autofocus center weighted
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detect autofocus
Contract detect autofocus
Phase detect autofocus
Number of focus points 35 25
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds Sony E
Amount of lenses 107 121
Crop factor 2.1 1.5
Screen
Display type Tilting Tilting
Display size 3" 3"
Display resolution 1,037 thousand dots 920 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Display tech 3:2 LCD capacitive touchscreen TFT Xtra Fine LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic (optional) None
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60s 30s
Highest shutter speed 1/8000s 1/4000s
Continuous shooting rate 9.0fps 7.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 7.00 m (ISO 100) 12.00 m
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync (1st or 2nd curtain), Manual (1/1 - 1/64) Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in
External flash
AEB
WB bracketing
Highest flash synchronize 1/320s 1/160s
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30p), 1280 x 720 (30p) 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Max video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video file format H.264 MPEG-4
Microphone port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 420g (0.93 lb) 297g (0.65 lb)
Dimensions 122 x 69 x 37mm (4.8" x 2.7" x 1.5") 117 x 62 x 33mm (4.6" x 2.4" x 1.3")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 72 68
DXO Color Depth score 22.8 22.1
DXO Dynamic range score 12.4 12.0
DXO Low light score 895 830
Other
Battery life 330 photos 330 photos
Battery type Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model - NPFW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10sec (3 images))
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Card slots Single Single
Cost at launch $389 $0