Olympus E-PL1 vs Sony A7R III

Here is a extensive comparison of the Olympus E-PL1 versus Sony A7R III, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the latter is a Pro Mirrorless by companies Olympus and Sony. There exists a huge gap between the image resolutions of the E-PL1 (12MP) and A7R III (42MP) and the E-PL1 (Four Thirds) and A7R III (Full frame) posses different sensor dimensions.

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The E-PL1 was announced 8 years before the A7R III and that is quite a significant gap as far as technology is concerned. Each of these cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-PL1 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony A7R III being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before delving right into a detailed comparison, here is a simple overview of how the E-PL1 grades against the A7R III in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

This is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus PEN E-PL1 and Sony Alpha A7R III. The whole galleries are available at Olympus E-PL1 Gallery and Sony A7R III Gallery.

If you are intending to carry your camera regularly, you will need to think about its weight and size. The Olympus E-PL1 has got external dimensions of 115mm x 72mm x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") with a weight of 334 grams (0.74 lbs) while the Sony A7R III has specifications of 127mm x 96mm x 74mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.9") with a weight of 657 grams (1.45 lbs).

Look at the Olympus E-PL1 versus Sony A7R III in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Always remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary depending on the lens you are using at that time. Following is a front view proportions comparison of the E-PL1 compared to the A7R III.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-PL1 and A7R III is 86 and 63 respectively.

Sometimes, it is hard to visualize the difference between sensor sizing purely by checking a spec sheet. The graphic below may provide you a stronger sense of the sensor sizes in the E-PL1 and A7R III.

As you can see, each of the cameras have different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The E-PL1 having a tinier sensor is going to make shooting shallow depth of field tougher and the Sony A7R III will give more detail with its extra 30 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also make it easier to crop pictures a bit more aggressively. The older E-PL1 is going to be behind when it comes to sensor tech.