Olympus E-PL1s vs Sony NEX-3N

Let's take a closer look at the Olympus E-PL1s vs Sony NEX-3N, both Entry-Level Mirrorless digital cameras by brands Olympus and Sony. There exists a sizeable gap between the sensor resolutions of the E-PL1s (12MP) and NEX-3N (16MP) and the E-PL1s (Four Thirds) and NEX-3N (APS-C) have different sensor sizes.

Japan-exclusive Leica Leitz Phone 3 features big sensor and new modes

The E-PL1s was unveiled 3 years prior to the NEX-3N which is quite a large gap as far as technology is concerned. Both cameras feature the same body design (Rangefinder-style mirrorless).

Before delving straight to a detailed comparison, here is a concise summary of how the E-PL1s matches up versus the NEX-3N when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Here is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus PEN E-PL1s and Sony Alpha NEX-3N. The full galleries are viewable at Olympus E-PL1s Gallery and Sony NEX-3N Gallery.

If you're planning to carry around your camera frequently, you are going to need to take into account its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-PL1s features outside measurements of 115mm x 72mm x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") along with a weight of 334 grams (0.74 lbs) and the Sony NEX-3N has proportions of 110mm x 62mm x 35mm (4.3" x 2.4" x 1.4") accompanied by a weight of 269 grams (0.59 lbs).

Examine the Olympus E-PL1s vs Sony NEX-3N in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Always remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you use at the time. Underneath is a front view dimensions comparison of the E-PL1s and the NEX-3N.

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-PL1s and NEX-3N is 86 and 89 respectively.

Typically, its tough to picture the contrast between sensor sizes simply by looking at technical specs. The image below will give you a greater sense of the sensor sizing in the E-PL1s and NEX-3N.

As you can tell, each of the cameras come with different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The E-PL1s with its tinier sensor is going to make shooting shallow depth of field more challenging and the Sony NEX-3N will resolve greater detail having an extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution will allow you to crop photos a good deal more aggressively. The more aged E-PL1s is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor technology.