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Olympus E-PL3 vs Olympus E-PL6

Portability
88
Imaging
48
Features
52
Overall
49
Olympus PEN E-PL3 front
 
Olympus PEN E-PL6 front
Portability
88
Imaging
53
Features
77
Overall
62

Olympus E-PL3 vs Olympus E-PL6 Key Specs

Olympus E-PL3
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 200 - 12800
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 313g - 110 x 64 x 37mm
  • Released September 2011
  • Earlier Model is Olympus E-PL2
Olympus E-PL6
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 325g - 111 x 64 x 38mm
  • Launched August 2014
  • Replacement is Olympus E-PL7
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Olympus E-PL3 vs Olympus E-PL6 Overview

Its time to look much closer at the Olympus E-PL3 and Olympus E-PL6, both Entry-Level Mirrorless cameras and both of them are created by Olympus. There is a substantial difference among the resolutions of the E-PL3 (12MP) and E-PL6 (16MP) but they use the exact same sensor dimensions (Four Thirds).

Photography Glossary

The E-PL3 was revealed 3 years prior to the E-PL6 and that is a fairly big difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both of the cameras come with the identical body type (Rangefinder-style mirrorless).

Before delving in to a more detailed comparison, below is a simple overview of how the E-PL3 matches up vs the E-PL6 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL3 over the Olympus E-PL6

 E-PL3 E-PL6 

Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL6 over the Olympus E-PL3

 E-PL6 E-PL3 
LaunchedAugust 2014September 2011Fresher by 34 months
Selfie screen Easy selfies
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Common features in the Olympus E-PL3 and Olympus E-PL6

 E-PL3 E-PL6 
Manually focus Very precise focus
Display typeTiltingTiltingTilting display
Display dimension3"3"Identical display sizing
Display resolution460k460kSame display resolution

Olympus E-PL3 vs Olympus E-PL6 Physical Comparison

For those who are planning to carry your camera, you will have to consider its weight and volume. The Olympus E-PL3 features external dimensions of 110mm x 64mm x 37mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.5") having a weight of 313 grams (0.69 lbs) while the Olympus E-PL6 has sizing of 111mm x 64mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.5") accompanied by a weight of 325 grams (0.72 lbs).

See the Olympus E-PL3 and Olympus E-PL6 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you are utilizing at the time. Below is the front view proportions comparison of the E-PL3 vs the E-PL6.

Olympus E-PL3 vs Olympus E-PL6 size comparison

Taking into account size and weight, the portability grade of the E-PL3 and E-PL6 is 88 and 88 respectively.

Olympus E-PL3 vs Olympus E-PL6 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL3 vs Olympus E-PL6 Sensor Comparison

Usually, it's difficult to see the contrast in sensor sizing just by seeing a spec sheet. The photograph here should offer you a much better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-PL3 and E-PL6.

As you can see, the 2 cameras have got the exact same sensor measurements but not the same MP. You can expect to see the Olympus E-PL6 to provide extra detail because of its extra 4MP. Greater resolution can also make it easier to crop photos much more aggressively. The older E-PL3 will be behind when it comes to sensor innovation.

Olympus E-PL3 vs Olympus E-PL6 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL3 vs Olympus E-PL6 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL3 vs Olympus E-PL6 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PL3 Portrait photography features
Olympus E-PL6 Portrait photography features
60
has manual focus
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
includes face detection focusing
exports RAW formats
sensor resolution low (12MP)
71
focusing manually
megapixel count decent (16MP)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports face detect focusing
exports RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-PL3 Street photography features
Olympus E-PL6 Street photography features
84
screen tilts up and down
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
85
has a tilting screen
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
supports touch focus
good high ISO (25,600)
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus E-PL3
Sports photography with Olympus E-PL6
45
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
includes tracking autofocus
max frames per second low (6.0 frames/s)
sensor resolution low (12MP)
terrible battery power (300 shots)
does not have phase detect AF
66
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports tracking focus
lack of phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL3 as a Travel photography camera
Olympus E-PL6 as a Travel photography camera
44
doesn't have Timelapse mode
terrible battery power (300 per charge)
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
display is not selfie friendly
85
supports touch focus
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
screen is selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PL3 Landscape photography info
Olympus E-PL6 Landscape photography info
61
has manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
good sized screen (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
terrible battery power (300 per charge)
doesn't have Timelapse mode
80
focusing manually
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
nice screen size (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
good high ISO (25,600)
exports RAW formats
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL3 as a Vlogging camera
Olympus E-PL6 as a Vlogging camera
34
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
includes face detection focusing
video res high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
display is not selfie friendly
doesn't have external microphone socket
79
screen is selfie friendly
touch screen
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
supports face detect focusing
high quality video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
no mic jack
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Olympus E-PL3 vs Olympus E-PL6 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL3 and Olympus E-PL6
 Olympus PEN E-PL3Olympus PEN E-PL6
General Information
Make Olympus Olympus
Model type Olympus PEN E-PL3 Olympus PEN E-PL6
Type Entry-Level Mirrorless Entry-Level Mirrorless
Released 2011-09-20 2014-08-01
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Processor Chip Truepic VI TruePic VI
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds Four Thirds
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 17.3 x 13mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 224.9mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixel 16 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Highest resolution 4032 x 3024 4608 x 3456
Highest native ISO 12800 25600
Min native ISO 200 100
RAW format
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
AF touch
Continuous AF
Single AF
Tracking AF
Selective AF
AF center weighted
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Total focus points 35 35
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds Micro Four Thirds
Total lenses 107 107
Crop factor 2.1 2.1
Screen
Range of screen Tilting Tilting
Screen diagonal 3 inches 3 inches
Screen resolution 460 thousand dot 460 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Screen technology HyperCrystal LCD AR(Anti-Reflective) coating -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic (optional) Electronic (optional)
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 secs 60 secs
Highest shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/4000 secs
Continuous shooting speed 6.0 frames/s 8.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance no built-in flash 7.00 m (bundled FL-LM1)
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels)
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Highest flash sync 1/160 secs -
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video format AVCHD, Motion JPEG MPEG-4, Motion JPEG
Mic input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless None Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 313g (0.69 lb) 325g (0.72 lb)
Dimensions 110 x 64 x 37mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.5") 111 x 64 x 38mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.5")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 52 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 20.9 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 10.3 not tested
DXO Low light rating 499 not tested
Other
Battery life 300 photos 360 photos
Battery format Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLS-5 BLS-5
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 12 sec)
Time lapse recording
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC
Storage slots Single Single
Cost at launch $399 $300