Olympus E-PL3 vs Olympus SP-100

Its time to look more closely at the Olympus E-PL3 and Olympus SP-100, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom and both are sold by Olympus. There is a considerable difference between the sensor resolutions of the E-PL3 (12MP) and SP-100 (16MP) and the E-PL3 (Four Thirds) and SP-100 (1/2.3") posses totally different sensor dimensions.

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The E-PL3 was introduced 3 years prior to the SP-100 and that is quite a large difference as far as tech is concerned. Each of these cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-PL3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Olympus SP-100 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera.

Before going into a complete comparison, here is a simple summation of how the E-PL3 scores against the SP-100 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Below is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus PEN E-PL3 & Olympus Stylus SP-100. The whole galleries are provided at Olympus E-PL3 Gallery & Olympus SP-100 Gallery.

In case you're going to lug around your camera, you should consider its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-PL3 features exterior measurements of 110mm x 64mm x 37mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.5") and a weight of 313 grams (0.69 lbs) and the Olympus SP-100 has proportions of 122mm x 91mm x 133mm (4.8" x 3.6" x 5.2") and a weight of 594 grams (1.31 lbs).

See the Olympus E-PL3 and Olympus SP-100 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you are utilizing at the time. Below is a front view physical size comparison of the E-PL3 against the SP-100.

Taking into account size and weight, the portability rating of the E-PL3 and SP-100 is 88 and 63 respectively.

Oftentimes, it can be hard to see the difference between sensor measurements purely by reading through a spec sheet. The visual here might offer you a much better sense of the sensor measurements in the E-PL3 and SP-100.

Clearly, both of the cameras have different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The E-PL3 using its larger sensor will make shooting bokeh easier and the Olympus SP-100 will give you greater detail using its extra 4MP. Greater resolution will also allow you to crop pics a bit more aggressively. The older E-PL3 is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor tech.