Olympus E-PL3 vs Olympus VG-120

Following is a in depth review of the Olympus E-PL3 versus Olympus VG-120, former is a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the other is a Ultracompact and they are both designed by Olympus. The resolution of the E-PL3 (12MP) and the VG-120 (14MP) is fairly comparable but the E-PL3 (Four Thirds) and VG-120 (1/2.3") use totally different sensor size.

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The E-PL3 was released 9 months after the VG-120 which means that they are of a similar age. Both cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-PL3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Olympus VG-120 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before delving straight into a thorough comparison, below is a brief summation of how the E-PL3 scores against the VG-120 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Below is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus PEN E-PL3 & Olympus VG-120. The complete galleries are viewable at Olympus E-PL3 Gallery & Olympus VG-120 Gallery.

If you are looking to carry around your camera, you'll need to take into account its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-PL3 offers outer measurements 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 VG-120 has measurements of 96mm x 57mm x 19mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.7") along with a weight of 120 grams (0.26 lbs).

Look at the Olympus E-PL3 versus Olympus VG-120 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you are using at the time. Following is the front view physical size comparison of the E-PL3 vs the VG-120.

Looking at size and weight, the portability rating of the E-PL3 and VG-120 is 88 and 96 respectively.

Usually, it is very difficult to visualise the contrast in sensor sizes only by checking out specs. The image underneath will offer you a clearer sense of the sensor measurements in the E-PL3 and VG-120.

As you can plainly see, both cameras have got different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The E-PL3 due to its larger sensor will make achieving shallower DOF less difficult and the Olympus VG-120 will show more detail as a result of its extra 2MP. Greater resolution will make it easier to crop images much more aggressively. The fresher E-PL3 will have an edge in sensor technology.