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Olympus E-PL3 vs Sony A3000

Portability
88
Imaging
48
Features
52
Overall
49
Olympus PEN E-PL3 front
 
Sony Alpha A3000 front
Portability
69
Imaging
63
Features
54
Overall
59

Olympus E-PL3 vs Sony A3000 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
  • Superseded the Olympus E-PL2
Sony A3000
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 16000
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 411g - 128 x 91 x 85mm
  • Released August 2013
  • Replacement is Sony a3500
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Olympus E-PL3 vs Sony A3000 Overview

Lets look much closer at the Olympus E-PL3 vs Sony A3000, both Entry-Level Mirrorless digital cameras by brands Olympus and Sony. There is a substantial difference between the sensor resolutions of the E-PL3 (12MP) and A3000 (20MP) and the E-PL3 (Four Thirds) and A3000 (APS-C) boast totally different sensor measurements.

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The E-PL3 was unveiled 23 months prior to the A3000 which makes them a generation away from each other. Both of these cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-PL3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony A3000 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before we go right into a detailed comparison, here is a simple view of how the E-PL3 scores versus the A3000 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL3 over the Sony A3000

 E-PL3 A3000 
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen resolution460k230kClearer screen (+230k dot)

Reasons to pick Sony A3000 over the Olympus E-PL3

 A3000 E-PL3 
ReleasedAugust 2013September 2011Newer by 23 months

Common features in the Olympus E-PL3 and Sony A3000

 E-PL3 A3000 
Manually focus Dial accurate focus
Screen size3"3"Same screen measurements
Selfie screen Neither comes with selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Lacking Touch friendly screen

Olympus E-PL3 vs Sony A3000 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is going to travel with your camera, you'll have to consider its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-PL3 comes with exterior measurements of 110mm x 64mm x 37mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.5") with a weight of 313 grams (0.69 lbs) while the Sony A3000 has proportions of 128mm x 91mm x 85mm (5.0" x 3.6" x 3.3") accompanied by a weight of 411 grams (0.91 lbs).

Examine the Olympus E-PL3 vs Sony A3000 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Always remember, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you have chosen at the time. The following is a front view size comparison of the E-PL3 versus the A3000.

Olympus E-PL3 vs Sony A3000 size comparison

Using size and weight, the portability rating of the E-PL3 and A3000 is 88 and 69 respectively.

Olympus E-PL3 vs Sony A3000 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL3 vs Sony A3000 Sensor Comparison

In many cases, its hard to visualise the contrast between sensor dimensions purely by reading specs. The picture below may give you a clearer sense of the sensor sizing in the E-PL3 and A3000.

As you can plainly see, each of these cameras come with different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The E-PL3 using its tinier sensor will make shooting bokeh more difficult and the Sony A3000 will offer you extra detail having an extra 8 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also enable you to crop photographs a good deal more aggressively. The more aged E-PL3 is going to be disadvantaged in sensor innovation.

Olympus E-PL3 vs Sony A3000 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL3 vs Sony A3000 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL3 vs Sony A3000 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus E-PL3
Portrait photography with Sony A3000
60
manual focus
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
offers face detection focusing
saves RAW files
MP count low (12 megapixels)
77
focusing manually
sensor resolution is decent (20MP)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
provides face detect focusing
saves RAW formats
Photography Glossary

Street Comparison

Olympus E-PL3 Street photography info
Sony A3000 Street photography info
84
tilting screen
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
57
nice sensor size (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
screen is fixed
does not have image stabilization
more heavy than competition in class (411 grams)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PL3 Sports photography details
Sony A3000 Sports photography details
45
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
offers tracking autofocus
continuous shooting slow (6.0 frames per second)
MP count low (12 megapixels)
not so great battery (300 per charge)
lack of phase detect AF
60
sensor resolution is decent (20MP)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
provides tracking focus
great battery (470 per charge)
very slow continuous shooting (3.0 frames per second)
does not have image stabilization
lack of phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL3 Travel photography info
Sony A3000 Travel photography info
44
missing Time Lapse function
not so great battery (300 per charge)
MP count low (12MP)
screen isn't selfie friendly
60
great battery (470 shots)
sensor resolution is decent (20 megapixels)
has built in flash
no Timelapse mode
more heavy than competition in class (411g)
doesn't have a selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PL3 Landscape photography factors
Sony A3000 Landscape photography factors
61
manual focus
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
pretty good screen size (3")
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
MP count low (12MP)
not so great battery (300 shots)
missing Time Lapse function
70
focusing manually
swap lenses (Sony E mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inches)
sensor resolution is decent (20 megapixels)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
great battery (470 CIPA)
does not have image stabilization
no Timelapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL3 as a Vlogging camera
Sony A3000 as a Vlogging camera
34
image stabilization (Sensor based)
offers face detection focusing
high res video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
screen isn't selfie friendly
missing external mic jack
26
provides face detect focusing
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
doesn't have a selfie friendly screen
does not have image stabilization
no microphone support
more heavy than competition in class (411 grams)
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Olympus E-PL3 vs Sony A3000 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL3 and Sony A3000
 Olympus PEN E-PL3Sony Alpha A3000
General Information
Company Olympus Sony
Model type Olympus PEN E-PL3 Sony Alpha A3000
Type Entry-Level Mirrorless Entry-Level Mirrorless
Released 2011-09-20 2013-08-27
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Processor Truepic VI BIONZ image
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds APS-C
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 12MP 20MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 4032 x 3024 5456 x 3632
Maximum native ISO 12800 16000
Lowest native ISO 200 100
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch to focus
Continuous AF
Single AF
AF tracking
AF selectice
AF center weighted
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Total focus points 35 25
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds Sony E
Available lenses 107 121
Focal length multiplier 2.1 1.5
Screen
Screen type Tilting Fixed Type
Screen size 3 inch 3 inch
Resolution of screen 460 thousand dots 230 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Screen tech HyperCrystal LCD AR(Anti-Reflective) coating TFT LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic (optional) Electronic
Viewfinder coverage - 100%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.47x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60s 30s
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000s 1/4000s
Continuous shooting rate 6.0fps 3.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance no built-in flash 6.00 m (at ISO200 / 4m at ISO100)
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) Flash off, Auto flash, Fill-flash, Slow Sync., Rear Sync.
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Maximum flash synchronize 1/160s 1/160s
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video format AVCHD, Motion JPEG AVCHD, H.264, MP4
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 313 gr (0.69 lbs) 411 gr (0.91 lbs)
Physical dimensions 110 x 64 x 37mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.5") 128 x 91 x 85mm (5.0" x 3.6" x 3.3")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 52 78
DXO Color Depth rating 20.9 23.7
DXO Dynamic range rating 10.3 12.8
DXO Low light rating 499 1068
Other
Battery life 300 photos 470 photos
Form of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLS-5 NP-FW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2-sec. or 10-sec. delay)
Time lapse recording
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC -
Card slots One One
Launch pricing $399 $398