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Olympus E-PL3 vs Sony A7 III

Portability
88
Imaging
48
Features
52
Overall
49
Olympus PEN E-PL3 front
 
Sony Alpha A7 III front
Portability
63
Imaging
74
Features
92
Overall
81

Olympus E-PL3 vs Sony A7 III 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
  • Introduced September 2011
  • Superseded the Olympus E-PL2
Sony A7 III
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 51200 (Increase to 204800)
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 650g - 127 x 96 x 74mm
  • Launched February 2018
  • Superseded the Sony A7 II
  • Successor is Sony A7 IV
Photography Glossary

Olympus E-PL3 vs Sony A7 III Overview

Here is a detailed assessment of the Olympus E-PL3 and Sony A7 III, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Pro Mirrorless by manufacturers Olympus and Sony. There exists a noticeable gap among the sensor resolutions of the E-PL3 (12MP) and A7 III (24MP) and the E-PL3 (Four Thirds) and A7 III (Full frame) posses different sensor size.

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The E-PL3 was manufactured 7 years before the A7 III and that is a fairly sizable difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of these cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-PL3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony A7 III being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before going straight to a full comparison, here is a quick view of how the E-PL3 grades versus the A7 III with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL3 over the Sony A7 III

 E-PL3 A7 III 

Reasons to pick Sony A7 III over the Olympus E-PL3

 A7 III E-PL3 
LaunchedFebruary 2018September 2011Fresher by 78 months
Screen resolution922k460kCrisper screen (+462k dot)
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Common features in the Olympus E-PL3 and Sony A7 III

 E-PL3 A7 III 
Manually focus Dial exact focusing
Screen typeTiltingTiltingTilting screen
Screen dimensions3"3"Equal screen size
Selfie screen Lack of selfie screen

Olympus E-PL3 vs Sony A7 III Physical Comparison

For anyone who is intending to carry your camera regularly, you have to factor its weight and volume. The Olympus E-PL3 offers external 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 Sony A7 III has sizing of 127mm x 96mm x 74mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.9") accompanied by a weight of 650 grams (1.43 lbs).

Look at the Olympus E-PL3 and Sony A7 III in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you have chosen at that time. Underneath is a front view sizing comparison of the E-PL3 compared to the A7 III.

Olympus E-PL3 vs Sony A7 III size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-PL3 and A7 III is 88 and 63 respectively.

Olympus E-PL3 vs Sony A7 III top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL3 vs Sony A7 III Sensor Comparison

Normally, it is very tough to imagine the difference in sensor sizing just by checking out specs. The graphic here may provide you a more clear sense of the sensor sizing in the E-PL3 and A7 III.

As you can plainly see, each of these cameras have different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The E-PL3 featuring a smaller sensor is going to make shooting shallow depth of field more difficult and the Sony A7 III will provide more detail due to its extra 12 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also allow you to crop pictures a bit more aggressively. The older E-PL3 will be behind when it comes to sensor tech.

Olympus E-PL3 vs Sony A7 III sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL3 vs Sony A7 III Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL3 vs Sony A7 III Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PL3 Portrait photography details
Sony A7 III Portrait photography details
60
has manual focus
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
features face detect focus
saves RAW files
sensor resolution not great (12MP)
84
you can focus manually
MP count decent (24 megapixels)
big sensor size (Full frame)
features face detect autofocus
supports RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-PL3 Street photography features
Sony A7 III Street photography features
84
screen tilts
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
78
screen tilts up and down
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
big sensor size (Full frame)
supports RAW formats
provides touch to focus
weather proof
great ISO range (51,200)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PL3 Sports photography information
Sony A7 III Sports photography information
45
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
features tracking focus
slow fps (6.0 frames/s)
sensor resolution not great (12MP)
terrible battery (300 per charge)
does not have phase detect auto focus
87
max shutter speed is good (1/8,000 seconds)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
MP count decent (24 megapixels)
big sensor size (Full frame)
features tracking focus
weather proof
great battery pack (610 CIPA)
comes with phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL3 as a Travel photography camera
Sony A7 III as a Travel photography camera
44
doesn't have Time Lapse function
terrible battery (300 per charge)
sensor resolution not great (12MP)
screen isn't selfie friendly
73
great battery pack (610 shots)
weather proof
connects via bluetooth
provides touch to focus
MP count decent (24 megapixels)
does not posses selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PL3 Landscape photography factors
Sony A7 III Landscape photography factors
61
has manual focus
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
sensor resolution not great (12 megapixels)
terrible battery (300 shots)
doesn't have Time Lapse function
85
you can focus manually
swap lenses (Sony E mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
MP count decent (24MP)
big sensor size (Full frame)
great ISO range (51,200)
supports RAW formats
weather proof
great battery pack (610 shots)
2 card slots
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL3 as a Vlogging camera
Sony A7 III as a Vlogging camera
34
image stabilization (Sensor based)
features face detect focus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
screen isn't selfie friendly
doesn't have mic support
36
has touchscreen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
features face detect autofocus
high quality video (3840 x 2160 pxls)
does have microphone support
does not posses selfie friendly screen
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Olympus E-PL3 vs Sony A7 III Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL3 and Sony A7 III
 Olympus PEN E-PL3Sony Alpha A7 III
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Sony
Model type Olympus PEN E-PL3 Sony Alpha A7 III
Type Entry-Level Mirrorless Pro Mirrorless
Introduced 2011-09-20 2018-02-27
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Processor Chip Truepic VI Bionz X
Sensor type CMOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds Full frame
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 35.8 x 23.8mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 852.0mm²
Sensor resolution 12MP 24MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 4032 x 3024 6000 x 4000
Highest native ISO 12800 51200
Highest enhanced ISO - 204800
Lowest native ISO 200 100
RAW data
Lowest enhanced ISO - 50
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Total focus points 35 693
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds Sony E
Total lenses 107 121
Crop factor 2.1 1
Screen
Screen type Tilting Tilting
Screen sizing 3" 3"
Resolution of screen 460k dots 922k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Screen tech HyperCrystal LCD AR(Anti-Reflective) coating -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic (optional) Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 2,359k dots
Viewfinder coverage - 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.78x
Features
Min shutter speed 60s 30s
Max shutter speed 1/4000s 1/8000s
Continuous shutter rate 6.0 frames/s 10.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance no built-in flash no built-in flash
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) no built-in flash
External flash
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Max flash synchronize 1/160s -
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 3840 x 2160 (30p, 24p) 1920 x 1080 (120p, 60p, 60i, 24p), 1440 x 1080 (30p), 640 x 480 (30p)
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 3840x2160
Video format AVCHD, Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC S, H.264
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 3.1 Gen 1 (5 GBit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 313 grams (0.69 lbs) 650 grams (1.43 lbs)
Physical dimensions 110 x 64 x 37mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.5") 127 x 96 x 74mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.9")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 52 96
DXO Color Depth rating 20.9 25.0
DXO Dynamic range rating 10.3 14.7
DXO Low light rating 499 3730
Other
Battery life 300 pictures 610 pictures
Battery style Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLS-5 NP-FZ100
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec; continuous (3 or 5 exposures))
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Duo/Pro Duo/Pro-HG Duo
Card slots Single Dual
Price at release $399 $1,998