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Olympus E-PL3 vs Sony A7c

Portability
88
Imaging
48
Features
52
Overall
49
Olympus PEN E-PL3 front
 
Sony Alpha A7c front
Portability
78
Imaging
76
Features
88
Overall
80

Olympus E-PL3 vs Sony A7c Key Specs

Olympus E-PL3
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 200 - 12800
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 313g - 110 x 64 x 37mm
  • Released September 2011
  • Replaced the Olympus E-PL2
Sony A7c
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 100 - 51200 (Expand to 204800)
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 509g - 124 x 71 x 60mm
  • Revealed September 2020
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Olympus E-PL3 vs Sony A7c Overview

On this page, we will be evaluating the Olympus E-PL3 versus Sony A7c, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the latter is a Advanced Mirrorless by rivals Olympus and Sony. There is a big difference among the resolutions of the E-PL3 (12MP) and A7c (24MP) and the E-PL3 (Four Thirds) and A7c (Full frame) offer different sensor sizes.

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The E-PL3 was launched 10 years before the A7c and that is a fairly big gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Each of these cameras have the same body design (Rangefinder-style mirrorless).

Before delving into a more detailed comparison, here is a brief view of how the E-PL3 scores against the A7c in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL3 over the Sony A7c

 E-PL3 A7c 

Reasons to pick Sony A7c over the Olympus E-PL3

 A7c E-PL3 
RevealedSeptember 2020September 2011Fresher by 109 months
Screen typeFully articulatedTiltingFully Articulating screen
Screen resolution922k460kSharper screen (+462k dot)
Selfie screen Take selfies
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Common features in the Olympus E-PL3 and Sony A7c

 E-PL3 A7c 
Manual focus Very exact focusing
Screen dimensions3"3"Equal screen dimensions

Olympus E-PL3 vs Sony A7c Physical Comparison

When you are looking to carry your camera, you are going to need to think about its weight and volume. The Olympus E-PL3 has outer measurements of 110mm x 64mm x 37mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.5") with a weight of 313 grams (0.69 lbs) and the Sony A7c has sizing of 124mm x 71mm x 60mm (4.9" x 2.8" x 2.4") along with a weight of 509 grams (1.12 lbs).

Check out the Olympus E-PL3 versus Sony A7c in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Keep in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change depending on the lens you are utilizing at that time. The following is a front view physical size comparison of the E-PL3 against the A7c.

Olympus E-PL3 vs Sony A7c size comparison

Factoring in size and weight, the portability grade of the E-PL3 and A7c is 88 and 78 respectively.

Olympus E-PL3 vs Sony A7c top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL3 vs Sony A7c Sensor Comparison

Usually, it is very hard to visualize the difference in sensor sizing just by checking out specifications. The visual below will offer you a more clear sense of the sensor sizing in the E-PL3 and A7c.

Plainly, both of the cameras provide different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The E-PL3 featuring a smaller sensor is going to make getting shallow DOF more challenging and the Sony A7c will show greater detail utilizing its extra 12MP. Higher resolution can also let you crop shots more aggressively. The older E-PL3 will be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor innovation.

Olympus E-PL3 vs Sony A7c sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL3 vs Sony A7c Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL3 vs Sony A7c Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PL3 Portrait photography details
Sony A7c Portrait photography details
60
you can focus manually
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
offers face detection focusing
exports RAW files
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
78
has manual focus
resolution is good (24 megapixels)
sensor size is big (Full frame)
features face detection focus
saves RAW files
cannot use external flash
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus E-PL3
Street photography with Sony A7c
84
tilting screen
image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
85
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is big (Full frame)
saves RAW files
comes with touch focus
environment proofing
above average high ISO (51,200)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PL3 Sports photography factors
Sony A7c Sports photography factors
45
image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
offers tracking autofocus
low fps (6.0 fps)
sensor resolution low (12MP)
low battery power (300 shots)
doesn't have phase detect AF
88
quiet shooting (1/8,000s)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
resolution is good (24 megapixels)
sensor size is big (Full frame)
features tracking autofocus
environment proofing
better than average battery (740 shots)
comes with phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL3 Travel photography details
Sony A7c Travel photography details
44
lack of Time Lapse recording
low battery power (300 CIPA)
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
screen isn't selfie friendly
86
better than average battery (740 CIPA)
environment proofing
has bluetooth
comes with touch focus
resolution is good (24 megapixels)
screen is selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PL3 as a Landscape photography camera
Sony A7c as a Landscape photography camera
61
you can focus manually
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inches)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
sensor resolution low (12MP)
low battery power (300 CIPA)
lack of Time Lapse recording
88
has manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Sony E mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
resolution is good (24MP)
sensor size is big (Full frame)
above average high ISO (51,200)
saves RAW files
environment proofing
better than average battery (740 shots)
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL3 Vlogging details
Sony A7c Vlogging details
34
image stabilization (Sensor based)
offers face detection focusing
video res high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
screen isn't selfie friendly
lack of external mic socket
86
screen is selfie friendly
built-in touchscreen
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
features face detection focus
high res video (3840 x 2160 pxls)
does have external mic socket
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Olympus E-PL3 vs Sony A7c Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL3 and Sony A7c
 Olympus PEN E-PL3Sony Alpha A7c
General Information
Brand Olympus Sony
Model Olympus PEN E-PL3 Sony Alpha A7c
Category Entry-Level Mirrorless Advanced Mirrorless
Released 2011-09-20 2020-09-14
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Powered by Truepic VI -
Sensor type CMOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds Full frame
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 35.8 x 23.8mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 852.0mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixels 24 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 3:2 and 16:9
Highest resolution 4032 x 3024 6000 x 4000
Highest native ISO 12800 51200
Highest boosted ISO - 204800
Min native ISO 200 100
RAW support
Min boosted ISO - 50
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
AF continuous
AF single
AF tracking
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Number of focus points 35 693
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds Sony E
Number of lenses 107 122
Focal length multiplier 2.1 1
Screen
Type of display Tilting Fully articulated
Display diagonal 3" 3"
Display resolution 460 thousand dots 922 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Display technology HyperCrystal LCD AR(Anti-Reflective) coating -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic (optional) Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 2,360 thousand dots
Viewfinder coverage - 100%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.59x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60 secs 30 secs
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/4000 secs
Maximum quiet shutter speed - 1/8000 secs
Continuous shooting rate 6.0 frames/s 10.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range no built-in flash no built-in flash
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) no built-in flash
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Maximum flash synchronize 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) 3840 x 2160 @ 30p / 100 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 3840x2160
Video format AVCHD, Motion JPEG MPEG-4, XAVC S, H.264
Mic port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 3.2 Gen 1 (5 GBit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 313 gr (0.69 lb) 509 gr (1.12 lb)
Physical dimensions 110 x 64 x 37mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.5") 124 x 71 x 60mm (4.9" x 2.8" x 2.4")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 52 not tested
DXO Color Depth score 20.9 not tested
DXO Dynamic range score 10.3 not tested
DXO Low light score 499 not tested
Other
Battery life 300 images 740 images
Style of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model BLS-5 NP-FZ100
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec; continuous (3 or 5 exposures))
Time lapse recording
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC card (UHS-II supported)
Card slots One One
Cost at launch $399 $1,800