Olympus E-PL3 vs Sony A99 II

Below, we are analyzing the Olympus E-PL3 and Sony A99 II, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the other is a Advanced DSLR by competitors Olympus and Sony. There exists a big gap between the resolutions of the E-PL3 (12MP) and A99 II (42MP) and the E-PL3 (Four Thirds) and A99 II (Full frame) use totally different sensor measurements.

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The E-PL3 was launched 6 years before the A99 II and that is quite a big gap as far as technology is concerned. Both of the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-PL3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony A99 II being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before going in to a in-depth comparison, below is a short overview of how the E-PL3 scores against the A99 II in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Here is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus PEN E-PL3 and Sony Alpha A99 II. The complete galleries are available at Olympus E-PL3 Gallery and Sony A99 II Gallery.

If you are planning to lug around your camera often, you have to think about its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-PL3 has got exterior measurements of 110mm x 64mm x 37mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.5") having a weight of 313 grams (0.69 lbs) whilst the Sony A99 II has measurements of 143mm x 104mm x 76mm (5.6" x 4.1" x 3.0") having a weight of 849 grams (1.87 lbs).

See the Olympus E-PL3 and Sony A99 II in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary depending on the lens you are utilising during that time. Below is the front view overall size comparison of the E-PL3 vs the A99 II.

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-PL3 and A99 II is 88 and 57 respectively.

More often than not, it's hard to visualise the difference between sensor measurements just by looking at specifications. The photograph below should give you a better sense of the sensor measurements in the E-PL3 and A99 II.

To sum up, both of those cameras posses different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The E-PL3 featuring a tinier sensor will make shooting bokeh harder and the Sony A99 II will give you extra detail utilizing its extra 30MP. Greater resolution will also make it easier to crop pics somewhat more aggressively. The older E-PL3 is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor innovation.