Olympus E-PL3 vs Sony A350

Let's look closer at the Olympus E-PL3 versus Sony A350, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by companies Olympus and Sony. The sensor resolution of the E-PL3 (12MP) and the A350 (14MP) is fairly comparable but the E-PL3 (Four Thirds) and A350 (APS-C) provide totally different sensor dimensions.

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The E-PL3 was revealed 3 years later than the A350 and that is a fairly significant gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Both the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-PL3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony A350 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before diving into a thorough comparison, here is a quick summation of how the E-PL3 grades vs the A350 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Here is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus PEN E-PL3 and Sony Alpha DSLR-A350. The full galleries are available at Olympus E-PL3 Gallery and Sony A350 Gallery.

If you're looking to lug around your camera frequently, you will need to factor in its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-PL3 has got outer dimensions of 110mm x 64mm x 37mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.5") accompanied by a weight of 313 grams (0.69 lbs) while the Sony A350 has dimensions of 131mm x 99mm x 75mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.0") and a weight of 674 grams (1.49 lbs).

Check the Olympus E-PL3 versus Sony A350 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary based on the lens you select at that time. Below is a front view over all size comparison of the E-PL3 versus the A350.

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-PL3 and A350 is 88 and 62 respectively.

More often than not, it can be tough to envision the difference in sensor measurements just by checking out a spec sheet. The graphic here will help offer you a more clear sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-PL3 and A350.

As you can see, both cameras feature different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The E-PL3 with its smaller sensor will make getting bokeh trickier and the Sony A350 will produce more detail because of its extra 2MP. Greater resolution can also make it easier to crop images way more aggressively. The more recent E-PL3 will have a benefit in sensor technology.