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Olympus E-PL3 vs Sony A350

Portability
88
Imaging
48
Features
52
Overall
49
Olympus PEN E-PL3 front
 
Sony Alpha DSLR-A350 front
Portability
62
Imaging
53
Features
47
Overall
50

Olympus E-PL3 vs Sony A350 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
  • Revealed September 2011
  • Succeeded the Olympus E-PL2
Sony A350
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 2.7" Tilting Display
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • No Video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 674g - 131 x 99 x 75mm
  • Announced June 2008
  • Replacement is Sony A380
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Olympus E-PL3 vs Sony A350 Overview

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.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL3 over the Sony A350

 E-PL3 A350 
AnnouncedSeptember 2011June 2008More recent by 41 months
Display size3"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")
Display resolution460k230kSharper display (+230k dot)

Reasons to pick Sony A350 over the Olympus E-PL3

 A350 E-PL3 

Common features in the Olympus E-PL3 and Sony A350

 E-PL3 A350 
Manual focus Dial exact focus
Display typeTiltingTiltingTilting display
Selfie screen Lacking selfie screen
Touch friendly display Lacking Touch friendly display

Olympus E-PL3 vs Sony A350 Physical Comparison

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. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

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.

Olympus E-PL3 vs Sony A350 size comparison

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

Olympus E-PL3 vs Sony A350 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL3 vs Sony A350 Sensor Comparison

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.

Olympus E-PL3 vs Sony A350 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL3 vs Sony A350 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL3 vs Sony A350 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PL3 Portrait photography information
Sony A350 Portrait photography information
60
focusing manually
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
has face detection focus
saves RAW formats
low resolution sensor (12MP)
71
focusing manually
decent MP (14MP)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
saves RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-PL3 Street photography features
Sony A350 Street photography features
84
tilting screen
image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
66
screen tilts
image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
saves RAW files
more heavy than competition in class (674g)
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus E-PL3
Sports photography with Sony A350
45
image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
has tracking autofocus
max frames per second very slow (6.0 fps)
low resolution sensor (12 megapixels)
bad battery (300 per charge)
no phase detect auto focus
66
image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent MP (14 megapixels)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
sensor has phase detect AF
painfully slow continuous shooting (3.0 frames/s)
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL3 Travel photography factors
Sony A350 Travel photography factors
44
missing Timelapse function
bad battery (300 shots)
low resolution sensor (12MP)
doesn't offer selfie friendly screen
51
decent MP (14 megapixels)
built-in flash
lack of Timelapse function
more heavy than competition in class (674g)
screen isn't selfie friendly
Photography Glossary

Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PL3 Landscape photography info
Sony A350 Landscape photography info
61
focusing manually
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen is a decent size (3 inches)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
low resolution sensor (12 megapixels)
bad battery (300 per charge)
missing Timelapse function
64
focusing manually
swap lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent MP (14 megapixels)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
saves RAW files
small screen (2.7")
lack of Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus E-PL3
Vlogging with Sony A350
34
image stabilization (Sensor based)
has face detection focus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
doesn't offer selfie friendly screen
missing external microphone socket
9
lack of video recording
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Olympus E-PL3 vs Sony A350 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL3 and Sony A350
 Olympus PEN E-PL3Sony Alpha DSLR-A350
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Sony
Model Olympus PEN E-PL3 Sony Alpha DSLR-A350
Category Entry-Level Mirrorless Entry-Level DSLR
Revealed 2011-09-20 2008-06-06
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Chip Truepic VI -
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds APS-C
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 23.6 x 15.8mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 372.9mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixel 14 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 3:2 and 16:9
Highest resolution 4032 x 3024 4592 x 3056
Highest native ISO 12800 3200
Lowest native ISO 200 100
RAW files
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
Continuous AF
AF single
AF tracking
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Number of focus points 35 9
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds Sony/Minolta Alpha
Amount of lenses 107 143
Focal length multiplier 2.1 1.5
Screen
Screen type Tilting Tilting
Screen diagonal 3 inches 2.7 inches
Screen resolution 460 thousand dot 230 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Screen tech HyperCrystal LCD AR(Anti-Reflective) coating -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic (optional) Optical (pentamirror)
Viewfinder coverage - 95%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.49x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60 secs 30 secs
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/4000 secs
Continuous shooting speed 6.0 frames per sec 3.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range no built-in flash 12.00 m (at ISO 100)
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) Auto, Red-Eye, Slow, Red-Eye Slow, Rear curtain, wireless
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Maximum flash sync 1/160 secs -
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) -
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 None
Video format AVCHD, Motion JPEG -
Microphone input
Headphone input
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 seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 313g (0.69 pounds) 674g (1.49 pounds)
Physical dimensions 110 x 64 x 37mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.5") 131 x 99 x 75mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.0")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 52 65
DXO Color Depth score 20.9 22.6
DXO Dynamic range score 10.3 11.5
DXO Low light score 499 595
Other
Battery life 300 photos -
Type of battery Battery Pack -
Battery model BLS-5 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC Compact Flash (Type I or II), Memory Stick Duo / Pro Duo, UDMA Mode 5, Supports FAT12 / FAT16 / FAT32
Storage slots One One
Launch cost $399 $600