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Olympus E-PL3 vs Sony NEX-3N

Portability
88
Imaging
48
Features
52
Overall
49
Olympus PEN E-PL3 front
 
Sony Alpha NEX-3N front
Portability
89
Imaging
58
Features
52
Overall
55

Olympus E-PL3 vs Sony NEX-3N 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
  • Launched September 2011
  • Replaced the Olympus E-PL2
Sony NEX-3N
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 200 - 16000
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 269g - 110 x 62 x 35mm
  • Announced February 2013
  • Old Model is Sony NEX-F3
  • Renewed by Sony a5000
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Olympus E-PL3 vs Sony NEX-3N Overview

Following is a complete analysis of the Olympus E-PL3 versus Sony NEX-3N, both Entry-Level Mirrorless cameras by competitors Olympus and Sony. There exists a considerable gap among the sensor resolutions of the E-PL3 (12MP) and NEX-3N (16MP) and the E-PL3 (Four Thirds) and NEX-3N (APS-C) boast different sensor sizing.

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The E-PL3 was unveiled 17 months earlier than the NEX-3N making them a generation away from one another. Each of these cameras feature the same body design (Rangefinder-style mirrorless).

Before going straight to a more detailed comparison, here is a quick highlight of how the E-PL3 matches up against the NEX-3N for portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL3 over the Sony NEX-3N

 E-PL3 NEX-3N 

Reasons to pick Sony NEX-3N over the Olympus E-PL3

 NEX-3N E-PL3 
AnnouncedFebruary 2013September 2011More modern by 17 months

Common features in the Olympus E-PL3 and Sony NEX-3N

 E-PL3 NEX-3N 
Focus manually Dial accurate focus
Display typeTiltingTiltingTilting display
Display size3"3"Same display measurement
Display resolution460k460kThe same display resolution
Selfie screen Missing selfie screen
Touch friendly display Missing Touch friendly display

Olympus E-PL3 vs Sony NEX-3N Physical Comparison

For anybody who is looking to carry around your camera, you have to take into account its weight and size. The Olympus E-PL3 offers outer dimensions of 110mm x 64mm x 37mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.5") with a weight of 313 grams (0.69 lbs) while the Sony NEX-3N has specifications of 110mm x 62mm x 35mm (4.3" x 2.4" x 1.4") accompanied by a weight of 269 grams (0.59 lbs).

See the Olympus E-PL3 versus Sony NEX-3N in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you use at the time. Following is a front view measurement comparison of the E-PL3 against the NEX-3N.

Olympus E-PL3 vs Sony NEX-3N size comparison

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-PL3 and NEX-3N is 88 and 89 respectively.

Olympus E-PL3 vs Sony NEX-3N top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL3 vs Sony NEX-3N Sensor Comparison

More often than not, it can be hard to picture the difference in sensor sizes only by checking out specs. The image below may offer you a far better sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-PL3 and NEX-3N.

As you can plainly see, the two cameras feature different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The E-PL3 using its smaller sensor is going to make shooting shallow depth of field harder and the Sony NEX-3N will show extra detail having an extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also let you crop pics way more aggressively. The more aged E-PL3 will be disadvantaged in sensor innovation.

Olympus E-PL3 vs Sony NEX-3N sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL3 vs Sony NEX-3N Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL3 vs Sony NEX-3N Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PL3 as a Portrait photography camera
Sony NEX-3N as a Portrait photography camera
60
you can focus manually
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
provides face detection focus
delivers RAW formats
low resolution (12MP)
66
has manual focus
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
exports RAW files
can't use external flash
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-PL3 Street photography details
Sony NEX-3N Street photography details
84
screen tilts up and down
image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
77
screen tilts up and down
sensor size is good (APS-C)
exports RAW files
lack of image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PL3 Sports photography highlights
Sony NEX-3N Sports photography highlights
45
image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
provides tracking autofocus
max frames per second low (6.0 frames/s)
low resolution (12 megapixels)
low battery life (300 shots)
no phase detect auto focus
54
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
good battery power (480 CIPA)
painfully slow continuous shooting (4.0 frames per second)
lack of image stabilization
doesn't have phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL3 as a Travel photography camera
Sony NEX-3N as a Travel photography camera
44
missing Timelapse function
low battery life (300 per charge)
low resolution (12MP)
display is not selfie friendly
71
good battery power (480 shots)
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
flash built-in
no Time Lapse function
screen isn't selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus E-PL3
Landscape photography with Sony NEX-3N
61
you can focus manually
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
good sized screen (3 inches)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
low resolution (12 megapixels)
low battery life (300 shots)
missing Timelapse function
70
has manual focus
swap lenses (Sony E mount)
pretty good screen size (3")
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
exports RAW files
good battery power (480 shots)
lack of image stabilization
no Time Lapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL3 Vlogging advice
Sony NEX-3N Vlogging advice
34
image stabilization (Sensor based)
provides face detection focus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
display is not selfie friendly
missing external microphone port
28
video res high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
screen isn't selfie friendly
lack of image stabilization
no external mic port
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Olympus E-PL3 vs Sony NEX-3N Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL3 and Sony NEX-3N
 Olympus PEN E-PL3Sony Alpha NEX-3N
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Sony
Model Olympus PEN E-PL3 Sony Alpha NEX-3N
Category Entry-Level Mirrorless Entry-Level Mirrorless
Launched 2011-09-20 2013-02-25
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Powered by Truepic VI Bionz
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds APS-C
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 12MP 16MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 4032 x 3024 4912 x 3264
Maximum native ISO 12800 16000
Lowest native ISO 200 200
RAW images
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
Continuous AF
AF single
Tracking AF
AF selectice
AF center weighted
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Number of focus points 35 25
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds Sony E
Number of lenses 107 121
Crop factor 2.1 1.5
Screen
Range of screen Tilting Tilting
Screen sizing 3 inch 3 inch
Resolution of screen 460 thousand dot 460 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Screen technology HyperCrystal LCD AR(Anti-Reflective) coating -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic (optional) None
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 secs 30 secs
Highest shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/4000 secs
Continuous shooting speed 6.0 frames/s 4.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range no built-in flash -
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) -
External flash
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Highest flash sync 1/160 secs 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) 1920 x 1080
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video file format AVCHD, Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD
Mic jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 313 grams (0.69 lb) 269 grams (0.59 lb)
Physical dimensions 110 x 64 x 37mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.5") 110 x 62 x 35mm (4.3" x 2.4" x 1.4")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 52 74
DXO Color Depth score 20.9 22.8
DXO Dynamic range score 10.3 12.5
DXO Low light score 499 1067
Other
Battery life 300 images 480 images
Battery form Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model BLS-5 NPFW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) -
Time lapse feature
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots One One
Price at launch $399 $399