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Olympus E-PL3 vs Sony NEX-6

Portability
88
Imaging
48
Features
52
Overall
49
Olympus PEN E-PL3 front
 
Sony Alpha NEX-6 front
Portability
85
Imaging
57
Features
76
Overall
64

Olympus E-PL3 vs Sony NEX-6 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
  • Introduced September 2011
  • Succeeded the Olympus E-PL2
Sony NEX-6
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 345g - 120 x 67 x 43mm
  • Launched March 2013
  • Refreshed by Sony A6000
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Olympus E-PL3 vs Sony NEX-6 Overview

The following is a in depth overview of the Olympus E-PL3 versus Sony NEX-6, one is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the other is a Advanced Mirrorless by rivals Olympus and Sony. There is a crucial difference among the sensor resolutions of the E-PL3 (12MP) and NEX-6 (16MP) and the E-PL3 (Four Thirds) and NEX-6 (APS-C) provide totally different sensor sizing.

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The E-PL3 was introduced 18 months prior to the NEX-6 making them a generation away from each other. Both the cameras feature the same body design (Rangefinder-style mirrorless).

Before delving straight to a comprehensive comparison, here is a simple synopsis of how the E-PL3 grades vs the NEX-6 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL3 over the Sony NEX-6

 E-PL3 NEX-6 

Reasons to pick Sony NEX-6 over the Olympus E-PL3

 NEX-6 E-PL3 
LaunchedMarch 2013September 2011Newer by 18 months
Display resolution921k460kCrisper display (+461k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-PL3 and Sony NEX-6

 E-PL3 NEX-6 
Focus manually Dial accurate focus
Display typeTiltingTiltingTilting display
Display size3"3"Same display measurement
Selfie screen Neither contains selfie screen
Touch friendly display No Touch friendly display

Olympus E-PL3 vs Sony NEX-6 Physical Comparison

If you are aiming to travel with your camera, you will want to factor its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-PL3 has got exterior measurements of 110mm x 64mm x 37mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.5") along with a weight of 313 grams (0.69 lbs) while the Sony NEX-6 has dimensions of 120mm x 67mm x 43mm (4.7" x 2.6" x 1.7") having a weight of 345 grams (0.76 lbs).

Check out the Olympus E-PL3 versus Sony NEX-6 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Do not forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you have at that time. Following is a front view sizing comparison of the E-PL3 versus the NEX-6.

Olympus E-PL3 vs Sony NEX-6 size comparison

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability score of the E-PL3 and NEX-6 is 88 and 85 respectively.

Olympus E-PL3 vs Sony NEX-6 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL3 vs Sony NEX-6 Sensor Comparison

Usually, it is difficult to visualise the gap in sensor dimensions just by researching specs. The pic here should give you a more clear sense of the sensor sizing in the E-PL3 and NEX-6.

All in all, both of those cameras come with different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The E-PL3 using its smaller sensor will make shooting bokeh tougher and the Sony NEX-6 will result in more detail using its extra 4MP. Greater resolution can also help you crop images a good deal more aggressively. The more aged E-PL3 will be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor technology.

Olympus E-PL3 vs Sony NEX-6 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL3 vs Sony NEX-6 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL3 vs Sony NEX-6 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus E-PL3
Portrait photography with Sony NEX-6
60
focusing manually
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
has face detection focus
saves RAW formats
megapixel count low (12MP)
74
focusing manually
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
good sensor size (APS-C)
comes with face detection focus
exports RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-PL3 Street photography highlights
Sony NEX-6 Street photography highlights
84
screen tilts up and down
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
78
has a tilting screen
good sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
lighter than competition in class (345 grams)
very good high ISO (25,600)
lack of image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus E-PL3
Sports photography with Sony NEX-6
45
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
has tracking autofocus
low fps (6.0 frames per second)
megapixel count low (12MP)
terrible battery (300 shots)
no phase detect auto focus
66
sensor resolution is decent (16MP)
good sensor size (APS-C)
comes with phase detect auto focus
lack of image stabilization
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL3 as a Travel photography camera
Sony NEX-6 as a Travel photography camera
44
lack of Time Lapse recording
terrible battery (300 per charge)
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
display is not selfie friendly
75
lighter than competition in class (345g)
sensor resolution is decent (16MP)
built-in flash
doesn't feature selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PL3 as a Landscape photography camera
Sony NEX-6 as a Landscape photography camera
61
focusing manually
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen is a good size (3")
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
terrible battery (300 per charge)
lack of Time Lapse recording
75
focusing manually
change lenses (Sony E mount)
screen size is decent (3 inch)
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
good sensor size (APS-C)
very good high ISO (25,600)
exports RAW formats
lack of image stabilization
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus E-PL3
Vlogging with Sony NEX-6
34
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
has face detection focus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
display is not selfie friendly
lack of external mic support
32
comes with face detection focus
video res high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
lighter than competition in class (345g)
doesn't feature selfie friendly screen
lack of image stabilization
missing external microphone port
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Olympus E-PL3 vs Sony NEX-6 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL3 and Sony NEX-6
 Olympus PEN E-PL3Sony Alpha NEX-6
General Information
Brand Olympus Sony
Model type Olympus PEN E-PL3 Sony Alpha NEX-6
Type Entry-Level Mirrorless Advanced Mirrorless
Introduced 2011-09-20 2013-03-25
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Chip Truepic VI Bionz
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds APS-C
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixel 16 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 4032 x 3024 4912 x 3264
Max native ISO 12800 25600
Lowest native ISO 200 100
RAW files
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
AF touch
Continuous AF
AF single
Tracking AF
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Total focus points 35 99
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds Sony E
Amount of lenses 107 121
Crop factor 2.1 1.5
Screen
Range of screen Tilting Tilting
Screen diagonal 3 inch 3 inch
Screen resolution 460 thousand dot 921 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Screen tech HyperCrystal LCD AR(Anti-Reflective) coating Xtra Fine LCD with Tilt Up 90� and Down 45�
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic (optional) Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 2,359 thousand dot
Viewfinder coverage - 100%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.73x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 seconds 30 seconds
Highest shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Continuous shooting speed 6.0fps 10.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance no built-in flash 6.00 m
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Highest flash sync 1/160 seconds 1/160 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60, 24 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Max video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video format AVCHD, Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 313 grams (0.69 lb) 345 grams (0.76 lb)
Physical dimensions 110 x 64 x 37mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.5") 120 x 67 x 43mm (4.7" x 2.6" x 1.7")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 52 78
DXO Color Depth rating 20.9 23.7
DXO Dynamic range rating 10.3 13.1
DXO Low light rating 499 1018
Other
Battery life 300 pictures 360 pictures
Battery form Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLS-5 NPFW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10sec (3 images))
Time lapse recording With downloadable app
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots 1 1
Cost at launch $399 $365