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Olympus E-PL3 vs Sony NEX-C3

Portability
88
Imaging
48
Features
52
Overall
49
Olympus PEN E-PL3 front
 
Sony Alpha NEX-C3 front
Portability
91
Imaging
57
Features
57
Overall
57

Olympus E-PL3 vs Sony NEX-C3 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
  • Older Model is Olympus E-PL2
Sony NEX-C3
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 12800
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 225g - 110 x 60 x 33mm
  • Announced August 2011
  • Succeeded the Sony NEX-3
  • Renewed by Sony NEX-F3
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Olympus E-PL3 vs Sony NEX-C3 Overview

Let's look a bit more closely at the Olympus E-PL3 vs Sony NEX-C3, both Entry-Level Mirrorless digital cameras by competitors Olympus and Sony. There exists a big gap between the resolutions of the E-PL3 (12MP) and NEX-C3 (16MP) and the E-PL3 (Four Thirds) and NEX-C3 (APS-C) have different sensor sizes.

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The E-PL3 was released at a similar time to the NEX-C3 and they are of a similar generation. Both cameras feature the same body design (Rangefinder-style mirrorless).

Before going right into a thorough comparison, here is a concise summation of how the E-PL3 scores vs the NEX-C3 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL3 over the Sony NEX-C3

 E-PL3 NEX-C3 

Reasons to pick Sony NEX-C3 over the Olympus E-PL3

 NEX-C3 E-PL3 
Screen resolution920k460kClearer screen (+460k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-PL3 and Sony NEX-C3

 E-PL3 NEX-C3 
AnnouncedSeptember 2011August 2011Similar generation
Manual focus More precise focusing
Screen typeTiltingTiltingTilting screen
Screen size3"3"Same screen dimensions
Selfie screen Neither features selfie screen
Touch screen Lacking Touch screen

Olympus E-PL3 vs Sony NEX-C3 Physical Comparison

When you are aiming to carry around your camera regularly, you'll have to consider its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-PL3 enjoys physical dimensions of 110mm x 64mm x 37mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.5") and a weight of 313 grams (0.69 lbs) whilst the Sony NEX-C3 has proportions of 110mm x 60mm x 33mm (4.3" x 2.4" x 1.3") and a weight of 225 grams (0.50 lbs).

Compare the Olympus E-PL3 vs Sony NEX-C3 in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ based on the lens you are employing at that moment. The following is a front view scale comparison of the E-PL3 against the NEX-C3.

Olympus E-PL3 vs Sony NEX-C3 size comparison

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-PL3 and NEX-C3 is 88 and 91 respectively.

Olympus E-PL3 vs Sony NEX-C3 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL3 vs Sony NEX-C3 Sensor Comparison

More often than not, it is very tough to imagine the difference between sensor sizes merely by reviewing specifications. The pic underneath might give you a greater sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-PL3 and NEX-C3.

Plainly, both the cameras come with different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The E-PL3 featuring a tinier sensor is going to make getting shallow DOF tougher and the Sony NEX-C3 will offer you greater detail as a result of its extra 4MP. Higher resolution can also make it easier to crop photographs a good deal more aggressively.

Olympus E-PL3 vs Sony NEX-C3 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL3 vs Sony NEX-C3 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL3 vs Sony NEX-C3 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photography Glossary

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PL3 Portrait photography highlights
Sony NEX-C3 Portrait photography highlights
60
has manual focus
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
comes with face detect focusing
delivers RAW formats
sensor resolution not great (12MP)
74
focusing manually
MP count decent (16MP)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
delivers RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-PL3 Street photography details
Sony NEX-C3 Street photography details
84
has a tilting screen
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
80
has a tilting screen
decent sensor size (APS-C)
delivers RAW formats
lighter than competition (225 grams)
lack of image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PL3 as a Sports photography camera
Sony NEX-C3 as a Sports photography camera
45
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
comes with tracking focus
slow continuous shooting (6.0 fps)
sensor resolution not great (12 megapixels)
not so great battery life (300 shots)
lack of phase detect AF
53
MP count decent (16MP)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
better than average battery life (400 CIPA)
slow continuous shooting (6.0 frames/s)
lack of image stabilization
no phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL3 Travel photography features
Sony NEX-C3 Travel photography features
44
does not have Timelapse function
not so great battery life (300 shots)
sensor resolution not great (12MP)
screen is not selfie friendly
71
better than average battery life (400 shots)
lighter than competition (225g)
MP count decent (16MP)
does not have Timelapse function
screen is not selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus E-PL3
Landscape photography with Sony NEX-C3
61
has manual focus
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is decent (3")
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
sensor resolution not great (12MP)
not so great battery life (300 CIPA)
does not have Timelapse function
70
focusing manually
change lenses (Sony E mount)
screen size is decent (3 inch)
MP count decent (16 megapixels)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
delivers RAW formats
better than average battery life (400 shots)
lack of image stabilization
does not have Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL3 Vlogging advice
Sony NEX-C3 Vlogging advice
34
image stabilization (Sensor based)
comes with face detect focusing
high res video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
screen is not selfie friendly
does not have microphone support
27
lighter than competition (225 grams)
screen is not selfie friendly
lack of image stabilization
low video resolution (1280 x 720 pxls)
does not have microphone jack
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Olympus E-PL3 vs Sony NEX-C3 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL3 and Sony NEX-C3
 Olympus PEN E-PL3Sony Alpha NEX-C3
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Sony
Model type Olympus PEN E-PL3 Sony Alpha NEX-C3
Category Entry-Level Mirrorless Entry-Level Mirrorless
Introduced 2011-09-20 2011-08-22
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Processor Chip Truepic VI Bionz
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds APS-C
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 23.4 x 15.6mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 365.0mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixel 16 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 3:2 and 16:9
Highest Possible resolution 4032 x 3024 4912 x 3264
Maximum native ISO 12800 12800
Min native ISO 200 100
RAW support
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Continuous autofocus
Single autofocus
Tracking autofocus
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Live view autofocus
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Total focus points 35 25
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds Sony E
Total lenses 107 121
Focal length multiplier 2.1 1.5
Screen
Screen type Tilting Tilting
Screen diagonal 3 inch 3 inch
Screen resolution 460 thousand dot 920 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Screen tech HyperCrystal LCD AR(Anti-Reflective) coating TFT Xtra Fine LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic (optional) None
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60 seconds 30 seconds
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Continuous shutter speed 6.0fps 6.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance no built-in flash no built-in flash
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
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Fastest flash sync 1/160 seconds 1/160 seconds
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) 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video data format AVCHD, Motion JPEG MPEG-4
Microphone input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless None Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 313 grams (0.69 lbs) 225 grams (0.50 lbs)
Physical dimensions 110 x 64 x 37mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.5") 110 x 60 x 33mm (4.3" x 2.4" x 1.3")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 52 73
DXO Color Depth rating 20.9 22.7
DXO Dynamic range rating 10.3 12.2
DXO Low light rating 499 1083
Other
Battery life 300 photographs 400 photographs
Battery format Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLS-5 NPFW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10 sec 3 or 5 images)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots 1 1
Price at release $399 $343