Olympus E-PL3 vs Sony H20

Let's look more closely at the Olympus E-PL3 versus Sony H20, former is a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by brands Olympus and Sony. The image resolution of the E-PL3 (12MP) and the H20 (10MP) is pretty similar but the E-PL3 (Four Thirds) and H20 (1/2.3") posses different sensor sizing.

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The E-PL3 was manufactured 2 years after the H20 which is quite a large difference as far as tech is concerned. Each of these cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-PL3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony H20 being a Compact camera.

Before delving straight to a in-depth comparison, here is a quick synopsis of how the E-PL3 matches up vs the H20 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Below is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus PEN E-PL3 & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H20. The entire galleries are viewable at Olympus E-PL3 Gallery & Sony H20 Gallery.

If you are planning to travel with your camera frequently, you have to take into account its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-PL3 features outside 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) and the Sony H20 has dimensions of 107mm x 69mm x 47mm (4.2" x 2.7" x 1.9") and a weight of 250 grams (0.55 lbs).

Look at the Olympus E-PL3 versus Sony H20 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Always remember, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you choose at that moment. Following is a front view dimension comparison of the E-PL3 versus the H20.

Taking into account size and weight, the portability grade of the E-PL3 and H20 is 88 and 87 respectively.

Often, its difficult to picture the contrast between sensor dimensions purely by reviewing technical specs. The picture here should give you a far better sense of the sensor sizing in the E-PL3 and H20.

As you have seen, the 2 cameras come with different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The E-PL3 featuring a bigger sensor is going to make achieving shallower depth of field simpler and the Olympus E-PL3 will offer more detail due to its extra 2 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also let you crop shots a good deal more aggressively. The newer E-PL3 should have a benefit with regard to sensor tech.