Olympus E-PL3 vs Sony H90

Lets look closer at the Olympus E-PL3 vs Sony H90, one is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom by competitors Olympus and Sony. There exists a crucial gap among the sensor resolutions of the E-PL3 (12MP) and H90 (16MP) and the E-PL3 (Four Thirds) and H90 (1/2.3") use different sensor sizing.

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The E-PL3 was unveiled 5 months prior to the H90 so they are of a similar generation. Both cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-PL3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony H90 being a Compact camera.

Before going straight into a step-by-step comparison, below is a short highlight of how the E-PL3 grades vs the H90 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

The following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus PEN E-PL3 and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H90. The full galleries are available at Olympus E-PL3 Gallery and Sony H90 Gallery.

For anybody who is aiming to carry around your camera regularly, you'll need to factor in its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-PL3 enjoys outer measurements of 110mm x 64mm x 37mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.5") with a weight of 313 grams (0.69 lbs) and the Sony H90 has proportions of 105mm x 60mm x 34mm (4.1" x 2.4" x 1.3") having a weight of 222 grams (0.49 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus E-PL3 vs Sony H90 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Keep in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ dependant on the lens you select at that moment. The following is the front view measurements comparison of the E-PL3 against the H90.

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-PL3 and H90 is 88 and 91 respectively.

Normally, it can be difficult to imagine the difference in sensor sizes purely by viewing a spec sheet. The image below will give you a stronger sense of the sensor sizing in the E-PL3 and H90.

Clearly, each of the cameras have got different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The E-PL3 using its larger sensor is going to make getting shallower DOF less difficult and the Sony H90 will result in extra detail having an extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution will allow you to crop photos much more aggressively.