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Olympus E-PL3 vs Sony HX10V

Portability
88
Imaging
48
Features
52
Overall
49
Olympus PEN E-PL3 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX10V front
Portability
91
Imaging
42
Features
46
Overall
43

Olympus E-PL3 vs Sony HX10V Key Specs

Olympus E-PL3
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 200 - 12800
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 313g - 110 x 64 x 37mm
  • Released September 2011
  • Older Model is Olympus E-PL2
Sony HX10V
(Full Review)
  • 18MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 12800
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 24-400mm (F3.3-5.9) lens
  • 234g - 105 x 60 x 34mm
  • Revealed February 2012
  • Later Model is Sony HX20V
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Olympus E-PL3 vs Sony HX10V Overview

Its time to take a deeper look at the Olympus E-PL3 vs Sony HX10V, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by manufacturers Olympus and Sony. There exists a huge gap among the image resolutions of the E-PL3 (12MP) and HX10V (18MP) and the E-PL3 (Four Thirds) and HX10V (1/2.3") have totally different sensor dimensions.

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The E-PL3 was announced 5 months prior to the HX10V so they are both of a similar generation. Both of the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-PL3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony HX10V being a Compact camera.

Before we go straight to a detailed comparison, here is a concise view of how the E-PL3 scores against the HX10V in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL3 over the Sony HX10V

 E-PL3 HX10V 
Manual focus Dial exact focus
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen

Reasons to pick Sony HX10V over the Olympus E-PL3

 HX10V E-PL3 
Screen resolution922k460kClearer screen (+462k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-PL3 and Sony HX10V

 E-PL3 HX10V 
RevealedSeptember 2011February 2012Same generation
Screen size3"3"Same screen sizing
Selfie screen No selfie screen
Touch screen No Touch screen

Olympus E-PL3 vs Sony HX10V Physical Comparison

For anyone who is looking to lug around your camera, you will have to think about its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-PL3 enjoys exterior dimensions of 110mm x 64mm x 37mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.5") and a weight of 313 grams (0.69 lbs) while the Sony HX10V has dimensions of 105mm x 60mm x 34mm (4.1" x 2.4" x 1.3") along with a weight of 234 grams (0.52 lbs).

Check out the Olympus E-PL3 vs Sony HX10V in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into account, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you choose during that time. Below is a front view scale comparison of the E-PL3 against the HX10V.

Olympus E-PL3 vs Sony HX10V size comparison

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-PL3 and HX10V is 88 and 91 respectively.

Olympus E-PL3 vs Sony HX10V top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL3 vs Sony HX10V Sensor Comparison

Normally, its tough to see the difference in sensor measurements only by looking through technical specs. The visual below should offer you a stronger sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-PL3 and HX10V.

As you have seen, each of the cameras come with different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The E-PL3 having a bigger sensor will make getting shallow DOF simpler and the Sony HX10V will provide you with greater detail with its extra 6MP. Higher resolution will enable you to crop pictures a good deal more aggressively.

Olympus E-PL3 vs Sony HX10V sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL3 vs Sony HX10V Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL3 vs Sony HX10V Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PL3 Portrait photography features
Sony HX10V Portrait photography features
60
manual focus
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
has face detection focusing
exports RAW files
low resolution (12 megapixels)
38
good megapixels (18 megapixels)
provides face detect focus
no manual focus
can't use external flash
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-PL3 as a Street photography camera
Sony HX10V as a Street photography camera
84
screen tilts up and down
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
62
has image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than others in class (234 grams)
screen is fixed
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PL3 Sports photography information
Sony HX10V Sports photography information
45
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
has tracking autofocus
very slow continuous shooting (6.0 fps)
low resolution (12MP)
not so great battery power (300 per charge)
lack of phase detect AF
49
amazing zoom range (24-400mm 16.7 x zoom)
has image stabilization (Optical)
good megapixels (18 megapixels)
provides tracking focus
no shutter priority
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
has no phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL3 Travel photography advice
Sony HX10V Travel photography advice
44
no Timelapse mode
not so great battery power (300 per charge)
low resolution (12MP)
display isn't selfie friendly
69
lighter than others in class (234 grams)
good megapixels (18MP)
flash built-in
quite wide (24mm)
long reach (400mm)
missing Timelapse recording
display is not selfie friendly
sluggish max aperture (f3.3)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PL3 Landscape photography highlights
Sony HX10V Landscape photography highlights
61
manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
pretty good screen size (3")
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
low resolution (12MP)
not so great battery power (300 shots)
no Timelapse mode
45
quite wide (24mm)
screen is a good size (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Optical)
good megapixels (18 megapixels)
no manual focus
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f3.3)
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
missing Timelapse recording
Photography Glossary

Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus E-PL3
Vlogging with Sony HX10V
34
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
has face detection focusing
high video quality (1920 x 1080 pxls)
display isn't selfie friendly
no external microphone port
34
quite wide (24mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
provides face detect focus
high video quality (1920 x 1080 resolution)
lighter than others in class (234g)
sluggish max aperture (f3.3)
display is not selfie friendly
missing microphone port
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Olympus E-PL3 vs Sony HX10V Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL3 and Sony HX10V
 Olympus PEN E-PL3Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX10V
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Sony
Model type Olympus PEN E-PL3 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX10V
Category Entry-Level Mirrorless Small Sensor Superzoom
Released 2011-09-20 2012-02-28
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Truepic VI BIONZ
Sensor type CMOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixel 18 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 4:3 and 16:9
Full resolution 4032 x 3024 4896 x 3672
Max native ISO 12800 12800
Minimum native ISO 200 100
RAW support
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch to focus
Continuous AF
Single AF
Tracking AF
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Total focus points 35 9
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 24-400mm (16.7x)
Maximal aperture - f/3.3-5.9
Macro focusing range - 5cm
Available lenses 107 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.8
Screen
Range of display Tilting Fixed Type
Display diagonal 3" 3"
Display resolution 460 thousand dot 922 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Display tech HyperCrystal LCD AR(Anti-Reflective) coating XtraFine TruBlack TFT LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic (optional) None
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 secs 30 secs
Highest shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/1600 secs
Continuous shooting speed 6.0 frames/s 10.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance no built-in flash 5.30 m
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) Auto, On, Off, Slow Sync
External flash
AEB
White balance bracketing
Highest flash sync 1/160 secs -
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 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Max video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video data format AVCHD, Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless None Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None BuiltIn
Physical
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 313 grams (0.69 lbs) 234 grams (0.52 lbs)
Physical dimensions 110 x 64 x 37mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.5") 105 x 60 x 34mm (4.1" x 2.4" x 1.3")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 52 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 20.9 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 10.3 not tested
DXO Low light rating 499 not tested
Other
Battery life 300 pictures 320 pictures
Battery form Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLS-5 NP-BG1
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, Portrait 1/2)
Time lapse recording
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Duo/Pro Duo/Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots One One
Retail price $399 $616