Olympus E-PL3 vs Sony HX20V

Here, we are looking at the Olympus E-PL3 versus Sony HX20V, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom by competitors Olympus and Sony. There is a noticeable difference between the image resolutions of the E-PL3 (12MP) and HX20V (18MP) and the E-PL3 (Four Thirds) and HX20V (1/2.3") have totally different sensor dimensions.

President Biden pushes bill mandating TikTok sale or ban

The E-PL3 was brought out 10 months prior to the HX20V and they are both of a similar age. Each of these cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-PL3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony HX20V being a Compact camera.

Before going into a in depth comparison, here is a brief introduction of how the E-PL3 scores against the HX20V with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Here is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus PEN E-PL3 & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX20V. The entire galleries are provided at Olympus E-PL3 Gallery & Sony HX20V Gallery.

For anyone who is aiming to lug around your camera regularly, you're going to have to take into account its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-PL3 enjoys outer dimensions of 110mm x 64mm x 37mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.5") accompanied by a weight of 313 grams (0.69 lbs) and the Sony HX20V has measurements of 107mm x 62mm x 35mm (4.2" x 2.4" x 1.4") along with a weight of 254 grams (0.56 lbs).

Check out the Olympus E-PL3 versus Sony HX20V in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you have attached at that time. The following is a front view scale comparison of the E-PL3 vs the HX20V.

Looking at size and weight, the portability score of the E-PL3 and HX20V is 88 and 90 respectively.

Oftentimes, it's tough to see the gap between sensor measurements only by going over specs. The photograph here will help provide you a more clear sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-PL3 and HX20V.

All in all, the 2 cameras feature different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The E-PL3 because of its larger sensor will make getting shallower DOF less difficult and the Sony HX20V will offer greater detail having its extra 6 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also enable you to crop pics way more aggressively. The older E-PL3 is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor innovation.