Olympus E-PL3 vs Sony QX30

Its time to look closer at the Olympus E-PL3 and Sony QX30, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the latter is a Lens-style by rivals Olympus and Sony. There is a crucial difference among the resolutions of the E-PL3 (12MP) and QX30 (20MP) and the E-PL3 (Four Thirds) and QX30 (1/2.3") offer totally different sensor size.

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The E-PL3 was brought out 3 years earlier than the QX30 and that is a fairly serious gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Both of the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-PL3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony QX30 being a Lens-style camera.

Before we go right into a comprehensive comparison, here is a simple overview of how the E-PL3 matches up vs the QX30 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Here is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus PEN E-PL3 and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-QX30. The entire galleries are available at Olympus E-PL3 Gallery and Sony QX30 Gallery.

For anybody who is aiming to carry your camera, you need to factor its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-PL3 comes with physical dimensions of 110mm x 64mm x 37mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.5") with a weight of 313 grams (0.69 lbs) whilst the Sony QX30 has measurements of 68mm x 65mm x 58mm (2.7" x 2.6" x 2.3") having a weight of 193 grams (0.43 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus E-PL3 and Sony QX30 in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Always remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you are using at that time. Here is a front view dimension comparison of the E-PL3 and the QX30.

Considering size and weight, the portability score of the E-PL3 and QX30 is 88 and 91 respectively.

Oftentimes, it is tough to visualise the difference in sensor sizing purely by researching specs. The photograph below will help provide you a stronger sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-PL3 and QX30.

As you can plainly see, both the cameras come with different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The E-PL3 because of its bigger sensor will make getting shallow depth of field simpler and the Sony QX30 will result in more detail having its extra 8 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also help you crop pictures a good deal more aggressively. The older E-PL3 will be behind when it comes to sensor innovation.