Olympus E-PL3 vs Sony RX100 II

Let's look much closer at the Olympus E-PL3 versus Sony RX100 II, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the other is a Large Sensor Compact by rivals Olympus and Sony. There is a noticeable difference between the sensor resolutions of the E-PL3 (12MP) and RX100 II (20MP) and the E-PL3 (Four Thirds) and RX100 II (1") offer totally different sensor sizes.

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The E-PL3 was brought out 21 months earlier than the RX100 II making them a generation apart from each other. Both the cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-PL3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony RX100 II being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before getting straight to a more detailed comparison, here is a brief introduction of how the E-PL3 matches up against the RX100 II with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

The following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus PEN E-PL3 & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 II. The entire galleries are available at Olympus E-PL3 Gallery & Sony RX100 II Gallery.

If you're looking to carry your camera regularly, you should factor in its weight and size. The Olympus E-PL3 comes with external dimensions of 110mm x 64mm x 37mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.5") and a weight of 313 grams (0.69 lbs) and the Sony RX100 II has specifications of 102mm x 58mm x 38mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.5") having a weight of 281 grams (0.62 lbs).

Look at the Olympus E-PL3 versus Sony RX100 II in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you select at the time. Here is a front view sizing comparison of the E-PL3 vs the RX100 II.

Considering size and weight, the portability rating of the E-PL3 and RX100 II is 88 and 89 respectively.

Often, it is very tough to visualise the contrast between sensor sizing only by looking at technical specs. The visual underneath may offer you a greater sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-PL3 and RX100 II.

As you have seen, the 2 cameras provide different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The E-PL3 featuring a larger sensor will make getting bokeh less difficult and the Sony RX100 II will give you more detail having its extra 8 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also enable you to crop images more aggressively. The older E-PL3 is going to be behind in sensor tech.