Olympus E-PL3 vs Sony RX100 VII

On this page, we will be reviewing the Olympus E-PL3 vs Sony RX100 VII, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the latter is a Large Sensor Compact by rivals Olympus and Sony. There is a crucial difference among the sensor resolutions of the E-PL3 (12MP) and RX100 VII (20MP) and the E-PL3 (Four Thirds) and RX100 VII (1") have different sensor sizes.

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The E-PL3 was launched 8 years earlier than the RX100 VII and that is a fairly serious gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Both cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-PL3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony RX100 VII being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before going right into a full comparison, here is a short summation of how the E-PL3 matches up versus the RX100 VII with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

This is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus PEN E-PL3 and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 VII. The complete galleries are viewable at Olympus E-PL3 Gallery and Sony RX100 VII Gallery.

When you are intending to lug around your camera frequently, you will want to think about its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-PL3 enjoys physical dimensions of 110mm x 64mm x 37mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.5") along with a weight of 313 grams (0.69 lbs) while the Sony RX100 VII has proportions of 102mm x 58mm x 43mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.7") having a weight of 302 grams (0.67 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus E-PL3 vs Sony RX100 VII in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary based on the lens you are utilizing at that moment. Underneath is a front view sizing comparison of the E-PL3 vs the RX100 VII.

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability grade of the E-PL3 and RX100 VII is 88 and 88 respectively.

Usually, it is very tough to visualize the difference in sensor measurements purely by seeing specs. The graphic here will help provide you a much better sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-PL3 and RX100 VII.

As you can plainly see, the two cameras have different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The E-PL3 featuring a bigger sensor is going to make achieving bokeh easier and the Sony RX100 VII will show extra detail utilizing its extra 8MP. Higher resolution can also enable you to crop pictures a bit more aggressively. The older E-PL3 will be behind with regard to sensor tech.