Olympus E-PL3 vs Sony S930

The following is a comprehensive review of the Olympus E-PL3 versus Sony S930, former is a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the other is a Small Sensor Compact by brands Olympus and Sony. The image resolution of the E-PL3 (12MP) and the S930 (10MP) is fairly comparable but the E-PL3 (Four Thirds) and S930 (1/2.3") boast different sensor dimensions.

Photography Glossary

The E-PL3 was brought out 2 years after the S930 which is a fairly significant difference as far as camera tech is concerned. The two cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-PL3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony S930 being a Compact camera.

Before we go into a complete comparison, here is a simple synopsis of how the E-PL3 scores versus the S930 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus PEN E-PL3 & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S930. The entire galleries are available at Olympus E-PL3 Gallery & Sony S930 Gallery.

For anybody who is intending to travel with your camera, you are going to need to consider its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-PL3 enjoys external measurements of 110mm x 64mm x 37mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.5") accompanied by a weight of 313 grams (0.69 lbs) while the Sony S930 has measurements of 90mm x 61mm x 26mm (3.5" x 2.4" x 1.0") having a weight of 167 grams (0.37 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus E-PL3 versus Sony S930 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you choose at the time. Following is a front view proportions comparison of the E-PL3 vs the S930.

Considering size and weight, the portability rating of the E-PL3 and S930 is 88 and 94 respectively.

Often, it can be difficult to picture the gap in sensor dimensions purely by going through a spec sheet. The picture below will help offer you a more clear sense of the sensor sizing in the E-PL3 and S930.

As you can see, both of the cameras come with different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The E-PL3 due to its larger sensor is going to make achieving shallower depth of field simpler and the Olympus E-PL3 will provide more detail having its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution will allow you to crop photos a good deal more aggressively. The more recent E-PL3 provides an edge with regard to sensor innovation.