Olympus E-PL3 vs Sony S950

Below is a extensive review of the Olympus E-PL3 vs Sony S950, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the other is a Small Sensor Compact by competitors Olympus and Sony. The image resolution of the E-PL3 (12MP) and the S950 (10MP) is fairly close but the E-PL3 (Four Thirds) and S950 (1/2.3") posses different sensor measurements.

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The E-PL3 was unveiled 2 years later than the S950 and that is a fairly large 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 S950 being a Compact camera.

Before going right into a step-by-step comparison, here is a brief overview of how the E-PL3 grades versus the S950 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Below is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus PEN E-PL3 and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S950. The full galleries are available at Olympus E-PL3 Gallery and Sony S950 Gallery.

For those who are aiming to lug around your camera, you have to take into account its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-PL3 has physical measurements of 110mm x 64mm x 37mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.5") having a weight of 313 grams (0.69 lbs) whilst the Sony S950 has dimensions of 93mm x 56mm x 24mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9") and a weight of 167 grams (0.37 lbs).

Examine the Olympus E-PL3 vs Sony S950 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ depending on the lens you are using during that time. Following is a front view size comparison of the E-PL3 against the S950.

Looking at size and weight, the portability grade of the E-PL3 and S950 is 88 and 94 respectively.

Usually, it's hard to picture the difference in sensor measurements just by researching specs. The graphic below should offer you a stronger sense of the sensor sizing in the E-PL3 and S950.

All in all, both cameras provide different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The E-PL3 with its larger sensor is going to make achieving shallower DOF simpler and the Olympus E-PL3 will render greater detail having an extra 2MP. Greater resolution will also let you crop images more aggressively. The fresher E-PL3 should have an advantage when it comes to sensor tech.