Olympus E-PL3 vs Sony A55

Lets look more closely at the Olympus E-PL3 vs Sony A55, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by rivals Olympus and Sony. There exists a substantial gap between the resolutions of the E-PL3 (12MP) and A55 (16MP) and the E-PL3 (Four Thirds) and A55 (APS-C) posses different sensor dimensions.

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The E-PL3 was announced 14 months later than the A55 making them a generation apart from one another. The two cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-PL3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony A55 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before diving into a complete comparison, here is a brief view of how the E-PL3 grades against the A55 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus PEN E-PL3 & Sony SLT-A55. The whole galleries are provided at Olympus E-PL3 Gallery & Sony A55 Gallery.

If you are planning to carry your camera regularly, you are going to need to take into account its weight and volume. The Olympus E-PL3 enjoys 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) while the Sony A55 has sizing of 124mm x 92mm x 85mm (4.9" x 3.6" x 3.3") accompanied by a weight of 500 grams (1.10 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus E-PL3 vs Sony A55 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you select at the time. The following is a front view over all size comparison of the E-PL3 against the A55.

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-PL3 and A55 is 88 and 67 respectively.

Typically, it can be tough to visualize the difference between sensor sizing just by reading a spec sheet. The photograph here will offer you a clearer sense of the sensor sizing in the E-PL3 and A55.

Clearly, both cameras provide different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The E-PL3 having a tinier sensor is going to make shooting shallower DOF trickier and the Sony A55 will offer you more detail with its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also help you crop photos more aggressively. The newer E-PL3 provides an edge with regard to sensor innovation.