Olympus E-PL3 vs Sony A77
88 Imaging
48 Features
52 Overall
49


59 Imaging
63 Features
83 Overall
71
Olympus E-PL3 vs Sony A77 Key Specs
(Full Review)
- 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
- 3" Tilting Screen
- ISO 200 - 12800
- Sensor based Image Stabilization
- 1920 x 1080 video
- Micro Four Thirds Mount
- 313g - 110 x 64 x 37mm
- Released September 2011
- Replaced the Olympus E-PL2
(Full Review)
- 24MP - APS-C Sensor
- 3" Fully Articulated Display
- ISO 50 - 16000 (Increase to 25600)
- Sensor based Image Stabilization
- 1/8000s Max Shutter
- 1920 x 1080 video
- Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
- 732g - 143 x 104 x 81mm
- Revealed October 2011
- Succeeded the Sony A700
- Renewed by Sony A77 II

Olympus E-PL3 vs Sony A77 Overview
Below is a in depth analysis of the Olympus E-PL3 versus Sony A77, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the other is a Advanced DSLR by companies Olympus and Sony. There exists a crucial gap between the image resolutions of the E-PL3 (12MP) and A77 (24MP) and the E-PL3 (Four Thirds) and A77 (APS-C) offer totally different sensor measurements.

The E-PL3 was launched within a month of the A77 which means that they are both of a similar generation. The two cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-PL3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony A77 being a Mid-size SLR camera.
Before delving right into a complete comparison, here is a simple summary of how the E-PL3 scores vs the A77 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Olympus E-PL3 vs Sony A77 Gallery
Here is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus PEN E-PL3 and Sony SLT-A77. The complete galleries are viewable at Olympus E-PL3 Gallery and Sony A77 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL3 over the Sony A77
E-PL3 | A77 |
---|
Reasons to pick Sony A77 over the Olympus E-PL3
A77 | E-PL3 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Display type | Fully Articulated | ![]() | Tilting | Fully Articulating display |
Display resolution | 921k | ![]() | 460k | Sharper display (+461k dot) |
Selfie screen | ![]() | Take selfies |
Common features in the Olympus E-PL3 and Sony A77
E-PL3 | A77 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Revealed | September 2011 | ![]() | October 2011 | Similar generation |
Manual focus | ![]() | Very accurate focusing | ||
Display dimensions | 3" | ![]() | 3" | Equal display measurements |
Touch friendly display | ![]() | Lack of Touch friendly display |
Olympus E-PL3 vs Sony A77 Physical Comparison
For anybody who is intending to lug around your camera frequently, you will have to think about its weight and size. The Olympus E-PL3 offers external measurements of 110mm x 64mm x 37mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.5") with a weight of 313 grams (0.69 lbs) whilst the Sony A77 has specifications of 143mm x 104mm x 81mm (5.6" x 4.1" x 3.2") with a weight of 732 grams (1.61 lbs).
Compare the Olympus E-PL3 versus Sony A77 in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ dependant on the lens you are utilising at that time. Here is a front view physical size comparison of the E-PL3 compared to the A77.

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-PL3 and A77 is 88 and 59 respectively.

Olympus E-PL3 vs Sony A77 Sensor Comparison
Quite often, it is hard to envision the difference between sensor measurements only by reading through specs. The visual underneath will help offer you a far better sense of the sensor measurements in the E-PL3 and A77.
All in all, both of these cameras provide different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The E-PL3 because of its tinier sensor will make achieving bokeh more difficult and the Sony A77 will resolve greater detail utilizing its extra 12 Megapixels. Greater resolution will enable you to crop photos more aggressively.

Olympus E-PL3 vs Sony A77 Screen and ViewFinder


Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison

Street Comparison

Sports Comparison

Travel Comparison

Landscape Comparison

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL3 vs Sony A77 Specifications
Olympus PEN E-PL3 | Sony SLT-A77 | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Manufacturer | Olympus | Sony |
Model | Olympus PEN E-PL3 | Sony SLT-A77 |
Class | Entry-Level Mirrorless | Advanced DSLR |
Released | 2011-09-20 | 2011-10-25 |
Body design | Rangefinder-style mirrorless | Mid-size SLR |
Sensor Information | ||
Processor Chip | Truepic VI | Bionz |
Sensor type | CMOS | CMOS |
Sensor size | Four Thirds | APS-C |
Sensor measurements | 17.3 x 13mm | 23.5 x 15.6mm |
Sensor surface area | 224.9mm² | 366.6mm² |
Sensor resolution | 12 megapixel | 24 megapixel |
Anti aliasing filter | ||
Aspect ratio | 4:3 | 3:2 and 16:9 |
Max resolution | 4032 x 3024 | 6000 x 4000 |
Max native ISO | 12800 | 16000 |
Max enhanced ISO | - | 25600 |
Lowest native ISO | 200 | 50 |
RAW photos | ||
Autofocusing | ||
Focus manually | ||
Touch to focus | ||
Autofocus continuous | ||
Single autofocus | ||
Tracking autofocus | ||
Autofocus selectice | ||
Center weighted autofocus | ||
Multi area autofocus | ||
Live view autofocus | ||
Face detection focus | ||
Contract detection focus | ||
Phase detection focus | ||
Number of focus points | 35 | 19 |
Cross focus points | - | 11 |
Lens | ||
Lens mount | Micro Four Thirds | Sony/Minolta Alpha |
Total lenses | 107 | 143 |
Crop factor | 2.1 | 1.5 |
Screen | ||
Screen type | Tilting | Fully Articulated |
Screen size | 3 inches | 3 inches |
Resolution of screen | 460 thousand dot | 921 thousand dot |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch functionality | ||
Screen tech | HyperCrystal LCD AR(Anti-Reflective) coating | - |
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder type | Electronic (optional) | Electronic |
Viewfinder resolution | - | 2,359 thousand dot |
Viewfinder coverage | - | 100% |
Viewfinder magnification | - | 0.73x |
Features | ||
Min shutter speed | 60s | 30s |
Max shutter speed | 1/4000s | 1/8000s |
Continuous shutter speed | 6.0 frames per second | 12.0 frames per second |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Manual exposure | ||
Exposure compensation | Yes | Yes |
Custom white balance | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Integrated flash | ||
Flash range | no built-in flash | 12.00 m |
Flash settings | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless |
External flash | ||
Auto exposure bracketing | ||
WB bracketing | ||
Max flash sync | 1/160s | 1/250s |
Exposure | ||
Multisegment | ||
Average | ||
Spot | ||
Partial | ||
AF area | ||
Center weighted | ||
Video features | ||
Video resolutions | 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) | 1920 x 1080 (60, 24 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30fps), 640 x 424 (29.97 fps) |
Max video resolution | 1920x1080 | 1920x1080 |
Video file format | AVCHD, Motion JPEG | MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264 |
Microphone input | ||
Headphone input | ||
Connectivity | ||
Wireless | None | Eye-Fi Connected |
Bluetooth | ||
NFC | ||
HDMI | ||
USB | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) |
GPS | None | BuiltIn |
Physical | ||
Environment seal | ||
Water proof | ||
Dust proof | ||
Shock proof | ||
Crush proof | ||
Freeze proof | ||
Weight | 313 gr (0.69 lb) | 732 gr (1.61 lb) |
Physical dimensions | 110 x 64 x 37mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.5") | 143 x 104 x 81mm (5.6" x 4.1" x 3.2") |
DXO scores | ||
DXO Overall score | 52 | 78 |
DXO Color Depth score | 20.9 | 24.0 |
DXO Dynamic range score | 10.3 | 13.2 |
DXO Low light score | 499 | 801 |
Other | ||
Battery life | 300 pictures | 470 pictures |
Type of battery | Battery Pack | Battery Pack |
Battery model | BLS-5 | NP-FM500H |
Self timer | Yes (2 or 12 sec) | Yes (2 or 10 sec) |
Time lapse shooting | ||
Type of storage | SD/SDHC/SDXC | SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo |
Storage slots | Single | Single |
Price at release | $399 | $900 |