Olympus E-PL3 vs YI M1

Lets look a bit more in depth at the Olympus E-PL3 vs YI M1, both Entry-Level Mirrorless cameras by rivals Olympus and YI. There exists a big gap among the image resolutions of the E-PL3 (12MP) and M1 (20MP) but they feature the same exact sensor measurements (Four Thirds).

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The E-PL3 was announced 6 years before the M1 which is a fairly big gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of the cameras offer the identical body type (Rangefinder-style mirrorless).

Before getting through a complete comparison, below is a concise view of how the E-PL3 scores vs the M1 for portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Below is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus PEN E-PL3 and YI M1. The whole galleries are available at Olympus E-PL3 Gallery and YI M1 Gallery.

If you are looking to travel with your camera regularly, you need to take into account its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-PL3 comes with external dimensions of 110mm x 64mm x 37mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.5") having a weight of 313 grams (0.69 lbs) and the YI M1 has proportions of 114mm x 64mm x 34mm (4.5" x 2.5" x 1.3") accompanied by a weight of 350 grams (0.77 lbs).

Check out the Olympus E-PL3 vs YI M1 in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change based on the lens you have at that moment. Below is the front view physical size comparison of the E-PL3 versus the M1.

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-PL3 and M1 is 88 and 87 respectively.

Quite often, it can be hard to imagine the gap in sensor dimensions purely by checking out technical specs. The image here will help give you a more clear sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-PL3 and M1.

As you can tell, the two cameras enjoy the same exact sensor sizing albeit different resolution. You should expect the YI M1 to provide extra detail with its extra 8 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also let you crop photographs far more aggressively. The more aged E-PL3 will be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor tech.