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Olympus E-PL8 vs Sony G3

Portability
86
Imaging
54
Features
76
Overall
62
Olympus PEN E-PL8 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-G3 front
Portability
94
Imaging
33
Features
30
Overall
31

Olympus E-PL8 vs Sony G3 Key Specs

Olympus E-PL8
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 357g - 115 x 67 x 38mm
  • Announced September 2016
  • Succeeded the Olympus E-PL7
  • Refreshed by Olympus E-PL9
Sony G3
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3.5" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 3200
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 640 x 480 video
  • 35-140mm (F3.5-10.0) lens
  • 185g - 97 x 59 x 22mm
  • Launched January 2009
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Olympus E-PL8 vs Sony G3 Overview

Following is a in-depth comparison of the Olympus E-PL8 vs Sony G3, former is a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by companies Olympus and Sony. There is a sizable difference between the image resolutions of the E-PL8 (16MP) and G3 (10MP) and the E-PL8 (Four Thirds) and G3 (1/2.3") boast totally different sensor sizing.

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The E-PL8 was revealed 7 years after the G3 which is quite a significant difference as far as tech is concerned. Both cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-PL8 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony G3 being a Compact camera.

Before diving into a step-by-step comparison, here is a simple summary of how the E-PL8 scores vs the G3 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL8 over the Sony G3

 E-PL8 G3 
LaunchedSeptember 2016January 2009More modern by 94 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen resolution1037k921kSharper screen (+116k dot)

Reasons to pick Sony G3 over the Olympus E-PL8

 G3 E-PL8 
Screen dimensions3.5"3"Bigger screen (+0.5")

Common features in the Olympus E-PL8 and Sony G3

 E-PL8 G3 
Manual focus Dial accurate focus
Selfie screen Absent selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Olympus E-PL8 vs Sony G3 Physical Comparison

If you're intending to carry around your camera frequently, you'll have to think about its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-PL8 has exterior measurements of 115mm x 67mm x 38mm (4.5" x 2.6" x 1.5") having a weight of 357 grams (0.79 lbs) while the Sony G3 has proportions of 97mm x 59mm x 22mm (3.8" x 2.3" x 0.9") accompanied by a weight of 185 grams (0.41 lbs).

Compare the Olympus E-PL8 vs Sony G3 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Always remember, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you choose at that time. Underneath is a front view proportions comparison of the E-PL8 vs the G3.

Olympus E-PL8 vs Sony G3 size comparison

Looking at size and weight, the portability score of the E-PL8 and G3 is 86 and 94 respectively.

Olympus E-PL8 vs Sony G3 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL8 vs Sony G3 Sensor Comparison

Often, it is hard to visualise the gap between sensor sizes just by reading through specs. The pic underneath should offer you a better sense of the sensor sizing in the E-PL8 and G3.

As you can plainly see, each of the cameras provide different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The E-PL8 with its bigger sensor will make getting shallow depth of field easier and the Olympus E-PL8 will resolve extra detail because of its extra 6 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also enable you to crop pictures more aggressively. The more modern E-PL8 is going to have an advantage in sensor innovation.

Olympus E-PL8 vs Sony G3 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL8 vs Sony G3 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL8 vs Sony G3 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PL8 Portrait photography factors
Sony G3 Portrait photography factors
72
focusing manually
decent MP (16MP)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
has face detection focusing
delivers RAW formats
26
manual focus
manual mode not possible
cannot use external flash
MP count low (10MP)
small sensor size (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus E-PL8
Street photography with Sony G3
84
tilting screen
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
features focus by touch
good high ISO (25,600)
56
image stabilization (Optical)
fixed screen
small sensor size (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PL8 Sports photography features
Sony G3 Sports photography features
67
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent MP (16 megapixels)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
has tracking autofocus
doesn't have phase detect AF
23
image stabilization (Optical)
maximum shutter speed is a little low (1/1,000 seconds)
max frames per second very slow (2.0 fps)
lack of shutter priority mode
MP count low (10 megapixels)
small sensor size (1/2.3")
has no phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL8 Travel photography highlights
Sony G3 Travel photography highlights
71
features focus by touch
decent MP (16MP)
screen is not selfie friendly
50
flash built-in
lack of Timelapse mode
MP count low (10MP)
doesn't have selfie friendly screen
wide angle not great (35mm)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.5)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PL8 Landscape photography details
Sony G3 Landscape photography details
80
focusing manually
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
decent sized screen (3")
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent MP (16 megapixels)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
good high ISO (25,600)
delivers RAW formats
36
manual focus
big screen (3.5 inches)
image stabilization (Optical)
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not great (35mm)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.5)
manual mode not possible
MP count low (10 megapixels)
small sensor size (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
lack of Timelapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL8 Vlogging information
Sony G3 Vlogging information
35
touchscreen enabled
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
has face detection focusing
video res high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
screen is not selfie friendly
no external microphone jack
27
touchscreen enabled
image stabilization (Optical)
wide angle not great (35mm)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.5)
doesn't have selfie friendly screen
low res video (640 x 480 pixels)
lack of external microphone jack
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Olympus E-PL8 vs Sony G3 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL8 and Sony G3
 Olympus PEN E-PL8Sony Cyber-shot DSC-G3
General Information
Make Olympus Sony
Model Olympus PEN E-PL8 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-G3
Type Entry-Level Mirrorless Small Sensor Compact
Announced 2016-09-19 2009-01-08
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Chip TruePic VII -
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 16MP 10MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 4608 x 3456 3648 x 2736
Maximum native ISO 25600 3200
Min native ISO 200 80
RAW pictures
Min boosted ISO 100 -
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch focus
Continuous AF
AF single
Tracking AF
Selective AF
AF center weighted
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Number of focus points 81 9
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 35-140mm (4.0x)
Highest aperture - f/3.5-10.0
Amount of lenses 107 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.8
Screen
Screen type Tilting Fixed Type
Screen size 3" 3.5"
Resolution of screen 1,037 thousand dot 921 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic (optional) None
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60s 1s
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000s 1/1000s
Continuous shooting speed 8.0 frames/s 2.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Set WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range no built-in flash 4.30 m (Auto ISO)
Flash options no built-in flash Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction, Slow Sync
External flash
AEB
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30p), 1280 x 720 (30p), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 640x480
Video format H.264, Motion JPEG Motion JPEG
Microphone input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 357 grams (0.79 pounds) 185 grams (0.41 pounds)
Physical dimensions 115 x 67 x 38mm (4.5" x 2.6" x 1.5") 97 x 59 x 22mm (3.8" x 2.3" x 0.9")
DXO scores
DXO All around score not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth score not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range score not tested not tested
DXO Low light score not tested not tested
Other
Battery life 350 images -
Type of battery Battery Pack -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec, custom) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC card Memory Stick Duo/Pro Duo, Internal
Storage slots Single Single
Launch pricing $500 $200