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Olympus E-PL9 vs Sony G3

Portability
85
Imaging
55
Features
78
Overall
64
Olympus PEN E-PL9 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-G3 front
Portability
94
Imaging
33
Features
30
Overall
31

Olympus E-PL9 vs Sony G3 Key Specs

Olympus E-PL9
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 200 - 6400 (Boost to 25600)
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 380g - 117 x 68 x 39mm
  • Released February 2018
  • Earlier Model is Olympus E-PL8
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
  • Revealed January 2009
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Olympus E-PL9 vs Sony G3 Overview

Its time to look a bit more in depth at the Olympus E-PL9 and Sony G3, one is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by manufacturers Olympus and Sony. There exists a huge gap among the sensor resolutions of the E-PL9 (16MP) and G3 (10MP) and the E-PL9 (Four Thirds) and G3 (1/2.3") possess different sensor dimensions.

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The E-PL9 was unveiled 9 years after the G3 which is a fairly significant gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-PL9 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony G3 being a Compact camera.

Before diving through a complete comparison, below is a quick summary of how the E-PL9 matches up against the G3 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL9 over the Sony G3

 E-PL9 G3 
RevealedFebruary 2018January 2009Newer by 111 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen resolution1040k921kCrisper screen (+119k dot)

Reasons to pick Sony G3 over the Olympus E-PL9

 G3 E-PL9 
Screen dimension3.5"3"Bigger screen (+0.5")

Common features in the Olympus E-PL9 and Sony G3

 E-PL9 G3 
Manual focus More accurate focus
Selfie screen Neither offers selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Olympus E-PL9 vs Sony G3 Physical Comparison

In case you're intending to travel with your camera often, you will want to factor its weight and volume. The Olympus E-PL9 offers outer dimensions of 117mm x 68mm x 39mm (4.6" x 2.7" x 1.5") with a weight of 380 grams (0.84 lbs) and the Sony G3 has sizing of 97mm x 59mm x 22mm (3.8" x 2.3" x 0.9") having a weight of 185 grams (0.41 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-PL9 and Sony G3 in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary dependant on the lens you are employing at that moment. Following is the front view scale comparison of the E-PL9 vs the G3.

Olympus E-PL9 vs Sony G3 size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-PL9 and G3 is 85 and 94 respectively.

Olympus E-PL9 vs Sony G3 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL9 vs Sony G3 Sensor Comparison

Typically, it's hard to picture the gap in sensor dimensions simply by going through specs. The picture below might give you a greater sense of the sensor sizes in the E-PL9 and G3.

All in all, both of these cameras have got different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The E-PL9 with its bigger sensor is going to make achieving shallower depth of field easier and the Olympus E-PL9 will provide greater detail having an extra 6MP. Higher resolution will also enable you to crop photographs much more aggressively. The younger E-PL9 should have a benefit when it comes to sensor tech.

Olympus E-PL9 vs Sony G3 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL9 vs Sony G3 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL9 vs Sony G3 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PL9 Portrait photography details
Sony G3 Portrait photography details
73
has manual focus
resolution is good (16MP)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
offers face detect focusing
supports RAW formats
26
focusing manually
lack of manual mode
no external flash support
low resolution (10 megapixels)
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-PL9 as a Street photography camera
Sony G3 as a Street photography camera
84
screen tilts
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
features focus via touch
56
image stabilization (Optical)
no articulating screen
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PL9 Sports photography advice
Sony G3 Sports photography advice
69
quiet shutter (1/16,000 seconds)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
offers tracking focus
has no phase detect AF
23
image stabilization (Optical)
maximum shutter speed is a little low (1/1,000s)
very slow continuous shooting (2.0 frames per second)
no shutter priority
low resolution (10MP)
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
does not have phase detect autofocus
Photography Glossary

Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL9 Travel photography info
Sony G3 Travel photography info
77
has bluetooth
features focus via touch
resolution is good (16MP)
flash built-in
display is not selfie friendly
50
built-in flash
does not have Timelapse function
low resolution (10MP)
display is not selfie friendly
wide angle not fantastic (35mm)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.5)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PL9 Landscape photography info
Sony G3 Landscape photography info
80
has manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
resolution is good (16MP)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
36
focusing manually
bigger than average screen (3.5 inches)
image stabilization (Optical)
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not fantastic (35mm)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.5)
lack of manual mode
low resolution (10 megapixels)
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW files
does not have Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL9 Vlogging factors
Sony G3 Vlogging factors
35
has touchscreen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
offers face detect focusing
great video quality (3840 x 2160 resolution)
display is not selfie friendly
doesn't have mic support
27
screen is touchscreen
image stabilization (Optical)
wide angle not fantastic (35mm)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.5)
display is not selfie friendly
low video resolution (640 x 480 pixels)
does not have microphone port
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Olympus E-PL9 vs Sony G3 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL9 and Sony G3
 Olympus PEN E-PL9Sony Cyber-shot DSC-G3
General Information
Brand Olympus Sony
Model type Olympus PEN E-PL9 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-G3
Category Entry-Level Mirrorless Small Sensor Compact
Released 2018-02-08 2009-01-08
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Chip TruePic VIII -
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 16MP 10MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 4608 x 3456 3648 x 2736
Highest native ISO 6400 3200
Highest enhanced ISO 25600 -
Minimum native ISO 200 80
RAW format
Minimum enhanced ISO 100 -
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch focus
Continuous autofocus
Single autofocus
Tracking autofocus
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Total focus points 121 9
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 35-140mm (4.0x)
Highest aperture - f/3.5-10.0
Total lenses 107 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.8
Screen
Range of display Tilting Fixed Type
Display sizing 3 inches 3.5 inches
Display resolution 1,040 thousand dot 921 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic (optional) None
Features
Min shutter speed 60s 1s
Max shutter speed 1/4000s 1/1000s
Max quiet shutter speed 1/16000s -
Continuous shutter speed 8.6fps 2.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 7.60 m (at ISO 200) 4.30 m (Auto ISO)
Flash settings Auto, manual, redeye reduction, slow sync w/redeye reduction, slow sync , slow sync 2nd-curtain, fill-in, off Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction, Slow Sync
External flash
AEB
WB bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 3840 x 2160 @ 30p / 102 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15 fps)
Highest video resolution 3840x2160 640x480
Video format MPEG-4, H.264 Motion JPEG
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
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 proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 380 gr (0.84 pounds) 185 gr (0.41 pounds)
Dimensions 117 x 68 x 39mm (4.6" x 2.7" x 1.5") 97 x 59 x 22mm (3.8" x 2.3" x 0.9")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth rating not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested not tested
DXO Low light rating not tested not tested
Other
Battery life 350 photographs -
Battery form Battery Pack -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 secs, custom) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC card (UHS-I supported) Memory Stick Duo/Pro Duo, Internal
Storage slots Single Single
Retail pricing $599 $200