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Olympus E-PM1 vs Sony RX100 III

Portability
89
Imaging
48
Features
52
Overall
49
Olympus PEN E-PM1 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 III front
Portability
89
Imaging
51
Features
77
Overall
61

Olympus E-PM1 vs Sony RX100 III Key Specs

Olympus E-PM1
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 12800
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 265g - 110 x 64 x 34mm
  • Launched November 2011
  • Newer Model is Olympus E-PM2
Sony RX100 III
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - 1" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 125 - 12800
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 24-70mm (F1.8-2.8) lens
  • 290g - 102 x 58 x 41mm
  • Announced May 2014
  • Previous Model is Sony RX100 II
  • Successor is Sony RX100 IV
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Olympus E-PM1 vs Sony RX100 III Overview

Here, we will be comparing the Olympus E-PM1 vs Sony RX100 III, one is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the latter is a Large Sensor Compact by manufacturers Olympus and Sony. There exists a huge gap between the sensor resolutions of the E-PM1 (12MP) and RX100 III (20MP) and the E-PM1 (Four Thirds) and RX100 III (1") have different sensor dimensions.

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The E-PM1 was announced 3 years before the RX100 III which is quite a significant gap as far as technology is concerned. Each of these cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-PM1 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony RX100 III being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before diving straight to a in-depth comparison, here is a concise synopsis of how the E-PM1 matches up vs the RX100 III when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PM1 over the Sony RX100 III

 E-PM1 RX100 III 

Reasons to pick Sony RX100 III over the Olympus E-PM1

 RX100 III E-PM1 
AnnouncedMay 2014November 2011Newer by 30 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen resolution1229k460kSharper screen (+769k dot)
Selfie screen Take selfies

Common features in the Olympus E-PM1 and Sony RX100 III

 E-PM1 RX100 III 
Focus manually More exact focus
Screen size3"3"Same screen sizing
Touch screen Missing Touch screen

Olympus E-PM1 vs Sony RX100 III Physical Comparison

For anybody who is intending to travel with your camera often, you need to factor its weight and size. The Olympus E-PM1 comes with external dimensions of 110mm x 64mm x 34mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.3") with a weight of 265 grams (0.58 lbs) while the Sony RX100 III has specifications of 102mm x 58mm x 41mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.6") having a weight of 290 grams (0.64 lbs).

Check the Olympus E-PM1 vs Sony RX100 III 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 change based on the lens you have at that moment. Underneath is a front view sizing comparison of the E-PM1 compared to the RX100 III.

Olympus E-PM1 vs Sony RX100 III size comparison

Using dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-PM1 and RX100 III is 89 and 89 respectively.

Olympus E-PM1 vs Sony RX100 III top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PM1 vs Sony RX100 III Sensor Comparison

Quite often, it can be tough to picture the contrast between sensor dimensions only by reviewing specifications. The picture underneath will help offer you a stronger sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-PM1 and RX100 III.

Plainly, both the cameras come with different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The E-PM1 having a bigger sensor is going to make achieving shallow DOF less difficult and the Sony RX100 III will offer you greater detail with its extra 8MP. Higher resolution will also help you crop photographs a good deal more aggressively. The more aged E-PM1 is going to be disadvantaged in sensor tech.

Olympus E-PM1 vs Sony RX100 III sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PM1 vs Sony RX100 III Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PM1 vs Sony RX100 III Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photography Glossary

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PM1 Portrait photography features
Sony RX100 III Portrait photography features
60
manual focus
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
has face detection focusing
exports RAW formats
MP count low (12MP)
64
manual focus
high flash sync speed (1/2,000 seconds)
resolution is good (20 megapixels)
decent sensor size (1")
comes with face detect autofocus
supports RAW files
can't use external flash
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-PM1 Street photography advice
Sony RX100 III Street photography advice
75
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
fixed screen
85
screen tilts
has image stabilization (Optical)
decent sensor size (1")
supports RAW files
lighter than others in class (290g)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PM1 as a Sports photography camera
Sony RX100 III as a Sports photography camera
49
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
has tracking autofocus
slow frames per second (6.0 fps)
MP count low (12MP)
no phase detect AF
65
has image stabilization (Optical)
resolution is good (20MP)
decent sensor size (1")
comes with tracking focus
has no phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PM1 Travel photography details
Sony RX100 III Travel photography details
45
missing Time Lapse mode
MP count low (12 megapixels)
display is not selfie friendly
85
lighter than others in class (290 grams)
resolution is good (20 megapixels)
flash built-in
display is selfie friendly
fairly wide (24mm)
very good maximum aperture (f1.8)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PM1 as a Landscape photography camera
Sony RX100 III as a Landscape photography camera
65
manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
pretty good screen size (3")
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
MP count low (12MP)
missing Time Lapse mode
73
manual focus
fairly wide (24mm)
very good maximum aperture (f1.8)
pretty good screen size (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Optical)
resolution is good (20MP)
decent sensor size (1")
supports RAW files
cannot change lens (fixed lens mount)
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PM1 Vlogging highlights
Sony RX100 III Vlogging highlights
34
image stabilization (Sensor based)
has face detection focusing
good video quality (1920 x 1080 resolution)
display is not selfie friendly
missing external mic jack
80
fairly wide (24mm)
very good maximum aperture (f1.8)
display is selfie friendly
has image stabilization (Optical)
comes with face detect autofocus
great video quality (1920 x 1080 pxls)
lighter than others in class (290g)
doesn't have microphone port
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Olympus E-PM1 vs Sony RX100 III Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PM1 and Sony RX100 III
 Olympus PEN E-PM1Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 III
General Information
Company Olympus Sony
Model Olympus PEN E-PM1 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 III
Category Entry-Level Mirrorless Large Sensor Compact
Launched 2011-11-23 2014-05-15
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless Large Sensor Compact
Sensor Information
Processor TruePic VI Bionz X
Sensor type CMOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds 1"
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 13.2 x 8.8mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 116.2mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixel 20 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Highest Possible resolution 4032 x 3024 5472 x 3648
Maximum native ISO 12800 12800
Minimum native ISO 100 125
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
AF continuous
Single AF
AF tracking
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Number of focus points 35 25
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 24-70mm (2.9x)
Largest aperture - f/1.8-2.8
Macro focus distance - 5cm
Available lenses 107 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 2.7
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Tilting
Display size 3 inch 3 inch
Display resolution 460 thousand dot 1,229 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Display tech HyperCrystal LCD AR(Anti-Reflective) coating -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic (optional) Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 1,440 thousand dot
Viewfinder coverage - 100%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.59x
Features
Min shutter speed 60 seconds 30 seconds
Max shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/2000 seconds
Continuous shutter speed 6.0fps 10.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range no built-in flash -
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) -
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Max flash sync 1/160 seconds 1/2000 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60p/60i/24p), 1280 x 720 (60p/30p/24p/120p), 1440 x 1080 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video data format AVCHD, Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC S
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 265 gr (0.58 lb) 290 gr (0.64 lb)
Physical dimensions 110 x 64 x 34mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.3") 102 x 58 x 41mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.6")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score 52 67
DXO Color Depth score 21.0 22.4
DXO Dynamic range score 10.3 12.3
DXO Low light score 499 495
Other
Battery life 330 pictures 320 pictures
Style of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model BLS-5 NP-BX1
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, self-portrait, continuous)
Time lapse recording With downloadable app
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots One One
Retail cost $499 $748