Olympus PEN-F vs Sony NEX-3N

The following is a extended review of the Olympus PEN-F and Sony NEX-3N, former is a Advanced Mirrorless while the latter is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by manufacturers Olympus and Sony. There is a sizable difference between the sensor resolutions of the PEN-F (20MP) and NEX-3N (16MP) and the PEN-F (Four Thirds) and NEX-3N (APS-C) offer totally different sensor sizing.

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The PEN-F was revealed 2 years after the NEX-3N which is quite a significant difference as far as tech is concerned. Both of the cameras feature the same body design (Rangefinder-style mirrorless).

Before diving right into a step-by-step comparison, here is a simple summary of how the PEN-F scores versus the NEX-3N in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

This is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus PEN-F & Sony Alpha NEX-3N. The full galleries are provided at Olympus PEN-F Gallery & Sony NEX-3N Gallery.

In case you're aiming to travel with your camera regularly, you have to take into account its weight and size. The Olympus PEN-F comes with outside measurements of 125mm x 72mm x 37mm (4.9" x 2.8" x 1.5") along with a weight of 427 grams (0.94 lbs) whilst the Sony NEX-3N has specifications of 110mm x 62mm x 35mm (4.3" x 2.4" x 1.4") and a weight of 269 grams (0.59 lbs).

Check the Olympus PEN-F and Sony NEX-3N in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you choose at that moment. Here is a front view dimension comparison of the PEN-F and the NEX-3N.

Factoring in size and weight, the portability rating of the PEN-F and NEX-3N is 84 and 89 respectively.

Oftentimes, its difficult to see the contrast between sensor dimensions purely by reading through technical specs. The picture here might offer you a more clear sense of the sensor sizing in the PEN-F and NEX-3N.

As you can tell, both of those cameras come with different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The PEN-F using its tinier sensor will make getting shallower DOF more difficult and the Olympus PEN-F will resolve more detail because of its extra 4MP. Higher resolution will also enable you to crop photographs a good deal more aggressively. The more modern PEN-F will have a benefit when it comes to sensor innovation.