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Olympus PEN-F vs Sony RX100 III

Portability
84
Imaging
59
Features
79
Overall
67
Olympus PEN-F front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 III front
Portability
89
Imaging
51
Features
77
Overall
61

Olympus PEN-F vs Sony RX100 III Key Specs

Olympus PEN-F
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Display
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 427g - 125 x 72 x 37mm
  • Revealed January 2016
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
  • Replaced the Sony RX100 II
  • Newer Model is Sony RX100 IV
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Olympus PEN-F vs Sony RX100 III Overview

Following is a in-depth overview of the Olympus PEN-F and Sony RX100 III, one is a Advanced Mirrorless and the latter is a Large Sensor Compact by rivals Olympus and Sony. The resolution of the PEN-F (20MP) and the RX100 III (20MP) is pretty similar but the PEN-F (Four Thirds) and RX100 III (1") offer totally different sensor sizes.

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The PEN-F was launched 21 months after the RX100 III which makes them a generation away from one another. The two cameras feature different body design with the Olympus PEN-F being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony RX100 III being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before we go into a in depth comparison, here is a concise highlight of how the PEN-F grades against the RX100 III when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus PEN-F over the Sony RX100 III

 PEN-F RX100 III 
AnnouncedJanuary 2016May 2014More modern by 21 months
Screen typeFully ArticulatedTiltingFully Articulating screen
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Sony RX100 III over the Olympus PEN-F

 RX100 III PEN-F 
Screen resolution1229k1037kSharper screen (+192k dot)

Common features in the Olympus PEN-F and Sony RX100 III

 PEN-F RX100 III 
Manually focus Very exact focusing
Screen size3"3"Same screen dimensions
Selfie screen Both are selfie friendly

Olympus PEN-F vs Sony RX100 III Physical Comparison

For those who are looking to carry around your camera frequently, you will need to think about its weight and proportions. The Olympus PEN-F enjoys exterior measurements of 125mm x 72mm x 37mm (4.9" x 2.8" x 1.5") having a weight of 427 grams (0.94 lbs) whilst the Sony RX100 III has measurements of 102mm x 58mm x 41mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.6") having a weight of 290 grams (0.64 lbs).

Check out the Olympus PEN-F and Sony RX100 III in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change depending on the lens you have at that moment. The following is a front view dimensions comparison of the PEN-F versus the RX100 III.

Olympus PEN-F vs Sony RX100 III size comparison

Using dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the PEN-F and RX100 III is 84 and 89 respectively.

Olympus PEN-F vs Sony RX100 III top view buttons comparison

Olympus PEN-F vs Sony RX100 III Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, it's hard to see the gap between sensor sizes only by going over specs. The picture below will help offer you a better sense of the sensor sizing in the PEN-F and RX100 III.

As you can plainly see, the 2 cameras come with the identical megapixels albeit not the same sensor sizes. The PEN-F includes the bigger sensor which is going to make obtaining shallower depth of field simpler. The more modern PEN-F is going to have an edge in sensor technology.

Olympus PEN-F vs Sony RX100 III sensor size comparison

Olympus PEN-F vs Sony RX100 III Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus PEN-F vs Sony RX100 III Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus PEN-F Portrait photography details
Sony RX100 III Portrait photography details
75
focusing manually
good megapixels (20MP)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
features face detect autofocus
delivers RAW formats
64
manual focus
above average flash sync (1/2,000s)
megapixel count good (20MP)
decent sensor size (1")
includes face detection focusing
exports RAW files
can't use external flash
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Street Comparison

Olympus PEN-F Street photography factors
Sony RX100 III Street photography factors
84
screen articulates
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
includes touch to focus
great ISO range (25,600)
85
tilting screen
has image stabilization (Optical)
decent sensor size (1")
exports RAW files
lighter than average (290 grams)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus PEN-F as a Sports photography camera
Sony RX100 III as a Sports photography camera
67
high shutter speed (1/8,000 seconds)
quiet shutter (1/16,000 seconds)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good megapixels (20 megapixels)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
features tracking focus
low battery life (330 per charge)
does not have phase detect autofocus
65
has image stabilization (Optical)
megapixel count good (20 megapixels)
decent sensor size (1")
includes tracking autofocus
does not have phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus PEN-F as a Travel photography camera
Sony RX100 III as a Travel photography camera
75
includes touch to focus
good megapixels (20MP)
selfie friendly display
low battery life (330 CIPA)
85
lighter than average (290 grams)
megapixel count good (20MP)
has built in flash
display is selfie friendly
quite wide (24mm)
good max aperture (f1.8)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus PEN-F as a Landscape photography camera
Sony RX100 III as a Landscape photography camera
76
focusing manually
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
nice screen size (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good megapixels (20 megapixels)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
great ISO range (25,600)
delivers RAW formats
low battery life (330 per charge)
73
manual focus
quite wide (24mm)
good max aperture (f1.8)
screen is a good size (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Optical)
megapixel count good (20 megapixels)
decent sensor size (1")
exports RAW files
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus PEN-F Vlogging features
Sony RX100 III Vlogging features
78
selfie friendly display
built-in touchscreen
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
features face detect autofocus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
missing microphone support
80
quite wide (24mm)
good max aperture (f1.8)
display is selfie friendly
has image stabilization (Optical)
includes face detection focusing
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
lighter than average (290 grams)
does not have external mic jack
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Olympus PEN-F vs Sony RX100 III Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus PEN-F and Sony RX100 III
 Olympus PEN-FSony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 III
General Information
Company Olympus Sony
Model Olympus PEN-F Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 III
Category Advanced Mirrorless Large Sensor Compact
Revealed 2016-01-27 2014-05-15
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless Large Sensor Compact
Sensor Information
Chip TruePic VII Bionz X
Sensor type CMOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds 1"
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 13.2 x 8.8mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 116.2mm²
Sensor resolution 20 megapixels 20 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 5184 x 3888 5472 x 3648
Maximum native ISO 25600 12800
Min native ISO 200 125
RAW pictures
Min boosted ISO 80 -
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch focus
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Tracking autofocus
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Live view autofocus
Face detect autofocus
Contract detect autofocus
Phase detect autofocus
Number of focus points 81 25
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 24-70mm (2.9x)
Maximum aperture - f/1.8-2.8
Macro focus distance - 5cm
Amount of lenses 107 -
Crop factor 2.1 2.7
Screen
Display type Fully Articulated Tilting
Display diagonal 3 inches 3 inches
Display resolution 1,037k dot 1,229k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic Electronic
Viewfinder resolution 2,360k dot 1,440k dot
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification 0.62x 0.59x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 seconds 30 seconds
Highest shutter speed 1/8000 seconds 1/2000 seconds
Highest quiet shutter speed 1/16000 seconds -
Continuous shooting speed 10.0 frames per sec 10.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range no built-in flash -
Flash settings Flash Auto, Redeye, Fill-in, Flash Off, Red-eye Slow sync (1st curtain), Slow sync (1st curtain), Slow sync (2nd curtain) -
External flash
AEB
White balance bracketing
Highest flash sync - 1/2000 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60p, 50p, 30p, 25p, 24p), 1280 x 720 (60p, 50p, 30p, 25p, 24p) 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 format MPEG-4, H.264, Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC S
Mic input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In Built-In
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 427 gr (0.94 lbs) 290 gr (0.64 lbs)
Physical dimensions 125 x 72 x 37mm (4.9" x 2.8" x 1.5") 102 x 58 x 41mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.6")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 74 67
DXO Color Depth score 23.1 22.4
DXO Dynamic range score 12.4 12.3
DXO Low light score 894 495
Other
Battery life 330 shots 320 shots
Battery format Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model BLN-1 NP-BX1
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 seconds, custom) Yes (2 or 10 sec, self-portrait, continuous)
Time lapse shooting With downloadable app
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots Single Single
Retail pricing $1,000 $748