Olympus PEN
E-P3
 vs
Sony NEX
C3

Sony NEX C3

76
Winner

Sony NEX C3

Reasons to buy the Sony NEX C3

Low light performance
 Low noise at high ISO
1,083 ISO
Overall image quality
 Great image quality
73.0
Screen resolution
 High resolution screen
921k dots
Color depth
 Great color depth
22.7 bits
Dynamic range
 Wide dynamic range
12.2 EV
True resolution
 High true resolution
16 MP
Olympus PEN E-P3

60
Runner-up

Olympus PEN E-P3

Reasons to buy the Olympus PEN E-P3

Image stabilization
 Image stabilization
Sensor shift
Touch screen
 Touch screen
Less buttons
Screen type
 OLED Screen
Bright and vivid
Panorama
 In-camera panoramas
Stitches together multiple photos into a panorama
Lens availability
 Slightly more lenses available
26 lenses
Light sensitivity (boost)
 High ISO (boost)
12,800 ISO

differences

Advantages of the Olympus E-P3
Movie format Higher resolution movies 1080p @ 30fps vs 720p @ 30fps
Help
 Shoots higher resolution Full HD (1080p) video
Image stabilization Image stabilization Sensor shift vs None
Help
 Helps eliminate blur caused by small camera movements
Screen type Has an OLED screen OLED vs LCD
Help
 OLED screens are often brighter and more vibrant than typical LCD screens
Touch screen Has a touch screen Yes vs No
Help
 Fewer buttons to worry about and direct interaction with camera menus
Lens availability More lenses available 26 lenses vs 8 lenses
Help
 Around 3.5x more lenses available
Focus points Slightly more focus points 35 vs 25
Help
 Set focus accurately within the frame
Longest exposure Significantly longer exposures 60s vs 30s
Help
 2x longer exposures
Built-in flash Built-in flash Yes vs No
Help
 A built-in flash is useful for taking indoor shots where there is little light
Olympus PEN E-P3 Learn more about
the Olympus E-P3

Advantages of the Sony C3
Low light performance Significantly lower noise at high ISO 1,083 ISO vs 536 ISO
Help
 The C3 has excellent image quality 1 f-stop higher ISO than the E-P3
Overall image quality Significantly better image quality 73.0 vs 51.0
Help
 More than 40% better image quality
Dynamic range More dynamic range 12.2 EV vs 10.1 EV
Help
 2.1 f-stops more dynamic range
Color depth Better color depth 22.7 bits vs 20.8 bits
Help
 Distinguishes 1.9 more bits of color
Screen resolution Higher resolution screen 921k dots vs 614k dots
Help
 50% higher resolution screen
Screen flips out Has a flip-out screen Yes vs No
Help
 Flip-out screens can be helpful when composing tricky shots or taking movies
HDR Has in-camera HDR Yes vs No
Help
 Combines multiple exposures to capture high dynamic range
Light sensitivity Better maximum light sensitivity 12,800 ISO vs 1,600 ISO
Help
 The C3's maximum light sensitivity is 3 f-stops better
True resolution Higher true resolution 16 MP vs 12.2 MP
Help
 Capture more than 30% more detail in your photos
Sensor size Larger sensor APS-C 23.4x15.6mm vs Four thirds 17.3x13.0mm
Help
 More than 60% larger sensor
Battery life Longer battery life 400 shots vs 330 shots
Help
 More than 20% more shots per battery charge
Weight Significantly lighter 225 g vs 369 g
Help
 Around 40% lighter
Size Smaller 110x60x33 mm vs 122x69x34 mm
Help
 More than 20% smaller
Continuous shooting Shoots slightly faster 5.5 fps vs 3 fps
Help
 More than 80% faster continuous shooting
Lowest price Cheaper $548.00 vs $849.00
Help
 The best price we've seen is $301 cheaper (around 40% less)
Thickness Slightly thinner 1.3" vs 1.3"
Help
 Almost the same
Sony NEX C3 Learn more about
the Sony C3
vs

recommendations

Relative to the best recent mirrorless cameras, and ignoring price

Olympus PEN E-P3 Olympus PEN E-P3
60 vs 76
Explain scores
Sony NEX C3 Sony NEX C3
Green arrow Snapsort recommends the Sony NEX C3.

advice

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One person recommends the Sony C3:

" Although the Sony NEX C3 doesn't have a built in flash it would still be my top choice. The N..."

similarities

Compared to recent mirrorless cameras

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
Panorama In-camera panoramas Help
Stitches together multiple photos into a panorama
3D 3D photos Help
View photos in 3D on 3D televisions
Movie continuous focus Focus continuously recording movies Help
Makes it easy to get in-focus movies
Thickness Thin Help
1.3"
External mic jack Neither has an external mic jack Help
Limited to the in-camera mic
Supports 24p No support for 24p Help
Missing that film look
Viewfinder No viewfinders Help
Can only preview photos on the screen

dxomark

DXOMark

competitors

Shared Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Sony NEX-5N

Sony NEX-5N

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$598 - $600 body only

$698 - $700 with 18-55mm lens
Light sensitivity Significantly higher maximum light sensitivity
Supports 24p Records movies in 24p
Thickness Is thicker
Startup delay Has much more startup delay
Compare the NEX-5N vs the PEN E-P3
Compare the NEX-5N vs the NEX C3
Sony Alpha NEX-5

Sony Alpha NEX-5

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$569 with 18-55mm lens
Startup delay Has slightly less startup delay
Thickness Is thicker
Weight Is slightly heavier
Compare the Alpha NEX-5 vs the PEN E-P3
Compare the Alpha NEX-5 vs the NEX C3
Olympus PEN Lite E-PL3

Olympus PEN Lite E-PL3

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$589 - $600 with 14-42mm lens
Weight Is slightly heavier
Panorama Lacks a built in panoramas
Compare the PEN Lite E-PL3 vs the PEN E-P3
Compare the PEN Lite E-PL3 vs the NEX C3
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX1

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX1

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$643 - $1,125 body only

$731 - $964 with 14-42mm lens
Shutter lag Has significantly less shutter lag
Thickness Is thicker
Weight Is slightly heavier
Compare the Lumix DMC-GX1 vs the PEN E-P3
Compare the Lumix DMC-GX1 vs the NEX C3
Nikon 1 J1

Nikon 1 J1

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$547 with 10-30mm lens
High-speed framerate Records high-speed movies
Continuous shooting Shoots faster continuously
External flash Doesn't support an external flash
Sensor size Has a marginally smaller sensor
Compare the 1 J1 vs the PEN E-P3
Compare the 1 J1 vs the NEX C3
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF3

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF3

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$433 body only
Shutter lag Has slightly less shutter lag
External flash Doesn't support an external flash
Panorama Lacks a built in panoramas
Compare the Lumix DMC-GF3 vs the PEN E-P3
Compare the Lumix DMC-GF3 vs the NEX C3
Nikon 1 V1

Nikon 1 V1

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$797 - $947 with 10-30mm lens
Viewfinder Has a viewfinder
High-speed framerate Records high-speed movies
Lowest price Is slightly more expensive
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the 1 V1 vs the PEN E-P3
Compare the 1 V1 vs the NEX C3

Olympus PEN E-P3 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Olympus OM-D E-M5

Olympus OM-D E-M5

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$1,000 - $1,299 body only

$1,100 with 14-42mm lens
Weather sealed Weather sealed
Light sensitivity Better maximum light sensitivity
Movie continuous focus Doesn't focus continuously recording movies
Size Significantly larger
Compare the OM-D E-M5 vs the PEN E-P3
Olympus PEN E-P2

Olympus PEN E-P2

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$480 with 17mm lens
Color depth Better color depth
Overall image quality Better image quality
Movie format Lower resolution movies
Screen resolution Significantly lower resolution screen
Compare the PEN E-P2 vs the PEN E-P3

Sony NEX C3 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Sony Alpha NEX-3

Sony Alpha NEX-3

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$689 with 18-55mm lens
Storage slots Has more storage slots
External mic jack Has an external mic jack
Low light performance More noise at high ISO
Overall image quality Worse image quality
Compare the Alpha NEX-3 vs the NEX C3
Sony NEX-F3

Sony NEX-F3

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$600 with 18-55mm lens
Movie format Higher resolution movies
Supports 24p Supports 24p
Movie continuous focus Doesn't focus continuously recording movies
Size Larger
Compare the NEX-F3 vs the NEX C3

appearance

Olympus PEN E-P3 Sony NEX C3
Olympus PEN E-P3 Sony NEX C3
Olympus PEN E-P3 Sony NEX C3

discussion

Showing 1 comments

Dean (1:36 AM, August 28, 2011)
Just look at sony's lenses.........that's a FAIL !
The ep-3 is by far the better choice, it has better built quality, better, smaller and more lens, touch screen and quicker focus. It's simply  better and it uses and OPEN FORMAT, you can use panasonic lenses on it, leica and soon tamron and sigma so sony is in the back of the bus.