Olympus PEN Lite
E-PL3
 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 Lite E-PL3

57

Reasons to buy the Olympus PEN Lite E-PL3

Movie format
 Full HD
1080p @ 30fps
Image stabilization
 Image stabilization
Sensor shift
Screen flips out
 Flip-out screen
Great for movies
Light sensitivity (boost)
 High ISO (boost)
12,800 ISO
Longest exposure
 Long exposures
60 seconds

differences

Advantages of the Olympus E-PL3
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
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
Olympus PEN Lite E-PL3 Learn more about
the Olympus E-PL3

Advantages of the Sony C3
Low light performance Much lower noise at high ISO 1,083 ISO vs 499 ISO
Help
 The C3 has excellent image quality 1.1 f-stops higher ISO than the E-PL3
Overall image quality Significantly better image quality 73.0 vs 52.0
Help
 More than 40% better image quality
Screen resolution Significantly higher resolution screen 921k dots vs 460k dots
Help
 More than 2x higher resolution screen
Dynamic range More dynamic range 12.2 EV vs 10.3 EV
Help
 1.9 f-stops more dynamic range
Color depth Better color depth 22.7 bits vs 20.9 bits
Help
 Distinguishes 1.8 more bits of color
HDR Has in-camera HDR Yes vs No
Help
 Combines multiple exposures to capture high dynamic range
Panorama Can create panoramas in-camera Yes vs No
Help
 Stitches together multiple photos for a wide perspective
3D Takes 3D photos Yes vs No
Help
 Combines multiple photos into a 3D image
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 Lighter 225 g vs 313 g
Help
 Around 30% lighter
Size Smaller 110x60x33 mm vs 109x63x37 mm
Help
 Around 20% smaller
Thickness Thinner 1.3" vs 1.5"
Help
 More than 10% thinner
Lowest price Slightly cheaper $548.00 vs $589.00
Help
 The best price we've seen is $41 cheaper (around 10% less)
Sony NEX C3 Learn more about
the Sony C3
vs

recommendations

Relative to the best recent mirrorless cameras, and ignoring price

Olympus PEN Lite E-PL3 Olympus PEN Lite E-PL3
57 vs 76
Explain scores
Sony NEX C3 Sony NEX C3
Green arrow Snapsort recommends the Sony NEX C3.

advice

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Sony C3 vs Sony NEX-3

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One person recommends the Sony C3:

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similarities

Compared to recent mirrorless cameras

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
Screen flips out Flip-out screens Help
Great for movies
Movie continuous focus Focus continuously recording movies Help
Makes it easy to get in-focus movies
Size Fairly small Help
E-PL3:109x63x37 mm
C3:110x60x33 mm
Built-in flash No built-in flash Help
Professional
Touch screen No touchscreens Help
More buttons
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
Touch screen Has a touch screen
Thickness Is thicker
Startup delay Has much more startup delay
Compare the NEX-5N vs the PEN Lite E-PL3
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 Lite E-PL3
Compare the Alpha NEX-5 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 Lite E-PL3
Compare the 1 J1 vs the NEX C3
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF3

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF3

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$433 body only
Touch screen Has a touch screen
Shutter lag Has slightly less shutter lag
External flash Doesn't support an external flash
Screen flips out Doesn't have a screen which flips out
Compare the Lumix DMC-GF3 vs the PEN Lite E-PL3
Compare the Lumix DMC-GF3 vs the NEX C3
Olympus PEN E-PM1

Olympus PEN E-PM1

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$500 with 14-42mm lens
Screen flips out Doesn't have a screen which flips out
Compare the PEN E-PM1 vs the PEN Lite E-PL3
Compare the PEN E-PM1 vs the NEX C3
Olympus PEN E-P3

Olympus PEN E-P3

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$849 - $900 with 17mm lens
Touch screen Has a touch screen
Screen type Has an OLED screen
Lowest price Is slightly more expensive
Weight Is significantly heavier
Compare the PEN E-P3 vs the PEN Lite E-PL3
Compare the PEN E-P3 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
Touch screen Has a touch screen
Shutter lag Has significantly less shutter lag
Thickness Is thicker
Weight Is slightly heavier
Compare the Lumix DMC-GX1 vs the PEN Lite E-PL3
Compare the Lumix DMC-GX1 vs the NEX C3

Olympus PEN Lite E-PL3 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Olympus PEN E-PL2

Olympus PEN E-PL2

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$485 with 14-42mm lens
Low light performance Slightly lower noise at high ISO
Color depth Better color depth
Movie format Lower resolution movies
Screen flips out Screen does not flip out
Compare the PEN E-PL2 vs the PEN Lite E-PL3
Olympus PEN E-PL1

Olympus PEN E-PL1

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$260 - $279 with 14-42mm lens
External mic jack Has an external mic jack
Color depth Better color depth
Screen size Much smaller screen
Movie format Lower resolution movies
Compare the PEN E-PL1 vs the PEN Lite E-PL3

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 Lite E-PL3 Sony NEX C3
Olympus PEN Lite E-PL3 Sony NEX C3
Olympus PEN Lite E-PL3 Sony NEX C3

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