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Sony A7S vs Olympus E-P3 Comparison

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Sony A7S

12 MP | Full frame (35.8 x 23.9 mm) CMOS Sensor

Sony A7S
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Olympus E-P3

12 MP | Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) CMOS Sensor

Olympus E-P3
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Sony A7S vs Olympus E-P3 Comparison Overview

Here we are comparing two Mirrorless cameras from Sony and Olympus. Sony A7S was introduced to market in April 2014 and Olympus E-P3 was launched in August 2011. As you can see, E-P3 is 3 years older than A7S. Let's see if this age difference between two cameras makes a big difference.

Both cameras have 12.0MP sensors but Sony A7S's sensor is Full frame sized whereas Olympus E-P3 has a Four Thirds sensor.

Here is a brief look at the main features of Sony A7S and Olympus E-P3 before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Sony A7S Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2014-04-06
  • 12MP - Full frame CMOS Sensor
  • ISO 100 - 409600
  • Sony E Mount
  • 3 Tilting Screen
  • 2359k dot Electronic viewfinder
  • 5 fps continuous shooting
  • 4K (UHD) - 3840 x 2160 video resolution
  • 120 fps High-Speed Video
  • Built-in Wireless
  • 489g. 127 x 94 x 48 mm
  • Weather Sealed Body

Olympus E-P3 Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2011-08-17
  • 12MP - Four Thirds CMOS Sensor
  • ISO 100 - 12800
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 3" Fixed Type Screen
  • 3 fps continuous shooting
  • Full HD - 1920 x 1080 video resolution
  • 369g. 122 x 69 x 34 mm
  • Replaced Olympus PEN E-P2 Compare

Sony A7S was replaced by Sony Alpha 7S II. You may also be interested in these comparisons:
Sony Alpha 7S II vs Sony Alpha A7S
Sony Alpha 7S II vs Olympus PEN E-P3

Olympus E-P3 was replaced by Olympus PEN E-P5. You may also be interested in these comparisons:
Olympus PEN E-P5 vs Olympus PEN E-P3
Olympus PEN E-P5 vs Sony Alpha A7S

Let's read on the following sections in order to better understand in detail how Sony A7S and Olympus E-P3 compares and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one is better for you.

Reasons to choose Sony Alpha A7S over Olympus PEN E-P3
Wireless Connection
Built-In vs None Better connectivity
LCD Screen
Tilting vs Fixed Type Flexible shooting positions
Viewfinder
Electronic vs Electronic (Optional) Better framing and control
Max ISO
409.600 vs 12.800 3100% higher Max ISO
LCD Screen Resolution
1.230k dots vs 614k dots 100% higher resolution screen
Max Mech. Shutter
1/8000s vs 1/4000s faster mechanical shutter
Continuous Shooting
5.0fps vs 3.0fps 2 fps faster
Battery Life
360 shots vs 330 shots 30 more frames with a single charge
Microphone Port
Yes vs No High quality audio recording option
Headphone Port
Yes vs No better video control
Environmental Sealing
Yes vs No shoot at tough conditions
Color Depth
23.9 vs 20.8 higher color depth
Dynamic Range
13.2 vs 10.1 higher dynamic range
Low Light ISO
3702 vs 536 better High ISO performance
Sensor Pixel Area
71.24µm2 vs 18.45µm2 286% larger pixel area
Max Video Resolution
3840 x 2160 vs 1920 x 1080 Higher Resolution Video
NFC Connection
Yes vs No Easy wireless connectivity with compatible devices
Smartphone Remote
Yes vs No Remote control your camera with a smartphone


Reasons to choose Olympus PEN E-P3 over Sony Alpha A7S
Image Stabilization
Sensor-shift vs None Sharper images at longer focal lengths and long exposures
Built-in Flash
Yes vs No Useful in low-light
Touch Screen
Yes vs No Easy control of camera functions
Number of Focus Points
35 vs 25 10 more focus points
Weight
369 g vs 489 g 120 g lighter

Common Strengths of Sony Alpha A7S and Olympus PEN E-P3
External Flash Shoe
Yes vs Yes Better for flash photography
RAW Support
Yes vs Yes Better image quality
Face Detection Focus
Yes vs Yes very handy for portraits
AE Bracketing
Yes vs Yes Useful for tough lighting conditions and HDR
Common Weaknesses of Sony Alpha A7S and Olympus PEN E-P3
Sony A7S vs Olympus E-P3: Physical Specs and Body features Comparison

Size and weight is a big decision factor when you are trying to find the ideal camera for your needs. In this section, We are going to illustrate Sony A7S and Olympus E-P3 side-by-side from the front, back and top in their relative dimensions. Sony A7S has external dimensions of 127 x 94 x 48 mm (5 x 3.7 x 1.89″) and weighs 489 g (1.08 lb / 17.25 oz) (including batteries). Olympus E-P3 has external dimensions of 122 x 69 x 34 mm (4.8 x 2.72 x 1.34″) and weighs 369 g (0.81 lb / 13.02 oz) (including batteries).

Below you can see the front view size comparison of Sony A7S and Olympus E-P3. Olympus E-P3 is clearly the smaller of the two cameras. Its body is 5mm narrower, 25mm shorter and 14mm thinner than Sony A7S.

Sony A7S vs Olympus E-P3 Camera Size Comparison - Front View
Comparison image of Sony A7S and Olympus E-P3 Size, Weight and External Dimensions - Front View

Here is the back view size comparison of Sony A7S and Olympus E-P3.

Sony A7S vs Olympus E-P3 Camera Size Comparison - Back View
Comparison image of Sony A7S and Olympus E-P3 Size and Weight - Back View

Now lets look at the top view comparison of Sony A7S and Olympus E-P3.
Sony A7S vs Olympus E-P3 Camera Size Comparison - Top View
Top View Comparison image of Sony A7S and Olympus E-P3 Size

Weight is another important factor especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day. Olympus E-P3 is significantly lighter (120g ) than the Sony A7S which may become a big advantage especially on long walking trips.

Also keep in mind that body weight is not the only deciding factor when comparing two interchangeable camera bodies, you have to also take into account the lenses that you will be using with these bodies. Since Sony A7S has a Full frame sensor and Olympus E-P3 has a smaller Four Thirds sensor, Olympus E-P3's lenses for a similar focal length and aperture will generally be lighter and smaller than the Sony A7S lenses.

Weight Comparison

Mirrorless Cameras

A7S
E-P3
Min
Average
Max
Thickness Comparison

Mirrorless Cameras

A7S
E-P3
Min
Average
Max

Weather Sealing

With its weather sealed body, we believe that A7S has a big advantage over E-P3 which doesn't provide any kind of environmental sealing.

LCD Screen Size and Features

Sony A7S and Olympus E-P3's LCD screens has the same diagonal size of 3.

On the other hand, Sony A7S features a Tilting screen where you can change the angle of the screen to make it easier to shoot from waist or over the head levels whereas the Olympus E-P3 has a fixed type screen which provides less flexibility in shooting positions compared to A7S.
Sony A7S vs Olympus E-P3: Sensor Comparison

Both Sony A7S and Olympus E-P3 have 12.0 MP resolution sensors but Sony A7S's sensor is Full frame (35.8 x 23.9 mm ) and Olympus E-P3's sensor is Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm ).

Since Sony A7S's has a larger sensor area with the same resolution, this means that it also has a larger pixel area hence better light collecting capacity for a given aperture compared to Olympus E-P3.

Below you can see the A7S and E-P3 sensor size comparison.

Sony A7S vs Olympus E-P3 Sensor Size Comparison
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Sony A7S and Olympus E-P3 Cameras


As seen above, Sony A7S has a 3.8x Larger sensor area than Olympus E-P3. Larger sensors give photographer more control on the depth of field and blurry background compared to smaller sensor when shot in same focal length and aperture.

DxOMark Sensor Scores

Both Sony A7S and Olympus E-P3 sensors have been tested by DxoMark. DxoMark scores camera sensors for color depth (DXO Portrait), dynamic range (DXO Landscape) and low-light sensitivity (DXO Sports), and also gives them an overall score. Of the two cameras that we are comparing, A7S has scored 87, 36 points higher than E-P3.

Model Overall Color Depth Dynamic Range Low-light ISO
Sony A7S 87 23.9 bits 13.2 Evs 3702 ISO
Olympus E-P3 51 20.8 bits 10.1 Evs 536 ISO
Sony A7S vs Olympus E-P3 Comparison of Available Lenses
Which camera has more lenses?

Number of available lenses is a big decision factor while choosing your interchangeable lens camera. When we look at the available lenses for these two cameras, we see that Sony A7S has an advantage over Olympus E-P3. There are 128 lenses for Sony A7S's Sony E mount, on the other hand there are only 107 lenses for Olympus E-P3's Micro Four Thirds lens mount.

Another important factor is the availability of image stabilization. Olympus E-P3 has a big advantage in this regard because it has a sensor based image stabilization which means that all the lenses mounted to this body will be stabilized. On the other hand, Sony A7S doesn't have this feature so you have to buy a lens with optical stabilization feature. Currently there are 31 lenses for Sony E mount with Optical Image Stabilization features.

Lens Type # of Sony A7S Lenses # of Olympus E-P3 Lenses
Standard Zoom 12 (9 Full Frame) 15
Standard Prime 18 (9 Full Frame) 13
Wideangle Zoom 7 (6 Full Frame) 5
Wideangle Prime 42 (26 Full Frame) 29
Telephoto Zoom 9 (7 Full Frame) 18
Telephoto Prime 18 (14 Full Frame) 9
SuperZoom 8 (1 Full Frame) 8
Wideangle Fisheye Prime 2 (0 Full Frame) 5
Macro Prime 8 (7 Full Frame) 4
Perspective Control Prime 2 (2 Full Frame) n/a
Telephoto Mirror Prime n/a 1
TOTAL 128 (81 Full Frame) 107


Now let's compare some sample lenses from each mount with typical Focal ranges for Sony A7S and Olympus E-P3 to see how these lenses compares:

Fast Standard Zoom Lenses
Model FF Equiv. Weight Weight w/ Cam Length Street Price
Sony FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM Lens Sony FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM
24 - 70mm 886gr 1375gr 136mm Amazon B&H Photo
Olympus ED 12-40mm f2.8 PRO Lens Olympus ED 12-40mm f2.8 PRO
24 - 80mm 382gr 751gr 84mm Amazon B&H Photo
Fast Tele Zoom Equivalent Lenses
Model FF Equiv. Weight Weight w/ Cam Length Street Price
Sony FE 70-200mm F2.8 GM OSS Lens Sony FE 70-200mm F2.8 GM OSS
70 - 200mm 1480gr 1969gr 200mm Amazon B&H Photo
Olympus ED 35-100mm f2.0 Lens Olympus ED 35-100mm f2.0
70 - 200mm 1650gr 2019gr 214mm Amazon B&H Photo
Fast Normal Prime Equivalent Lenses
Model FF Equiv. Weight Weight w/ Cam Length Street Price
Sony FE 50mm F1.4 Lens Sony FE 50mm F1.4
50mm 778gr 1267gr 108mm Amazon B&H Photo
Olympus M 25mm F1.8 Lens Olympus M 25mm F1.8
50mm 136gr 505gr 41mm Amazon B&H Photo
Fast Wideangle Zoom Equivalent Lenses
Model FF Equiv. Weight Weight w/ Cam Length Street Price
Sony FE 16-35mm F2.8 GM Lens Sony FE 16-35mm F2.8 GM
16 - 35mm 680gr 1169gr 122mm Amazon B&H Photo
Olympus ED 7-14mm F2.8 PRO Lens Olympus ED 7-14mm F2.8 PRO
14 - 28mm 534gr 903gr 106mm Amazon B&H Photo
24-105mm f4 Equivalent Lenses
Model FF Equiv. Weight Weight w/ Cam Length Street Price
Sony FE 24-105mm F4 G OSS Lens Sony FE 24-105mm F4 G OSS
24 - 105mm 663gr 1152gr 113mm Amazon B&H Photo
Olympus ED 12-60mm f2.8-4.0 SWD Lens Olympus ED 12-60mm f2.8-4.0 SWD
24 - 120mm 575gr 944gr 99mm Amazon B&H Photo
Super-Tele Zoom Equivalent Lenses
Model FF Equiv. Weight Weight w/ Cam Length Street Price
Sony FE 100-400mm F4.5-5.6 GM OSS Lens Sony FE 100-400mm F4.5-5.6 GM OSS
100 - 400mm 1395gr 1884gr 205mm Amazon B&H Photo
Olympus 150-400mm F4.5 TC 1.25x IS Lens Olympus 150-400mm F4.5 TC 1.25x IS
300mm 1850gr 2219gr mm Amazon B&H Photo
What types of Photography are Sony A7S and Olympus E-P3 Good for?
In this section, we rank and compare Sony A7S and Olympus E-P3 for five different photography types in order to make your decision process easier in case you are specifically interested in one or more of these areas.

Sony A7S for Portrait Photography

GOOD

Olympus E-P3 for Portrait Photography

GOOD
Large Full frame (35.8 x 23.9 mm) sensor
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Average Resolution Sensor: 12.0MP
No Image Stabilization
Read the details
Large Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) sensor
Image Stabilization
Average Resolution Sensor: 12.0MP
Optional External Viewfinder
Average Ergonomics&Handling
Read the details

Sony A7S for Street Photography

GOOD

Olympus E-P3 for Street Photography

EXCELLENT
Large Full frame (35.8 x 23.9 mm) sensor
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Tilting LCD Screen
Medium sized Body
No Image Stabilization
Read the details
Large Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) sensor
Image Stabilization
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Optional External Viewfinder
Medium sized Body
Read the details

Sony A7S for Sports Photography

GOOD

Olympus E-P3 for Sports Photography

AVERAGE
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Environmental Sealings
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/8000s
25 Focus Points
Good Low Light ISO
Wireless Connection
Average Continuous Shooting: 5.0fps
No Image Stabilization
Read the details
Image Stabilization
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/4000s
35 Focus Points
Optional External Viewfinder
Average Ergonomics&Handling
Slow Continuous Shooting: 3.0fps
Environmental Sealings
Read the details

Sony A7S for Daily Photography

EXCELLENT

Olympus E-P3 for Daily Photography

GOOD
Large Full frame (35.8 x 23.9 mm) sensor
Environmental Sealings
Medium size Body
489g
Body Thickness 48mm
Read the details
Large Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) sensor
Medium size Body
369g
Read the details

Sony A7S for Landscape Photography

AVERAGE

Olympus E-P3 for Landscape Photography

POOR
Large Full frame (35.8 x 23.9 mm) sensor
Environmental Sealings
Live-view
Average Resolution Sensor: 12.0MP
Read the details
Large Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) sensor
Live-view
Average Resolution Sensor: 12.0MP
No Environmental Sealings
Read the details

Sony A7S vs Olympus E-P3: OUR DECISION

You may have already made your decision about which camera suits better for your needs and your budget so far but in case you wonder how we rated Sony A7S and Olympus E-P3, below you can find their scores in five different aspects. Our Decision Algorithm dynamically scores cameras using 63 different specs, current price and DxO Mark scores (where possible) in order to make a more objective and consistent comparison.

Here is a summary of how Sony A7S and Olympus E-P3 scores compare:

Sony A7S
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #39 out of 88 in SLR-style mirrorless cameras
Ranked #71 out of 1223 in all Cameras
Olympus E-P3
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #53 out of 127 in Rangefinder-style mirrorless cameras
Ranked #281 out of 1223 in all Cameras

Sony A7S is the overall winner of this comparison. It has a higher Overall Score and beats Olympus E-P3 in all criteria except one: Portability. But the size difference between these cameras are negligible in real world so it is not a big disadvantage for Sony A7S.

Sony A7S
Sony A7S
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Olympus E-P3
Olympus E-P3
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Olympus E-P3 vs Sony A7S Specs Table
Detailed comparison of specifications
General Sony Alpha A7S Olympus PEN E-P3
Brand Sony Olympus
Announced 2014-04-06 2011-08-17
Body Type SLR-style mirrorless Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor
Type CMOS CMOS
Size Full frame Four Thirds
Dimensions 35.8 x 23.9 mm 17.3 x 13 mm
Area 855.62mm2 224.90mm2
Megapixels 12 megapixels 12 megapixels
Max Resolution 4240 x 2832 4032 x 3024
Max Native Light sensitivity 409,600 ISO 12,800 ISO
Min Native Light sensitivity 100 ISO 100 ISO
RAW Support
Autofocus
AF Touch
AF Continuous
AF Single
AF Tracking
AF Selective
AF Center
AF Multi Area
AF Live View
AF Face Detection
AF Contrast Detection
AF Phase Detection
Number of Focus Points 25 35
Lens
Manual Focus
Lens Mount Sony E Micro Four Thirds
Number of Available Lenses 128 107
Screen
Type Tilting Fixed type
Size 3 3"
Resolution 1,230k dots 614k dots
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder Electronic Electronic (optional)
Viewfinder Resolution 2,359k dots no electronic viewfinder
Viewfinder Coverage 100% n/a
Viewfinder Magnification 0.71x n/a
Photography Features
Max Mechanical Shutter 1/8000s 1/4000s
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Custom White Balance
Image Stabilization No Sensor-shift
Built-in Flash
Flash Range no built-in flash 10.00 m (@ ISO 200)
Max Flash Sync n/a 1/180s
External Flash
Continuous Shooting 5.0 fps 3.0 fps
Multi-Segment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF-Area
Center Weighted
AE Bracketing
WB Bracketing
Video Features
Max Video Resolution 3840 x 2160 1920 x 1080
Video Formats MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC AVCHD, Motion JPEG
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Connectivity
Wireless Connectivity Built-In None
HDMI
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Weight 489g 369g
Dimensions 127 x 94 x 48mm 122 x 69 x 34mm
Battery Life 360 shots 330 shots
Other Features
Timelapse Recording With Downloadable App
GPS None None
DxO Sensor Scores
DxO Overall Score 87 51
DxO Color Depth 23.9 20.8
DxO Dynamic Range 13.2 10.1
DxO Low Light ISO 3702 536
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