Sony NEX-3 has a
14.0MP APS-C (23.4 x 15.6 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Bionz processor. On the other hand, Olympus E-PL5 has a
16.0MP Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm ) sized CMOS sensor .
Below you can see the NEX-3 and E-PL5 sensor size comparison.
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Sony NEX-3 and Olympus E-PL5 Cameras
As seen above, Sony NEX-3 has a 1.6x Larger sensor area than Olympus E-PL5. 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
DxOMark is a benchmark that scientifically assesses image quality of camera sensors. It 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. Sony NEX-3 and Olympus E-PL5 sensors have been tested by DxO and the results show that E-PL5 has a better overall score of 72, 4 points higher compared to NEX-3's score of 68.
Model
Overall
Color Depth
Dynamic Range
Low-light ISO
Sony NEX-3
68
22.1 bits
12.0 Evs
830 ISO
Olympus E-PL5
72
22.8 bits
12.3 Evs
889 ISO
Sensor size sets the circle of confusion, so it drives how much depth of field each
of these bodies gives you at a given aperture. You can calculate it exactly for the
Sony NEX-3
or the
Olympus E-PL5 ,
including hyperfocal distance.
One thing to watch when comparing these two: they have different sensor sizes
(APS-C versus Four Thirds),
so compare them at the same framing rather than the same focal length.
Put the same focal length on the smaller sensor and it will show less depth of
field, not more, because it also crops tighter. The calculator shows the
full frame equivalent focal length for each body so you can match the framing.
