Sony DSLR-A230 vs Olympus E-PL3

Sony DSLR-A230 advantages over Olympus E-PL3

• Less expensive
  $549 vs $700 (MSRP)
  Save money for lenses or accessories
• Larger sensor
  APS-C vs 4/3
  More sensor area. Bigger is (generally) better.
• Eye-level viewfinder
  Eye-level vs Rear display only
  You'll be able to frame photos even when the sun is out
• Bigger pixels
  ~ 6.12 vs 4.29 microns
  Better low-light and dynamic range (all else equal)
• Fast startup
  ~0.60 vs 2.1 sec
  Faster startup lets you catch the moment
• More dynamic range

  More dynamic range

  Cameras with more dynamic range allow you to take photos with dramatic differences in highlight and shadow areas while retaining detail in both.

  Think of a brilliant sunset on a rocky beach: Bright sunset in the background, with dark rocks in the foreground. High dynamic range means more of the extremes will be faithfully reproduced.

  Dynamic range test data courtesy of DxO Mark.

  DSLR-A230 test data on DxO Mark E-PL3 test data on DxO Mark
  11.4 vs 10.2 evs
  Retain detail in highlight and shadows
• Longer stills battery life
  More info

  Longer stills battery life

  Cameras with longer battery life can take more photos before exhausting their batteries.

  Special note: The measurement standard for battery life stipulates that if a camera has an internal flash, it must be used for 50% of photos taken. For this reason, comparisons of one camera with an internal flash to another without will not be comparable

  510 vs 300 shots
  Capture more photos
• Internal flash
  Internal flash vs None
  Useful in a pinch for fill flash
• Bigger JPEG buffer
  21 vs 9 shots
  Take more JPEG shots before waiting (burst mode)