Sigma SD15 vs Olympus PEN E-PL3

In this comparison, we will evaluate the Sigma SD15 and the Olympus PEN E-PL3, highlighting the advantages of each over the other, discussing their pros and cons, shared strengths and weaknesses, and providing a rating based on their available features and specifications to assist you in choosing the one that best suits your needs.

Sigma SD15 was introduced in February 2010 and Olympus PEN E-PL3 was introduced in September 2011. Let us first list highlights of the models.

Now that we've looked at the most essential specifications and gained a basic understanding of these cameras, we can delve into more details and see the differences between them.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Sigma SD15 over Olympus PEN E-PL3.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Olympus PEN E-PL3 over Sigma SD15.

We already listed pros and cons of each model. However, you may also find useful to look at their common strengths and weaknesses shown side-by-side.

Screen

Sigma SD15 and Olympus PEN E-PL3 have 3.0" screens with 460k dot resolution. Sigma SD15 has a Fixed screen Olympus PEN E-PL3 has a Tilting screen which makes it very useful for photography purposes but not so useful for video shooting.

Viewfinder

Sigma SD15 has a built-in Optical (pentaprism) viewfinder. It has a 96% coverage and 0.90x (0.60x 35mm equivalent) magnification.Olympus PEN E-PL3 does not have a built-in viewfinder but an optional electronic viewfinder can be attached.

Sigma SD15 features a 5 megapixel APS-C CMOS (Foveon X3) sensor with dimensions of 20.7 x 13.8 mm and a total area of 285.7 mm². Its native ISO range is 100 - 1,600 and expands to 50 - 3,200 in boosted mode. Olympus PEN E-PL3 features a 12.3 megapixel Micro Four Thirds CMOS sensor with dimensions of 17.3 x 13 mm and a total area of 169 mm². Its native ISO range is 200 - 12,800.

Here is a sensor size comparison chart where you can see how different sensors compare with each other:

Sensor size chart

	Sensor	Dimensions	Area	Aspect Ratio	Crop Factor
	Medium Format	44 x 33 mm	1452 mm2	4:3	0.79x
	Full Frame	36 x 24 mm	864 mm2	3:2	1x
	APS-H	27 x 18 mm	486 mm2	3:2	1.3x
	APS-C	23.6 x 15.6 mm	368.2 mm2	3:2	1.5x
	APS-C (Canon)	22.3 x 14.9 mm	332.3 mm2	3:2	1.6x
	Micro Four Thirds	17.4 x 13 mm	226.2 mm2	4:3	2x
	1-inch	13.2 x 8.8 mm	116.2 mm2	3:2	2.7x
	1/1.7-inch	7.44 x 5.58 mm	41.5 mm2	4:3	4.7x
	1/2.3-inch	6.17 x 4.55 mm	28.1 mm2	4:3	5.6x

Sigma SD15 is equipped with TRUE II processor and can take pictures up to 2640 x 1760 resolution. It can also take pictures with lower resolution like 1776 x 1184, 1296 x 864 with 3:2 aspect ratios. Olympus PEN E-PL3 is equipped with Truepic VI processor and can take pictures up to 4032 x 3024 resolution. It can also take pictures with lower resolution like 3200 x 2400, 2560 x 1920, 1600 x 1200, 1280 x 960, 1024 x 768, 640 x 480 with 4:3, 16:9 aspect ratios.

Lens Mount

Sigma SD15 has Sigma SA lens mount and Olympus PEN E-PL3 has Micro Four Thirds lens mount. Due to APS-C sensor in Sigma SD15 its crop factor is equal to 1.7x, this means that a 35mm equivalent focal length of the mounted lens will be equal to its actual focal length times 1.7. Due to Micro Four Thirds sensor in Olympus PEN E-PL3 its crop factor is equal to 2x, this means that a 35mm equivalent focal length of the mounted lens will be equal to its actual focal length times 2.

No Low-Pass Filter on Sigma SD15

There is no optical low-pass filter (OLPF), also known as an anti-aliasing filter, in front of the sensor on Sigma SD15. This results in a slightly sharper image but may also introduce moiré patterns and aliasing artifacts when photographing subjects with fine, repetitive patterns or details.

In-Body Image Stabilization on Olympus PEN E-PL3

Olympus PEN E-PL3 has a built-in Sensor Shift in-body image stabilization (IBIS). This means that you are still getting vibration reduction when camera is paired with non-image stabilizied lenses. It also works with lenses with optical image stabilization and in combination can achieve even better compensation.

USB Inputs and HDMI Outputs

Both models have USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) inputs for data transfer. Sigma SD15 has an HDMI and Olympus PEN E-PL3 has a Mini type C HDMI connector for video signal output.

Battery

Olympus PEN E-PL3 comes with BLS-5 battery pack with battery life of 300 shots.

External Storage Slots

Sigma SD15 has a single SD/SDHC card slot. Olympus PEN E-PL3 has a single SD/SDHC/SDXC card slot.

Shutter

Shutter speed can go up to 1/4000 sec on Sigma SD15, and up to 1/4000 sec on Olympus PEN E-PL3. Sigma SD15 can shoot continuously up to 3.0 fps. Olympus PEN E-PL3 can shoot continuously up to 5.5 fps.

Flash

Sigma SD15 has a built-in flash and also accepts external flash which can be connected via Hot Shoe. Olympus PEN E-PL3 has no built-in flash but an external flash may be connected via Hot Shoe. The fastest flash synchronization speed is 1/180 sec on Sigma SD15 and 1/160 sec on Olympus PEN E-PL3.

Sigma SD15 body has dimensions of 144 x 107 x 81 mm (5.67 x 4.21 x 3.19") and Olympus PEN E-PL3 body has dimensions of 110 x 64 x 37 mm (4.33 x 2.52 x 1.46"). Sigma SD15 weighs 750 g (1.65 lb / 26.46 oz) and Olympus PEN E-PL3 weighs 313 g (0.69 lb / 11.04 oz).

Sigma SD15

Olympus PEN E-PL3

144 mm

107 mm

110 mm

64 mm

107 mm

64 mm

81 mm

37 mm