Can a Small Camera Compete With a Full-Frame DSLR? (Olympus E-M5, Sony RX100, Canon 5D Mark III)

2012-09-02 • SEND FEEDBACK |
Related: Canon, Canon 5D Mark III, Canon DSLR, Olympus, Olympus M4/3, Olympus mirrorless, Olympus OM-D E-M5, Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II, Sony, Sony mirrorless, Sony RX100

Just published in my Guide to ALLVIEW is an in-the-field comparison of 3 cameras of very different sizes:

• Micro Four Thirds 15.9-megapixel Olympus OM-D E-M5 with Panasonic 20mm f/1.7 ASPH pancake lens.
• Super compact 20-megapixel Sony RX100;
• Canon 5D Mark III with Canon EF 40mm f/2.8 STM pancake lens.

The trend is clear: there are a lot of users out there who are looking for a smaller and lighter camera system without all the bulk and weight and fuss of the big DSLR, either as a complete replacement or as an alternative.

It is a very practical question, certainly when mountain biking.

This comparison sheds some light on what you can expect from each.

Test scene