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Olympus E-3 vs Panasonic FS12

Portability
56
Imaging
44
Features
56
Overall
48
Olympus E-3 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS12 front
Portability
95
Imaging
35
Features
14
Overall
26

Olympus E-3 vs Panasonic FS12 Key Specs

Olympus E-3
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 2.5" Fully Articulated Display
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • No Video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 890g - 142 x 116 x 75mm
  • Released February 2008
  • Superseded the Olympus E-1
  • Replacement is Olympus E-5
Panasonic FS12
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 1600 (Boost to 6400)
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 640 x 480 video
  • 31-124mm (F2.8-5.9) lens
  • 129g - 97 x 55 x 22mm
  • Launched April 2009
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Olympus E-3 vs Panasonic FS12 Overview

In this article, we will be comparing the Olympus E-3 and Panasonic FS12, one being a Advanced DSLR and the latter is a Ultracompact by rivals Olympus and Panasonic. The resolution of the E-3 (10MP) and the FS12 (12MP) is pretty close but the E-3 (Four Thirds) and FS12 (1/2.3") use totally different sensor sizes.

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The E-3 was released 14 months before the FS12 which makes the cameras a generation apart from one another. Both the cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-3 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Panasonic FS12 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before going through a detailed comparison, below is a brief summary of how the E-3 grades against the FS12 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-3 over the Panasonic FS12

 E-3 FS12 
Focus manually More exact focusing
Screen typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating screen
Selfie screen Easy selfies

Reasons to pick Panasonic FS12 over the Olympus E-3

 FS12 E-3 
LaunchedApril 2009February 2008Fresher by 14 months
Screen sizing2.7"2.5"Bigger screen (+0.2")

Common features in the Olympus E-3 and Panasonic FS12

 E-3 FS12 
Screen resolution230k230kThe same screen resolution
Touch friendly screen Missing Touch friendly screen

Olympus E-3 vs Panasonic FS12 Physical Comparison

When you are looking to carry your camera frequently, you have to consider its weight and volume. The Olympus E-3 enjoys external dimensions of 142mm x 116mm x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0") along with a weight of 890 grams (1.96 lbs) while the Panasonic FS12 has sizing of 97mm x 55mm x 22mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.9") having a weight of 129 grams (0.28 lbs).

Check out the Olympus E-3 and Panasonic FS12 in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ depending on the lens you are using at the time. Following is the front view size comparison of the E-3 versus the FS12.

Olympus E-3 vs Panasonic FS12 size comparison

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-3 and FS12 is 56 and 95 respectively.

Olympus E-3 vs Panasonic FS12 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-3 vs Panasonic FS12 Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, its hard to see the difference in sensor sizing merely by looking through a spec sheet. The graphic underneath may provide you a better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-3 and FS12.

As you can see, each of these cameras enjoy different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The E-3 featuring a bigger sensor will make shooting shallow DOF less difficult and the Panasonic FS12 will result in more detail as a result of its extra 2MP. Higher resolution will also let you crop photographs far more aggressively. The older E-3 will be disadvantaged in sensor innovation.

Olympus E-3 vs Panasonic FS12 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-3 vs Panasonic FS12 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-3 vs Panasonic FS12 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-3 Portrait photography information
Panasonic FS12 Portrait photography information
56
focusing manually
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
low MP (10MP)
21
lack of manual focus
no manual control
can't use external flash
low resolution (12 megapixels)
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-3 Street photography highlights
Panasonic FS12 Street photography highlights
69
screen articulates
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
weather sealing
57
built in image stabilization (Optical)
no moving screen
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-3 as a Sports photography camera
Panasonic FS12 as a Sports photography camera
57
max shutter speed is good (1/8,000 seconds)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
weather sealing
sensor has phase detect auto focus
very slow continuous shooting (5.0 fps)
low MP (10MP)
25
built in image stabilization (Optical)
continuous shooting slow (2.0 frames per second)
lack of shutter priority mode
low resolution (12 megapixels)
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
doesn't have phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-3 Travel photography information
Panasonic FS12 Travel photography information
55
weather sealing
built-in flash
selfie friendly display
missing Timelapse recording
low MP (10 megapixels)
51
has built in flash
does not have Timelapse recording
low resolution (12MP)
display is not selfie friendly
wide angle not the best (31mm)
sluggish max aperture (f2.8)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-3 Landscape photography advice
Panasonic FS12 Landscape photography advice
56
focusing manually
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
weather sealing
small screen (2.5 inches)
low MP (10MP)
missing Timelapse recording
28
built in image stabilization (Optical)
lack of manual focus
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not the best (31mm)
sluggish max aperture (f2.8)
screen is somewhat small (2.7 inch)
no manual control
low resolution (12MP)
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
does not have Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-3 Vlogging information
Panasonic FS12 Vlogging information
18
can't record video
25
built in image stabilization (Optical)
wide angle not the best (31mm)
sluggish max aperture (f2.8)
display is not selfie friendly
video res low (640 x 480 pxls)
does not have external microphone port
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Olympus E-3 vs Panasonic FS12 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-3 and Panasonic FS12
 Olympus E-3Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS12
General Information
Brand Olympus Panasonic
Model type Olympus E-3 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS12
Type Advanced DSLR Ultracompact
Released 2008-02-20 2009-04-17
Body design Mid-size SLR Ultracompact
Sensor Information
Chip TruePic III -
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 10 megapixels 12 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 3648 x 2736 4000 x 3000
Max native ISO 3200 1600
Max boosted ISO - 6400
Minimum native ISO 100 80
RAW format
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Continuous AF
AF single
AF tracking
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Total focus points 11 -
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 31-124mm (4.0x)
Highest aperture - f/2.8-5.9
Macro focusing distance - 5cm
Amount of lenses 45 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.9
Screen
Display type Fully Articulated Fixed Type
Display size 2.5" 2.7"
Display resolution 230k dot 230k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentaprism) None
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.58x -
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60 secs 60 secs
Maximum shutter speed 1/8000 secs 1/2000 secs
Continuous shooting speed 5.0 frames/s 2.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes -
Set WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 13.00 m 6.30 m
Flash settings Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Sync
External flash
AEB
White balance bracketing
Maximum flash sync 1/250 secs -
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions - 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Max video resolution None 640x480
Video file format - Motion JPEG
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 890 grams (1.96 pounds) 129 grams (0.28 pounds)
Dimensions 142 x 116 x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0") 97 x 55 x 22mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.9")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 56 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 21.6 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 10.5 not tested
DXO Low light rating 571 not tested
Other
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card SD/SDHC card, Internal
Storage slots Single Single
Retail pricing $670 $228