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Olympus E-3 vs Panasonic S2

Portability
56
Imaging
45
Features
56
Overall
49
Olympus E-3 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-S2 front
Portability
96
Imaging
38
Features
29
Overall
34

Olympus E-3 vs Panasonic S2 Key Specs

Olympus E-3
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 2.5" Fully Articulated Screen
  • 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
  • Succeeded the Olympus E-1
  • Successor is Olympus E-5
Panasonic S2
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-112mm (F3.1-6.5) lens
  • 112g - 98 x 57 x 21mm
  • Revealed January 2012
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Olympus E-3 vs Panasonic S2 Overview

Here is a thorough overview of the Olympus E-3 vs Panasonic S2, one being a Advanced DSLR and the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by brands Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a huge gap among the resolutions of the E-3 (10MP) and S2 (14MP) and the E-3 (Four Thirds) and S2 (1/2.3") come with totally different sensor measurements.

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The E-3 was brought out 4 years prior to the S2 and that is a fairly significant gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of the cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-3 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Panasonic S2 being a Compact camera.

Before going in to a complete comparison, below is a quick introduction of how the E-3 grades vs the S2 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-3 over the Panasonic S2

 E-3 S2 
Manual focus More exact focusing
Screen typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating screen
Selfie screen Easy selfies

Reasons to pick Panasonic S2 over the Olympus E-3

 S2 E-3 
RevealedJanuary 2012February 2008Fresher by 47 months
Screen sizing2.7"2.5"Bigger screen (+0.2")

Common features in the Olympus E-3 and Panasonic S2

 E-3 S2 
Screen resolution230k230kSame screen resolution
Touch screen Neither comes with Touch screen

Olympus E-3 vs Panasonic S2 Physical Comparison

If you're intending to carry your camera, you have to factor in its weight and volume. The Olympus E-3 comes with physical measurements of 142mm x 116mm x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0") accompanied by a weight of 890 grams (1.96 lbs) and the Panasonic S2 has sizing of 98mm x 57mm x 21mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 0.8") having a weight of 112 grams (0.25 lbs).

Examine the Olympus E-3 vs Panasonic S2 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Keep in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary dependant on the lens you choose at that time. Following is the front view physical size comparison of the E-3 compared to the S2.

Olympus E-3 vs Panasonic S2 size comparison

Using dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-3 and S2 is 56 and 96 respectively.

Olympus E-3 vs Panasonic S2 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-3 vs Panasonic S2 Sensor Comparison

Quite often, it can be difficult to envision the gap in sensor sizing purely by researching specifications. The graphic underneath will help offer you a greater sense of the sensor measurements in the E-3 and S2.

To sum up, both of the cameras offer different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The E-3 due to its bigger sensor will make getting shallow DOF simpler and the Panasonic S2 will result in greater detail having its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also allow you to crop photographs a little more aggressively. The older E-3 will be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor tech.

Olympus E-3 vs Panasonic S2 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-3 vs Panasonic S2 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-3 vs Panasonic S2 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-3 Portrait photography highlights
Panasonic S2 Portrait photography highlights
57
has manual focus
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
low MP (10 megapixels)
34
sensor resolution is decent (14 megapixels)
provides face detect autofocus
no manual focus
manual exposure not possible
no external flash support
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus E-3
Street photography with Panasonic S2
70
screen can move to multiple angles
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
weather proof
63
image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competition in class (112 grams)
screen is fixed
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus E-3
Sports photography with Panasonic S2
58
great max shutter speed (1/8,000s)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
weather proof
supports phase detect autofocus
max frames per second low (5.0 frames/s)
low MP (10 megapixels)
40
image stabilization (Optical)
sensor resolution is decent (14 megapixels)
good battery power (280 CIPA)
max frames per second low (2.0 frames/s)
no shutter priority mode
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
lack of phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-3 as a Travel photography camera
Panasonic S2 as a Travel photography camera
55
weather proof
built-in flash
selfie friendly screen
doesn't have Timelapse function
low MP (10 megapixels)
71
good battery power (280 per charge)
lighter than competition in class (112 grams)
sensor resolution is decent (14MP)
flash built-in
pretty wide (28mm)
missing Time Lapse function
screen is not selfie friendly
slow max aperture (f3.1)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-3 Landscape photography info
Panasonic S2 Landscape photography info
56
has manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
weather proof
small screen (2.5 inch)
low MP (10 megapixels)
doesn't have Timelapse function
41
pretty wide (28mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
sensor resolution is decent (14 megapixels)
good battery power (280 shots)
no manual focus
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
slow max aperture (f3.1)
screen is somewhat small (2.7 inch)
manual exposure not possible
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
missing Time Lapse function
Photography Glossary

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-3 Vlogging info
Panasonic S2 Vlogging info
18
can't shoot video
33
pretty wide (28mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
provides face detect autofocus
lighter than competition in class (112 grams)
slow max aperture (f3.1)
screen is not selfie friendly
video quality not great (1280 x 720 pxls)
missing mic port
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Olympus E-3 vs Panasonic S2 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-3 and Panasonic S2
 Olympus E-3Panasonic Lumix DMC-S2
General Information
Make Olympus Panasonic
Model type Olympus E-3 Panasonic Lumix DMC-S2
Class Advanced DSLR Small Sensor Compact
Released 2008-02-20 2012-01-09
Body design Mid-size SLR Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Chip TruePic III -
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 10 megapixel 14 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 4:3 and 16:9
Full resolution 3648 x 2736 4320 x 3240
Max native ISO 3200 6400
Min native ISO 100 100
RAW images
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch to focus
Continuous AF
Single AF
Tracking AF
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Total focus points 11 23
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 28-112mm (4.0x)
Maximal aperture - f/3.1-6.5
Macro focusing distance - 5cm
Total lenses 45 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.9
Screen
Range of screen Fully Articulated Fixed Type
Screen size 2.5 inch 2.7 inch
Resolution of screen 230k dot 230k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Screen technology - TFT Color LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentaprism) None
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.58x -
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 secs 8 secs
Highest shutter speed 1/8000 secs 1/1600 secs
Continuous shooting speed 5.0fps 2.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Set WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 13.00 m 3.30 m
Flash settings Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Highest flash sync 1/250 secs -
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions - 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Max video resolution None 1280x720
Video data format - Motion JPEG
Mic 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
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 890g (1.96 lb) 112g (0.25 lb)
Dimensions 142 x 116 x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0") 98 x 57 x 21mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 0.8")
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
Battery life - 280 photos
Style of battery - Battery Pack
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Storage media Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Storage slots 1 1
Cost at launch $670 $109