Olympus E-3 vs Panasonic S3
56 Imaging
44 Features
56 Overall
48
96 Imaging
37 Features
24 Overall
31
Olympus E-3 vs Panasonic S3 Key Specs
(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
- Introduced February 2008
- Succeeded the Olympus E-1
- Updated by Olympus E-5
(Full Review)
- 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
- 2.7" Fixed Screen
- ISO 100 - 6400
- Optical Image Stabilization
- 1280 x 720 video
- 28-112mm (F3.1-5.6) lens
- 117g - 99 x 59 x 21mm
- Revealed January 2011
Apple Innovates by Creating Next-Level Optical Stabilization for iPhone Olympus E-3 vs Panasonic S3 Overview
Here, we will be evaluating the Olympus E-3 and Panasonic S3, former is a Advanced DSLR while the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by manufacturers Olympus and Panasonic. There is a considerable difference among the resolutions of the E-3 (10MP) and S3 (14MP) and the E-3 (Four Thirds) and S3 (1/2.3") boast totally different sensor measurements.
Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music videoThe E-3 was introduced 3 years before the S3 which is a fairly large difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both of these cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-3 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Panasonic S3 being a Compact camera.
Before getting straight to a detailed comparison, here is a short overview of how the E-3 scores vs the S3 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.
Photography Glossary Olympus E-3 vs Panasonic S3 Gallery
Here is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus E-3 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-S3. The whole galleries are viewable at Olympus E-3 Gallery & Panasonic S3 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus E-3 over the Panasonic S3
| E-3 | S3 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manual focus | More accurate focus | |||
| Screen type | Fully Articulated | Fixed | Fully Articulating screen | |
| Selfie screen | Take selfies |
Reasons to pick Panasonic S3 over the Olympus E-3
| S3 | E-3 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revealed | January 2011 | February 2008 | More modern by 35 months | |
| Screen size | 2.7" | 2.5" | Bigger screen (+0.2") |
Common features in the Olympus E-3 and Panasonic S3
| E-3 | S3 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Screen resolution | 230k | 230k | Equal screen resolution | |
| Touch friendly screen | Lack of Touch friendly screen |
Olympus E-3 vs Panasonic S3 Physical Comparison
In case you're intending to carry around your camera, you're going to have to factor its weight and size. The Olympus E-3 provides outer measurements of 142mm x 116mm x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0") with a weight of 890 grams (1.96 lbs) and the Panasonic S3 has specifications of 99mm x 59mm x 21mm (3.9" x 2.3" x 0.8") along with a weight of 117 grams (0.26 lbs).
Analyze the Olympus E-3 and Panasonic S3 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Remember, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you are employing during that time. Underneath is a front view over all size comparison of the E-3 versus the S3.

Using size and weight, the portability rating of the E-3 and S3 is 56 and 96 respectively.
Olympus E-3 vs Panasonic S3 Sensor Comparison
Oftentimes, its tough to visualise the difference in sensor sizes merely by looking through a spec sheet. The pic underneath will provide you a clearer sense of the sensor measurements in the E-3 and S3.
Clearly, both of the cameras feature different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The E-3 having a bigger sensor will make shooting shallow depth of field simpler and the Panasonic S3 will provide you with greater detail using its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also let you crop shots way more aggressively. The more aged E-3 will be behind in sensor innovation.
Olympus E-3 vs Panasonic S3 Screen and ViewFinder
President Biden pushes bill mandating TikTok sale or ban Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison
Samsung Releases Faster Versions of EVO MicroSD CardsStreet Comparison
Meta to Introduce 'AI-Generated' Labels for Media starting next monthSports Comparison
Japan-exclusive Leica Leitz Phone 3 features big sensor and new modesTravel Comparison
Photobucket discusses licensing 13 billion images with AI firmsLandscape Comparison
Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a LandslideVlogging Comparison
Snapchat Adds Watermarks to AI-Created Images
Olympus E-3 vs Panasonic S3 Specifications
| Olympus E-3 | Panasonic Lumix DMC-S3 | |
|---|---|---|
| General Information | ||
| Company | Olympus | Panasonic |
| Model | Olympus E-3 | Panasonic Lumix DMC-S3 |
| Type | Advanced DSLR | Small Sensor Compact |
| Introduced | 2008-02-20 | 2011-01-05 |
| Physical type | Mid-size SLR | Compact |
| Sensor Information | ||
| Chip | TruePic III | Venus Engine IV |
| 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 megapixel | 14 megapixel |
| Anti aliasing filter | ||
| Aspect ratio | 4:3 | 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 |
| Highest resolution | 3648 x 2736 | 4320 x 3240 |
| Highest native ISO | 3200 | 6400 |
| Lowest native ISO | 100 | 100 |
| RAW data | ||
| Autofocusing | ||
| Manual focus | ||
| Touch to focus | ||
| Continuous AF | ||
| AF single | ||
| Tracking AF | ||
| Selective AF | ||
| AF center weighted | ||
| AF multi area | ||
| AF live view | ||
| Face detection focusing | ||
| Contract detection focusing | ||
| Phase detection focusing | ||
| Number of focus points | 11 | 11 |
| Lens | ||
| Lens mounting type | Micro Four Thirds | fixed lens |
| Lens focal range | - | 28-112mm (4.0x) |
| Highest aperture | - | f/3.1-5.6 |
| Macro focus range | - | 5cm |
| Amount of lenses | 45 | - |
| Crop factor | 2.1 | 5.9 |
| Screen | ||
| Screen type | Fully Articulated | Fixed Type |
| Screen diagonal | 2.5 inches | 2.7 inches |
| Resolution of screen | 230 thousand dots | 230 thousand dots |
| Selfie friendly | ||
| Liveview | ||
| Touch functionality | ||
| Screen tech | - | TFT LCD |
| Viewfinder Information | ||
| Viewfinder type | Optical (pentaprism) | None |
| Viewfinder coverage | 100% | - |
| Viewfinder magnification | 0.58x | - |
| Features | ||
| Lowest shutter speed | 60 secs | 8 secs |
| Highest shutter speed | 1/8000 secs | 1/1600 secs |
| Continuous shooting rate | 5.0fps | 2.0fps |
| Shutter priority | ||
| Aperture priority | ||
| Manual mode | ||
| Exposure compensation | Yes | - |
| Change WB | ||
| Image stabilization | ||
| Inbuilt flash | ||
| Flash range | 13.00 m | 3.30 m |
| Flash modes | Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction |
| External flash | ||
| Auto exposure bracketing | ||
| White balance bracketing | ||
| Highest flash synchronize | 1/250 secs | - |
| Exposure | ||
| Multisegment | ||
| Average | ||
| Spot | ||
| Partial | ||
| AF area | ||
| Center weighted | ||
| Video features | ||
| Supported video resolutions | - | 1280 x 720 (30fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps) |
| Highest video resolution | None | 1280x720 |
| Video file format | - | MPEG-4 |
| Microphone support | ||
| Headphone support | ||
| 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 sealing | ||
| Water proof | ||
| Dust proof | ||
| Shock proof | ||
| Crush proof | ||
| Freeze proof | ||
| Weight | 890 gr (1.96 pounds) | 117 gr (0.26 pounds) |
| Physical dimensions | 142 x 116 x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0") | 99 x 59 x 21mm (3.9" x 2.3" x 0.8") |
| DXO scores | ||
| DXO All around score | 56 | not tested |
| DXO Color Depth score | 21.6 | not tested |
| DXO Dynamic range score | 10.5 | not tested |
| DXO Low light score | 571 | not tested |
| Other | ||
| Battery life | - | 250 photos |
| Form of battery | - | Battery Pack |
| Self timer | Yes (2 or 12 sec) | Yes (2 or 10 sec) |
| Time lapse feature | ||
| Storage type | Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card | SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal |
| Card slots | Single | Single |
| Launch pricing | $670 | $110 |