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Olympus FE-4030 vs Olympus E-PL3

Portability
95
Imaging
36
Features
21
Overall
30
Olympus FE-4030 front
 
Olympus PEN E-PL3 front
Portability
88
Imaging
48
Features
52
Overall
49

Olympus FE-4030 vs Olympus E-PL3 Key Specs

Olympus FE-4030
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • ISO 64 - 1600
  • 640 x 480 video
  • 26-105mm (F2.6-5.9) lens
  • 146g - 93 x 56 x 22mm
  • Released January 2010
Olympus E-PL3
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 200 - 12800
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 313g - 110 x 64 x 37mm
  • Introduced September 2011
  • Replaced the Olympus E-PL2
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Olympus FE-4030 vs Olympus E-PL3 Overview

Below, we will be looking at the Olympus FE-4030 versus Olympus E-PL3, one is a Small Sensor Compact and the latter is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and both of them are sold by Olympus. The image resolution of the FE-4030 (14MP) and the E-PL3 (12MP) is pretty well matched but the FE-4030 (1/2.3") and E-PL3 (Four Thirds) use different sensor sizes.

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The FE-4030 was unveiled 20 months earlier than the E-PL3 which makes the cameras a generation away from one another. Each of the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus FE-4030 being a Compact camera and the Olympus E-PL3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before going in to a in depth comparison, below is a concise synopsis of how the FE-4030 matches up versus the E-PL3 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus FE-4030 over the Olympus E-PL3

 FE-4030 E-PL3 

Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL3 over the Olympus FE-4030

 E-PL3 FE-4030 
IntroducedSeptember 2011January 2010More modern by 20 months
Manually focus Dial exact focus
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen dimension3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution460k230kClearer screen (+230k dot)

Common features in the Olympus FE-4030 and Olympus E-PL3

 FE-4030 E-PL3 
Selfie screen Neither contains selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Neither contains Touch friendly screen

Olympus FE-4030 vs Olympus E-PL3 Physical Comparison

In case you're going to carry around your camera frequently, you will want to consider its weight and size. The Olympus FE-4030 has got outer measurements of 93mm x 56mm x 22mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9") having a weight of 146 grams (0.32 lbs) whilst the Olympus E-PL3 has specifications of 110mm x 64mm x 37mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.5") accompanied by a weight of 313 grams (0.69 lbs).

Examine the Olympus FE-4030 versus Olympus E-PL3 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ depending on the lens you are using at that time. Below is the front view size comparison of the FE-4030 vs the E-PL3.

Olympus FE-4030 vs Olympus E-PL3 size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the FE-4030 and E-PL3 is 95 and 88 respectively.

Olympus FE-4030 vs Olympus E-PL3 top view buttons comparison

Olympus FE-4030 vs Olympus E-PL3 Sensor Comparison

Typically, its difficult to picture the difference between sensor sizes just by looking at a spec sheet. The picture here might give you a much better sense of the sensor sizing in the FE-4030 and E-PL3.

As you can see, each of the cameras posses different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The FE-4030 using its tinier sensor is going to make getting shallow DOF more difficult and the Olympus FE-4030 will give you more detail having an extra 2 Megapixels. Higher resolution will make it easier to crop photographs somewhat more aggressively. The more aged FE-4030 is going to be behind in sensor technology.

Olympus FE-4030 vs Olympus E-PL3 sensor size comparison

Olympus FE-4030 vs Olympus E-PL3 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus FE-4030 vs Olympus E-PL3 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus FE-4030
Portrait photography with Olympus E-PL3
28
sensor resolution is decent (14MP)
focusing manually not possible
lack of manual mode
no external flash support
small sensor (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
60
manual focus
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
provides face detect autofocus
delivers RAW formats
megapixel count low (12MP)
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Street Comparison

Olympus FE-4030 Street photography highlights
Olympus E-PL3 Street photography highlights
48
no articulating screen
lack of image stabilization
small sensor (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
84
tilting screen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
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Sports Comparison

Olympus FE-4030 Sports photography details
Olympus E-PL3 Sports photography details
34
sensor resolution is decent (14 megapixels)
provides tracking autofocus
no shutter priority mode
lack of image stabilization
small sensor (1/2.3")
doesn't have phase detect auto focus
45
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
provides tracking focus
max fps very slow (6.0 frames/s)
megapixel count low (12MP)
low battery life (300 CIPA)
doesn't have phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus FE-4030 as a Travel photography camera
Olympus E-PL3 as a Travel photography camera
65
sensor resolution is decent (14 megapixels)
built-in flash
really wide (26mm)
lack of Time Lapse mode
screen is not selfie friendly
slow max aperture (f2.6)
44
no Timelapse mode
low battery life (300 shots)
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
does not have a selfie friendly display
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus FE-4030 as a Landscape photography camera
Olympus E-PL3 as a Landscape photography camera
32
really wide (26mm)
sensor resolution is decent (14MP)
focusing manually not possible
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
slow max aperture (f2.6)
small screen (2.7")
lack of manual mode
lack of image stabilization
small sensor (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
lack of Time Lapse mode
61
manual focus
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
nice screen size (3")
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
megapixel count low (12MP)
low battery life (300 CIPA)
no Timelapse mode
Photography Glossary

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus FE-4030 Vlogging details
Olympus E-PL3 Vlogging details
25
really wide (26mm)
slow max aperture (f2.6)
screen is not selfie friendly
lack of image stabilization
video quality not great (640 x 480 pixels)
lack of external mic support
34
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
provides face detect autofocus
high res video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
does not have a selfie friendly display
no microphone support
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Olympus FE-4030 vs Olympus E-PL3 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus FE-4030 and Olympus E-PL3
 Olympus FE-4030Olympus PEN E-PL3
General Information
Make Olympus Olympus
Model type Olympus FE-4030 Olympus PEN E-PL3
Category Small Sensor Compact Entry-Level Mirrorless
Released 2010-01-07 2011-09-20
Physical type Compact Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Processor Chip TruePic III Truepic VI
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" Four Thirds
Sensor measurements 6.08 x 4.56mm 17.3 x 13mm
Sensor area 27.7mm² 224.9mm²
Sensor resolution 14 megapixels 12 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 and 16:9 4:3
Max resolution 4288 x 3216 4032 x 3024
Max native ISO 1600 12800
Min native ISO 64 200
RAW support
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Continuous AF
Single AF
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 - 35
Lens
Lens support fixed lens Micro Four Thirds
Lens zoom range 26-105mm (4.0x) -
Highest aperture f/2.6-5.9 -
Macro focusing range 4cm -
Total lenses - 107
Focal length multiplier 5.9 2.1
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Tilting
Display size 2.7 inches 3 inches
Display resolution 230 thousand dots 460 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Display tech - HyperCrystal LCD AR(Anti-Reflective) coating
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None Electronic (optional)
Features
Minimum shutter speed 4 secs 60 secs
Fastest shutter speed 1/2000 secs 1/4000 secs
Continuous shutter rate - 6.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation - Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 5.80 m no built-in flash
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Fill-in Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels)
External flash
AEB
White balance bracketing
Fastest flash synchronize - 1/160 secs
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Max video resolution 640x480 1920x1080
Video file format Motion JPEG AVCHD, Motion JPEG
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
Environmental sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 146 grams (0.32 lbs) 313 grams (0.69 lbs)
Dimensions 93 x 56 x 22mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9") 110 x 64 x 37mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.5")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating not tested 52
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 20.9
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 10.3
DXO Low light rating not tested 499
Other
Battery life - 300 photos
Type of battery - Battery Pack
Battery ID - BLS-5
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 seconds) Yes (2 or 12 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage SD/SDHC, Internal SD/SDHC/SDXC
Card slots 1 1
Retail price $130 $399