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Olympus FE-5020 vs Olympus E-PL3

Portability
95
Imaging
35
Features
20
Overall
29
Olympus FE-5020 front
 
Olympus PEN E-PL3 front
Portability
88
Imaging
48
Features
52
Overall
49

Olympus FE-5020 vs Olympus E-PL3 Key Specs

Olympus FE-5020
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 64 - 1600
  • 640 x 480 video
  • 24-120mm (F3.3-5.8) lens
  • 137g - 93 x 56 x 25mm
  • Launched July 2009
  • Alternative Name is X-935
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
  • Revealed September 2011
  • Superseded the Olympus E-PL2
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Olympus FE-5020 vs Olympus E-PL3 Overview

Following is a in depth review of the Olympus FE-5020 and Olympus E-PL3, former is a Small Sensor Compact while the latter is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and both are created by Olympus. The sensor resolution of the FE-5020 (12MP) and the E-PL3 (12MP) is relatively comparable but the FE-5020 (1/2.3") and E-PL3 (Four Thirds) come with totally different sensor sizes.

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The FE-5020 was released 3 years before the E-PL3 which is a fairly significant difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus FE-5020 being a Compact camera and the Olympus E-PL3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before delving in to a full comparison, below is a brief introduction of how the FE-5020 matches up vs the E-PL3 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus FE-5020 over the Olympus E-PL3

 FE-5020 E-PL3 

Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL3 over the Olympus FE-5020

 E-PL3 FE-5020 
RevealedSeptember 2011July 2009More modern by 26 months
Focus manually Very accurate focusing
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen dimension3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution460k230kClearer screen (+230k dot)

Common features in the Olympus FE-5020 and Olympus E-PL3

 FE-5020 E-PL3 
Selfie screen Neither features selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Neither features Touch friendly screen

Olympus FE-5020 vs Olympus E-PL3 Physical Comparison

In case you're intending to carry around your camera, you will have to factor its weight and dimensions. The Olympus FE-5020 enjoys physical dimensions of 93mm x 56mm x 25mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 1.0") with a weight of 137 grams (0.30 lbs) and the Olympus E-PL3 has dimensions of 110mm x 64mm x 37mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.5") and a weight of 313 grams (0.69 lbs).

See the Olympus FE-5020 and Olympus E-PL3 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you are employing at that time. Underneath is the front view measurements comparison of the FE-5020 versus the E-PL3.

Olympus FE-5020 vs Olympus E-PL3 size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability score of the FE-5020 and E-PL3 is 95 and 88 respectively.

Olympus FE-5020 vs Olympus E-PL3 top view buttons comparison

Olympus FE-5020 vs Olympus E-PL3 Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, it is very hard to envision the difference in sensor sizes only by seeing specs. The image underneath may offer you a far better sense of the sensor dimensions in the FE-5020 and E-PL3.

All in all, the two cameras posses the exact same megapixel count albeit not the same sensor sizes. The FE-5020 has got the smaller sensor which is going to make getting shallow DOF tougher. The more aged FE-5020 will be behind in sensor tech.

Olympus FE-5020 vs Olympus E-PL3 sensor size comparison

Olympus FE-5020 vs Olympus E-PL3 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus FE-5020 vs Olympus E-PL3 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus FE-5020 Portrait photography info
Olympus E-PL3 Portrait photography info
21
manual focus not available
manual mode not possible
cannot use external flash
low megapixels (12MP)
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
no RAW support
60
you can focus manually
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
provides face detect autofocus
supports RAW files
low resolution sensor (12 megapixels)
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus FE-5020
Street photography with Olympus E-PL3
60
weather proof
lighter than competition (137g)
screen is fixed
no image stabilization
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
no RAW support
84
screen tilts
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus FE-5020
Sports photography with Olympus E-PL3
24
weather proof
low max shutter speed (1/500s)
no shutter priority mode
no image stabilization
low megapixels (12MP)
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
no phase detect AF
45
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
provides tracking focus
slow frames per second (6.0 frames per second)
low resolution sensor (12MP)
low battery pack (300 shots)
has no phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus FE-5020 as a Travel photography camera
Olympus E-PL3 as a Travel photography camera
65
lighter than competition (137g)
weather proof
built-in flash
quite wide (24mm)
missing Timelapse mode
low megapixels (12MP)
display isn't selfie friendly
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.3)
44
lack of Time Lapse mode
low battery pack (300 shots)
low resolution sensor (12MP)
does not have selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus FE-5020 as a Landscape photography camera
Olympus E-PL3 as a Landscape photography camera
31
quite wide (24mm)
weather proof
manual focus not available
cannot change lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.3)
screen is somewhat small (2.7")
manual mode not possible
no image stabilization
low megapixels (12MP)
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
no RAW support
missing Timelapse mode
61
you can focus manually
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is good (3")
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
low resolution sensor (12MP)
low battery pack (300 shots)
lack of Time Lapse mode
Photography Glossary

Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus FE-5020
Vlogging with Olympus E-PL3
28
quite wide (24mm)
lighter than competition (137g)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.3)
display isn't selfie friendly
no image stabilization
low video resolution (640 x 480 pxls)
missing external microphone jack
34
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
provides face detect autofocus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
does not have selfie friendly screen
lack of mic port
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Olympus FE-5020 vs Olympus E-PL3 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus FE-5020 and Olympus E-PL3
 Olympus FE-5020Olympus PEN E-PL3
General Information
Company Olympus Olympus
Model Olympus FE-5020 Olympus PEN E-PL3
Also Known as X-935 -
Class Small Sensor Compact Entry-Level Mirrorless
Launched 2009-07-22 2011-09-20
Body design Compact Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Processor Chip TruePic III Truepic VI
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" Four Thirds
Sensor dimensions 6.17 x 4.55mm 17.3 x 13mm
Sensor area 28.1mm² 224.9mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixels 12 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 4:3
Highest Possible resolution 3968 x 2976 4032 x 3024
Maximum native ISO 1600 12800
Lowest native ISO 64 200
RAW images
Autofocusing
Manual focus
AF touch
AF continuous
Single AF
AF tracking
Selective AF
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Number of focus points - 35
Lens
Lens mount fixed lens Micro Four Thirds
Lens focal range 24-120mm (5.0x) -
Maximal aperture f/3.3-5.8 -
Macro focus distance 1cm -
Total lenses - 107
Focal length multiplier 5.8 2.1
Screen
Range of screen Fixed Type Tilting
Screen size 2.7" 3"
Resolution of screen 230 thousand dot 460 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Screen technology - HyperCrystal LCD AR(Anti-Reflective) coating
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None Electronic (optional)
Features
Min shutter speed 4 seconds 60 seconds
Max shutter speed 1/500 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Continuous shutter speed - 6.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation - Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 4.10 m no built-in flash
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Fill-in Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels)
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Max flash sync - 1/160 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution 640x480 1920x1080
Video format Motion JPEG AVCHD, 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
Environmental seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 137 grams (0.30 pounds) 313 grams (0.69 pounds)
Dimensions 93 x 56 x 25mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 1.0") 110 x 64 x 37mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.5")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score not tested 52
DXO Color Depth score not tested 20.9
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 10.3
DXO Low light score not tested 499
Other
Battery life - 300 photos
Form of battery - Battery Pack
Battery model LI-42B BLS-5
Self timer Yes (12 seconds) Yes (2 or 12 sec)
Time lapse recording
Storage media xD-Picture Card, microSD SD/SDHC/SDXC
Storage slots 1 1
Pricing at release $160 $399