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Olympus E-M1 III vs Panasonic SZ1

Portability
67
Imaging
61
Features
96
Overall
75
Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ1 front
Portability
95
Imaging
39
Features
34
Overall
37

Olympus E-M1 III vs Panasonic SZ1 Key Specs

Olympus E-M1 III
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 4096 x 2160 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 580g - 134 x 91 x 69mm
  • Introduced February 2020
  • Succeeded the Olympus E-M1 II
Panasonic SZ1
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 25-250mm (F3.1-5.9) lens
  • 131g - 99 x 59 x 21mm
  • Launched January 2012
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Olympus E-M1 III vs Panasonic SZ1 Overview

The following is a in-depth overview of the Olympus E-M1 III vs Panasonic SZ1, one is a Pro Mirrorless and the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by companies Olympus and Panasonic. There is a crucial difference between the resolutions of the E-M1 III (20MP) and SZ1 (16MP) and the E-M1 III (Four Thirds) and SZ1 (1/2.3") posses totally different sensor measurements.

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The E-M1 III was released 8 years after the SZ1 which is quite a serious gap as far as tech is concerned. Each of these cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-M1 III being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic SZ1 being a Compact camera.

Before going right into a more detailed comparison, here is a quick highlight of how the E-M1 III scores vs the SZ1 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Photography Glossary

        

Reasons to pick Olympus E-M1 III over the Panasonic SZ1

 E-M1 III SZ1 
LaunchedFebruary 2020January 2012Newer by 99 months
Manually focus Dial precise focusing
Screen typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating screen
Screen resolution1037k230kClearer screen (+807k dot)
Selfie screen Take selfies
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Panasonic SZ1 over the Olympus E-M1 III

 SZ1 E-M1 III 

Common features in the Olympus E-M1 III and Panasonic SZ1

 E-M1 III SZ1 
Screen size3"3"Same screen measurements

Olympus E-M1 III vs Panasonic SZ1 Physical Comparison

If you are looking to travel with your camera, you will need to think about its weight and volume. The Olympus E-M1 III provides outer dimensions of 134mm x 91mm x 69mm (5.3" x 3.6" x 2.7") along with a weight of 580 grams (1.28 lbs) and the Panasonic SZ1 has sizing of 99mm x 59mm x 21mm (3.9" x 2.3" x 0.8") accompanied by a weight of 131 grams (0.29 lbs).

Look at the Olympus E-M1 III vs Panasonic SZ1 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary based on the lens you have attached at that moment. Below is a front view over all size comparison of the E-M1 III compared to the SZ1.

Olympus E-M1 III vs Panasonic SZ1 size comparison

Factoring in size and weight, the portability grade of the E-M1 III and SZ1 is 67 and 95 respectively.

Olympus E-M1 III vs Panasonic SZ1 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-M1 III vs Panasonic SZ1 Sensor Comparison

Usually, it can be difficult to envision the contrast between sensor dimensions merely by checking a spec sheet. The picture here should provide you a more clear sense of the sensor sizes in the E-M1 III and SZ1.

Clearly, the two cameras come with different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The E-M1 III because of its bigger sensor will make achieving shallow DOF less difficult and the Olympus E-M1 III will resolve more detail as a result of its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution will enable you to crop shots a good deal more aggressively. The more modern E-M1 III is going to have an advantage when it comes to sensor innovation.

Olympus E-M1 III vs Panasonic SZ1 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-M1 III vs Panasonic SZ1 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-M1 III vs Panasonic SZ1 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-M1 III Portrait photography factors
Panasonic SZ1 Portrait photography factors
76
you can focus manually
good resolution (20MP)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
features face detection autofocus
exports RAW formats
34
decent MP (16 megapixels)
features face detection focusing
no manual focus
manual exposure not available
cannot use external flash
small sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-M1 III Street photography details
Panasonic SZ1 Street photography details
78
screen articulates fully
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
provides touch focus
weather sealing
great high ISO (25,600)
63
built in image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competitors in class (131g)
screen does not articulate
small sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-M1 III Sports photography advice
Panasonic SZ1 Sports photography advice
80
max shutter speed is good (1/8,000s)
quiet shutter (1/32,000s)
high max fps (60.0 frames/s)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good resolution (20MP)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
features tracking autofocus
weather sealing
comes with phase detect autofocus
40
built in image stabilization (Optical)
decent MP (16 megapixels)
features tracking autofocus
max fps low (1.0 frames per second)
lack of shutter priority mode
small sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-M1 III Travel photography info
Panasonic SZ1 Travel photography info
79
weather sealing
has bluetooth
provides touch focus
good resolution (20 megapixels)
selfie friendly screen
70
lighter than competitors in class (131 grams)
decent MP (16 megapixels)
has built in flash
reasonably wide (25mm)
very long zoom (250mm)
does not have Timelapse recording
does not feature selfie friendly screen
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.1)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-M1 III Landscape photography information
Panasonic SZ1 Landscape photography information
81
you can focus manually
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is good (3")
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good resolution (20 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
no low pass filter
great high ISO (25,600)
exports RAW formats
weather sealing
2 card slots
43
reasonably wide (25mm)
screen is a decent size (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
decent MP (16MP)
no manual focus
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.1)
manual exposure not available
small sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
does not have Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-M1 III Vlogging highlights
Panasonic SZ1 Vlogging highlights
79
selfie friendly screen
screen is touchscreen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
features face detection autofocus
video resolution high (4096 x 2160 pxls)
does have external mic support
32
reasonably wide (25mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
features face detection focusing
lighter than competitors in class (131g)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.1)
does not feature selfie friendly screen
low res video (1280 x 720 pxls)
does not have external microphone jack
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Olympus E-M1 III vs Panasonic SZ1 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M1 III and Panasonic SZ1
 Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark IIIPanasonic Lumix DMC-SZ1
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Panasonic
Model Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ1
Type Pro Mirrorless Small Sensor Compact
Introduced 2020-02-11 2012-01-09
Body design SLR-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Powered by TruePic IX -
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 17.4 x 13mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor area 226.2mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 20 megapixel 16 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 5184 x 3888 4608 x 3456
Highest native ISO 25600 6400
Lowest native ISO 200 100
RAW support
Lowest enhanced ISO 64 -
Autofocusing
Manual focus
AF touch
Continuous AF
AF single
AF tracking
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Number of focus points 121 23
Cross focus points 121 -
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 25-250mm (10.0x)
Maximal aperture - f/3.1-5.9
Macro focus distance - 4cm
Number of lenses 107 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.9
Screen
Range of screen Fully Articulated Fixed Type
Screen sizing 3 inch 3 inch
Resolution of screen 1,037k dot 230k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Screen tech - TFT Color LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic None
Viewfinder resolution 2,360k dot -
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.74x -
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60 secs 8 secs
Fastest shutter speed 1/8000 secs 1/1600 secs
Fastest silent shutter speed 1/32000 secs -
Continuous shutter speed 60.0fps 1.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes -
Change WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range no built-in flash 5.60 m
Flash options Redeye, Fill-in, Flash Off, Red-eye Slow sync.(1st curtain), Slow sync.(1st curtain), Slow sync.(2nd curtain), Manual Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Fastest flash sync 1/250 secs -
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 4096 x 2160 @ 24p / 237 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM3840 x 2160 @ 30p / 102 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM3840 x 2160 @ 25p / 102 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM3840 x 2160 @ 23.98p / 102 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM1920 x 1080 @ 60p, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM1920 x 1080 @ 50p, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM1920 x 1080 @ 30p, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM1920 x 1080 @ 25p, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM1920 x 1080 @ 23.98p, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution 4096x2160 1280x720
Video data format MPEG-4, H.264 MPEG-4
Microphone input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 3.1 Gen 1 (5 GBit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 580 gr (1.28 lbs) 131 gr (0.29 lbs)
Physical dimensions 134 x 91 x 69mm (5.3" x 3.6" x 2.7") 99 x 59 x 21mm (3.9" x 2.3" x 0.8")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth score not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range score not tested not tested
DXO Low light score not tested not tested
Other
Battery life 420 pictures 250 pictures
Battery format Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model BLH-1 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 secs, custom) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Storage media Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC slots (UHS-II on first slot) SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Storage slots 2 One
Launch price $1,800 $179