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Olympus E-M10 III vs Panasonic SZ10

Portability
80
Imaging
55
Features
75
Overall
63
Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark III front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ10 front
Portability
93
Imaging
41
Features
34
Overall
38

Olympus E-M10 III vs Panasonic SZ10 Key Specs

Olympus E-M10 III
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 410g - 122 x 84 x 50mm
  • Revealed August 2017
  • Superseded the Olympus E-M10 II
  • Replacement is Olympus E-M10 IV
Panasonic SZ10
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 100 - 1600 (Expand to 6400)
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 24-288mm (F3.1-6.3) lens
  • 177g - 99 x 60 x 30mm
  • Launched January 2015
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Olympus E-M10 III vs Panasonic SZ10 Overview

Here, we are reviewing the Olympus E-M10 III and Panasonic SZ10, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom by competitors Olympus and Panasonic. The resolution of the E-M10 III (16MP) and the SZ10 (16MP) is fairly similar but the E-M10 III (Four Thirds) and SZ10 (1/2.3") offer different sensor sizes.

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The E-M10 III was manufactured 2 years later than the SZ10 and that is quite a serious difference as far as technology is concerned. Each of the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-M10 III being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic SZ10 being a Compact camera.

Before we go straight to a in-depth comparison, here is a concise synopsis of how the E-M10 III matches up vs the SZ10 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-M10 III over the Panasonic SZ10

 E-M10 III SZ10 
LaunchedAugust 2017January 2015More recent by 33 months
Manually focus More exact focusing
Display resolution1040k460kCrisper display (+580k dot)
Touch display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Panasonic SZ10 over the Olympus E-M10 III

 SZ10 E-M10 III 

Common features in the Olympus E-M10 III and Panasonic SZ10

 E-M10 III SZ10 
Display typeTiltingTiltingTilting display
Display size3"3"Same display dimensions
Selfie screen Neither features selfie screen

Olympus E-M10 III vs Panasonic SZ10 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is intending to lug around your camera often, you need to factor its weight and size. The Olympus E-M10 III enjoys external dimensions of 122mm x 84mm x 50mm (4.8" x 3.3" x 2.0") along with a weight of 410 grams (0.90 lbs) whilst the Panasonic SZ10 has specifications of 99mm x 60mm x 30mm (3.9" x 2.4" x 1.2") accompanied by a weight of 177 grams (0.39 lbs).

Check out the Olympus E-M10 III and Panasonic SZ10 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you are working with at that time. Below is a front view overall size comparison of the E-M10 III compared to the SZ10.

Olympus E-M10 III vs Panasonic SZ10 size comparison

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-M10 III and SZ10 is 80 and 93 respectively.

Olympus E-M10 III vs Panasonic SZ10 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-M10 III vs Panasonic SZ10 Sensor Comparison

More often than not, it is hard to imagine the gap between sensor measurements simply by reading specifications. The graphic here might offer you a far better sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-M10 III and SZ10.

Plainly, the 2 cameras come with the identical megapixel count but different sensor measurements. The E-M10 III comes with the larger sensor which will make obtaining shallower DOF simpler. The newer E-M10 III provides an edge when it comes to sensor technology.

Olympus E-M10 III vs Panasonic SZ10 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-M10 III vs Panasonic SZ10 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-M10 III vs Panasonic SZ10 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photography Glossary

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-M10 III Portrait photography details
Panasonic SZ10 Portrait photography details
73
you can focus manually
decent MP (16 megapixels)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
comes with face detection focusing
saves RAW files
36
decent sensor resolution (16 megapixels)
has face detection focus
manual focus not available
manual mode not available
no external flash support
small sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus E-M10 III
Street photography with Panasonic SZ10
77
screen tilts
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
comes with focus via touch
good high ISO (25,600)
heavier than average in class (410 grams)
70
screen tilts up and down
has image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competition in class (177 grams)
small sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-M10 III Sports photography details
Panasonic SZ10 Sports photography details
69
silent shutter (1/16,000s)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent MP (16 megapixels)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
comes with tracking autofocus
no phase detect AF
34
has image stabilization (Optical)
decent sensor resolution (16 megapixels)
very slow continuous shooting (1.4 frames per second)
lack of shutter priority mode
small sensor size (1/2.3")
bad battery pack (200 CIPA)
lack of phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-M10 III as a Travel photography camera
Panasonic SZ10 as a Travel photography camera
67
comes with focus via touch
decent MP (16MP)
built-in flash
heavier than average in class (410 grams)
doesn't contain selfie friendly screen
67
lighter than competition in class (177 grams)
decent sensor resolution (16 megapixels)
flash built-in
pretty wide (24mm)
very long reach (288mm)
doesn't have Timelapse mode
bad battery pack (200 per charge)
screen is not selfie friendly
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.1)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-M10 III Landscape photography info
Panasonic SZ10 Landscape photography info
80
you can focus manually
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
decent sized screen (3")
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent MP (16MP)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
good high ISO (25,600)
saves RAW files
42
pretty wide (24mm)
screen is a decent size (3")
has image stabilization (Optical)
decent sensor resolution (16 megapixels)
manual focus not available
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.1)
manual mode not available
small sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
bad battery pack (200 CIPA)
doesn't have Timelapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-M10 III as a Vlogging camera
Panasonic SZ10 as a Vlogging camera
32
has touchscreen
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
comes with face detection focusing
video res high (3840 x 2160 pixels)
doesn't contain selfie friendly screen
missing external mic jack
heavier than average in class (410 grams)
32
pretty wide (24mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
has face detection focus
lighter than competition in class (177 grams)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.1)
screen is not selfie friendly
video res low (1280 x 720 pixels)
doesn't have external microphone port
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Olympus E-M10 III vs Panasonic SZ10 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M10 III and Panasonic SZ10
 Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark IIIPanasonic Lumix DMC-SZ10
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Panasonic
Model type Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark III Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ10
Class Entry-Level Mirrorless Small Sensor Superzoom
Revealed 2017-08-31 2015-01-06
Body design SLR-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Powered by TruePic VIII -
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 16MP 16MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 4608 x 3456 4608 x 3456
Highest native ISO 25600 1600
Highest enhanced ISO - 6400
Lowest native ISO 200 100
RAW data
Lowest enhanced ISO 100 -
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch to focus
AF continuous
AF single
Tracking AF
Selective AF
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Total focus points 121 9
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 24-288mm (12.0x)
Max aperture - f/3.1-6.3
Number of lenses 107 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.9
Screen
Range of screen Tilting Tilting
Screen diagonal 3 inches 3 inches
Resolution of screen 1,040k dot 460k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic None
Viewfinder resolution 2,360k dot -
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.62x -
Features
Min shutter speed 60 secs 8 secs
Max shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/2000 secs
Max silent shutter speed 1/16000 secs -
Continuous shutter speed 8.6 frames/s 1.4 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Set WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 5.80 m (at ISO 100) 5.20 m
Flash options Auto, redeye, slow sync, 2nd-curtain slow sync, redeye slow sync, fill-in, manual, off Auto, auto w/redeye reduction, on, slow sync w/redeye, off
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Max flash sync 1/250 secs -
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions 3840 x 2160 @ 30p / 102 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM 1280 x 720 (30p), 640 x 480 (30p), 320 x 240 (30p)
Highest video resolution 3840x2160 1280x720
Video data format MPEG-4, H.264 Motion JPEG
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In Built-In
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 410g (0.90 lb) 177g (0.39 lb)
Physical dimensions 122 x 84 x 50mm (4.8" x 3.3" x 2.0") 99 x 60 x 30mm (3.9" x 2.4" x 1.2")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth rating not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested not tested
DXO Low light rating not tested not tested
Other
Battery life 330 images 200 images
Style of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLS-50 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 secs, custom) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-I/II supported) SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Storage slots 1 1
Pricing at release $650 $200