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Olympus E-M5 III vs Panasonic SZ3

Portability
80
Imaging
62
Features
88
Overall
72
Olympus OM-D E-M5 III front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ3 front
Portability
96
Imaging
40
Features
29
Overall
35

Olympus E-M5 III vs Panasonic SZ3 Key Specs

Olympus E-M5 III
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 4096 x 2160 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 414g - 125 x 85 x 50mm
  • Introduced October 2019
  • Replaced the Olympus E-M5 II
  • Newer Model is OM System OM-5
Panasonic SZ3
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 25-250mm (F3.1-5.9) lens
  • 126g - 95 x 56 x 22mm
  • Revealed January 2013
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Olympus E-M5 III vs Panasonic SZ3 Overview

Below, we will be matching up the Olympus E-M5 III and Panasonic SZ3, former being a Advanced Mirrorless while the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by manufacturers Olympus and Panasonic. There is a noticeable difference between the sensor resolutions of the E-M5 III (20MP) and SZ3 (16MP) and the E-M5 III (Four Thirds) and SZ3 (1/2.3") possess totally different sensor measurements.

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The E-M5 III was brought out 6 years later than the SZ3 and that is quite a sizable difference as far as tech is concerned. The two cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-M5 III being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic SZ3 being a Compact camera.

Before going in to a comprehensive comparison, below is a brief highlight of how the E-M5 III grades vs the SZ3 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-M5 III over the Panasonic SZ3

 E-M5 III SZ3 
RevealedOctober 2019January 2013More recent by 83 months
Manually focus Very precise focusing
Screen typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating screen
Screen dimension3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution1040k230kClearer screen (+810k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Panasonic SZ3 over the Olympus E-M5 III

 SZ3 E-M5 III 

Common features in the Olympus E-M5 III and Panasonic SZ3

 E-M5 III SZ3 

Olympus E-M5 III vs Panasonic SZ3 Physical Comparison

For those who are going to lug around your camera, you should factor its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-M5 III provides outside measurements of 125mm x 85mm x 50mm (4.9" x 3.3" x 2.0") with a weight of 414 grams (0.91 lbs) whilst the Panasonic SZ3 has measurements of 95mm x 56mm x 22mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9") with a weight of 126 grams (0.28 lbs).

Compare the Olympus E-M5 III and Panasonic SZ3 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you have chosen during that time. Following is the front view sizing comparison of the E-M5 III and the SZ3.

Olympus E-M5 III vs Panasonic SZ3 size comparison

Looking at size and weight, the portability score of the E-M5 III and SZ3 is 80 and 96 respectively.

Olympus E-M5 III vs Panasonic SZ3 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-M5 III vs Panasonic SZ3 Sensor Comparison

Usually, it is very tough to see the gap between sensor measurements simply by reading specs. The visual below will offer you a much better sense of the sensor measurements in the E-M5 III and SZ3.

All in all, both of those cameras posses different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The E-M5 III featuring a bigger sensor will make shooting shallow DOF less difficult and the Olympus E-M5 III will deliver more detail having its extra 4MP. Higher resolution can also make it easier to crop pictures somewhat more aggressively. The younger E-M5 III will have an advantage when it comes to sensor innovation.

Olympus E-M5 III vs Panasonic SZ3 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-M5 III vs Panasonic SZ3 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-M5 III vs Panasonic SZ3 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-M5 III Portrait photography information
Panasonic SZ3 Portrait photography information
77
focusing manually
good resolution (20 megapixels)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports face detection autofocus
delivers RAW formats
30
decent MP (16MP)
no manual focus
no manual control
cannot use external flash
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-M5 III as a Street photography camera
Panasonic SZ3 as a Street photography camera
83
screen articulates
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
supports touch focus
weather sealing
great high ISO (25,600)
64
has image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than average (126g)
no moving screen
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-M5 III Sports photography details
Panasonic SZ3 Sports photography details
76
maximum shutter speed is high (1/8,000 seconds)
quiet shooting (1/32,000 seconds)
high frames per second (30.0 frames per second)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good resolution (20MP)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports tracking autofocus
weather sealing
supports phase detect autofocus
not so great battery life (310 shots)
41
has image stabilization (Optical)
decent MP (16MP)
supports tracking autofocus
continuous shooting slow (1.0 frames per second)
no shutter priority mode
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
has no phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus E-M5 III
Travel photography with Panasonic SZ3
77
weather sealing
connects via bluetooth
supports touch focus
good resolution (20MP)
selfie friendly screen
not so great battery life (310 per charge)
71
lighter than average (126 grams)
decent MP (16MP)
has built in flash
really wide (25mm)
great reach (250mm)
does not have Timelapse mode
does not feature selfie friendly screen
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.1)
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus E-M5 III
Landscape photography with Panasonic SZ3
77
focusing manually
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen is a good size (3")
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good resolution (20 megapixels)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
great high ISO (25,600)
delivers RAW formats
weather sealing
not so great battery life (310 CIPA)
39
really wide (25mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
decent MP (16 megapixels)
no manual focus
can't swap lenses (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.1)
small screen (2.7 inches)
no manual control
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
does not have Timelapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-M5 III as a Vlogging camera
Panasonic SZ3 as a Vlogging camera
84
selfie friendly screen
touchscreen
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
supports face detection autofocus
high video quality (4096 x 2160 resolution)
comes with external mic support
31
really wide (25mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than average (126 grams)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.1)
does not feature selfie friendly screen
video res low (1280 x 720 pxls)
does not have external microphone jack
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Olympus E-M5 III vs Panasonic SZ3 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M5 III and Panasonic SZ3
 Olympus OM-D E-M5 IIIPanasonic Lumix DMC-SZ3
General Information
Brand Olympus Panasonic
Model type Olympus OM-D E-M5 III Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ3
Category Advanced Mirrorless Small Sensor Compact
Introduced 2019-10-17 2013-01-07
Body design SLR-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Chip TruePic VIII -
Sensor type MOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 17.4 x 13mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor surface area 226.2mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 20 megapixel 16 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 -
Peak resolution 5184 x 3888 4608 x 3456
Highest native ISO 25600 6400
Minimum native ISO 200 100
RAW format
Minimum enhanced ISO 64 -
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
AF touch
AF continuous
AF single
AF tracking
AF selectice
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Total focus points 121 23
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 25-250mm (10.0x)
Largest aperture - f/3.1-5.9
Macro focusing distance - 5cm
Amount of lenses 107 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.9
Screen
Range of screen Fully Articulated Fixed Type
Screen diagonal 3 inches 2.7 inches
Screen resolution 1,040k dot 230k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Screen tech - TFT LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic None
Viewfinder resolution 2,360k dot -
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.68x -
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60 secs 60 secs
Fastest shutter speed 1/8000 secs 1/1600 secs
Fastest silent shutter speed 1/32000 secs -
Continuous shutter speed 30.0 frames per second 1.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Set WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance no built-in flash 4.10 m
Flash settings Auto, redeye, fill, off, redeye slow sync, slow sync, 2nd-curtain slow sync, manual Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Syncro
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
WB 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 PCM 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution 4096x2160 1280x720
Video data format MPEG-4, H.264 Motion JPEG
Microphone input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 414 grams (0.91 lbs) 126 grams (0.28 lbs)
Dimensions 125 x 85 x 50mm (4.9" x 3.3" x 2.0") 95 x 56 x 22mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9")
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 310 images 250 images
Style of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLN-1 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 secs, custom) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-II supported) SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Storage slots Single Single
Launch cost $1,199 $150