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Olympus E-P1 vs Panasonic SZ3

Portability
86
Imaging
47
Features
42
Overall
45
Olympus PEN E-P1 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ3 front
Portability
96
Imaging
40
Features
29
Overall
35

Olympus E-P1 vs Panasonic SZ3 Key Specs

Olympus E-P1
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 355g - 121 x 70 x 36mm
  • Released July 2009
  • Updated by Olympus E-P2
Panasonic SZ3
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 25-250mm (F3.1-5.9) lens
  • 126g - 95 x 56 x 22mm
  • Announced January 2013
Photography Glossary

Olympus E-P1 vs Panasonic SZ3 Overview

On this page, we are analyzing the Olympus E-P1 versus Panasonic SZ3, former is a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the other is a Small Sensor Compact by manufacturers Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a considerable gap among the sensor resolutions of the E-P1 (12MP) and SZ3 (16MP) and the E-P1 (Four Thirds) and SZ3 (1/2.3") provide different sensor measurements.

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The E-P1 was launched 4 years before the SZ3 which is a fairly large difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of these cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-P1 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic SZ3 being a Compact camera.

Before diving into a thorough comparison, here is a short synopsis of how the E-P1 grades versus the SZ3 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-P1 over the Panasonic SZ3

 E-P1 SZ3 
Manual focus Dial accurate focusing
Display dimensions3"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")

Reasons to pick Panasonic SZ3 over the Olympus E-P1

 SZ3 E-P1 
AnnouncedJanuary 2013July 2009Newer by 41 months

Common features in the Olympus E-P1 and Panasonic SZ3

 E-P1 SZ3 
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Display resolution230k230kExact same display resolution
Selfie screen Neither contains selfie screen
Touch friendly display Absent Touch friendly display

Olympus E-P1 vs Panasonic SZ3 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is going to travel with your camera frequently, you will want to factor its weight and size. The Olympus E-P1 has got outer measurements of 121mm x 70mm x 36mm (4.8" x 2.8" x 1.4") and a weight of 355 grams (0.78 lbs) whilst the Panasonic SZ3 has specifications of 95mm x 56mm x 22mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9") along with a weight of 126 grams (0.28 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-P1 versus Panasonic SZ3 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into account, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you have at the time. Following is a front view size comparison of the E-P1 against the SZ3.

Olympus E-P1 vs Panasonic SZ3 size comparison

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-P1 and SZ3 is 86 and 96 respectively.

Olympus E-P1 vs Panasonic SZ3 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-P1 vs Panasonic SZ3 Sensor Comparison

Typically, it is tough to visualize the gap in sensor dimensions simply by going through a spec sheet. The pic underneath should offer you a far better sense of the sensor measurements in the E-P1 and SZ3.

As you can see, both the cameras provide different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The E-P1 because of its larger sensor is going to make shooting shallow depth of field simpler and the Panasonic SZ3 will show greater detail utilizing its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also help you crop images more aggressively. The more aged E-P1 will be behind in sensor technology.

Olympus E-P1 vs Panasonic SZ3 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-P1 vs Panasonic SZ3 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-P1 vs Panasonic SZ3 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-P1 Portrait photography features
Panasonic SZ3 Portrait photography features
60
focusing manually
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports face detect focusing
saves RAW formats
MP count low (12MP)
30
megapixel count good (16MP)
lack of manual focus
no manual mode
can't use external flash
small sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-P1 Street photography features
Panasonic SZ3 Street photography features
74
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
no moving screen
64
image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competition in class (126g)
fixed screen
small sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-P1 as a Sports photography camera
Panasonic SZ3 as a Sports photography camera
40
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
max frames per second very slow (3.0 frames per second)
MP count low (12 megapixels)
not so great battery (300 shots)
lack of phase detect AF
41
image stabilization (Optical)
megapixel count good (16 megapixels)
offers tracking autofocus
slow frames per second (1.0 fps)
no shutter priority
small sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-P1 as a Travel photography camera
Panasonic SZ3 as a Travel photography camera
43
missing Timelapse recording
not so great battery (300 per charge)
MP count low (12 megapixels)
doesn't posses selfie friendly display
71
lighter than competition in class (126 grams)
megapixel count good (16MP)
built-in flash
decently wide (25mm)
great reach (250mm)
no Timelapse mode
doesn't have selfie friendly display
sluggish max aperture (f3.1)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-P1 Landscape photography advice
Panasonic SZ3 Landscape photography advice
60
focusing manually
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen is a good size (3")
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
MP count low (12MP)
not so great battery (300 per charge)
missing Timelapse recording
39
decently wide (25mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
megapixel count good (16 megapixels)
lack of manual focus
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f3.1)
small screen (2.7 inches)
no manual mode
small sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
no Timelapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-P1 Vlogging advice
Panasonic SZ3 Vlogging advice
29
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
supports face detect focusing
doesn't posses selfie friendly display
video res low (1280 x 720 pixels)
missing microphone support
31
decently wide (25mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competition in class (126 grams)
sluggish max aperture (f3.1)
doesn't have selfie friendly display
low res video (1280 x 720 resolution)
no external microphone jack
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Olympus E-P1 vs Panasonic SZ3 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-P1 and Panasonic SZ3
 Olympus PEN E-P1Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ3
General Information
Company Olympus Panasonic
Model type Olympus PEN E-P1 Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ3
Class Entry-Level Mirrorless Small Sensor Compact
Released 2009-07-29 2013-01-07
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Chip TruePic V -
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixel 16 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 -
Full resolution 4032 x 3024 4608 x 3456
Max native ISO 6400 6400
Minimum native ISO 100 100
RAW images
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Live view autofocus
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Total focus points 11 23
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 25-250mm (10.0x)
Maximal aperture - f/3.1-5.9
Macro focusing range - 5cm
Amount of lenses 107 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.9
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display sizing 3 inch 2.7 inch
Resolution of display 230k dot 230k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Display tech HyperCrystal LCD with AR(Anti-Reflective) coating TFT LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None None
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 secs 60 secs
Highest shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/1600 secs
Continuous shooting speed 3.0fps 1.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance no built-in flash 4.10 m
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Syncro
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Highest flash sync 1/180 secs -
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Max video resolution 1280x720 1280x720
Video file format Motion JPEG Motion JPEG
Microphone input
Headphone input
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 proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 355 gr (0.78 lbs) 126 gr (0.28 lbs)
Physical dimensions 121 x 70 x 36mm (4.8" x 2.8" x 1.4") 95 x 56 x 22mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 55 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 21.4 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 10.4 not tested
DXO Low light rating 536 not tested
Other
Battery life 300 photos 250 photos
Battery format Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLS-1 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage SD/SDHC card SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Storage slots One One
Price at launch $182 $150