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Olympus E-P3 vs Olympus SP-800 UZ

Portability
86
Imaging
48
Features
60
Overall
52
Olympus PEN E-P3 front
 
Olympus SP-800 UZ front
Portability
69
Imaging
37
Features
35
Overall
36

Olympus E-P3 vs Olympus SP-800 UZ Key Specs

Olympus E-P3
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 12800
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 369g - 122 x 69 x 34mm
  • Released August 2011
  • Older Model is Olympus E-P2
  • Renewed by Olympus E-P5
Olympus SP-800 UZ
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 64 - 3200 (Raise to 1000)
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-840mm (F2.8-5.6) lens
  • 455g - 110 x 90 x 91mm
  • Announced February 2010
  • Successor is Olympus SP-810 UZ
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Olympus E-P3 vs Olympus SP-800 UZ Overview

The following is a detailed assessment of the Olympus E-P3 vs Olympus SP-800 UZ, one is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom and they are both manufactured by Olympus. The resolution of the E-P3 (12MP) and the SP-800 UZ (14MP) is very close but the E-P3 (Four Thirds) and SP-800 UZ (1/2.3") feature different sensor measurements.

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The E-P3 was launched 19 months after the SP-800 UZ making the cameras a generation away from one another. Both cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-P3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Olympus SP-800 UZ being a Compact camera.

Before diving straight into a more detailed comparison, below is a simple highlight of how the E-P3 grades vs the SP-800 UZ in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-P3 over the Olympus SP-800 UZ

 E-P3 SP-800 UZ 
AnnouncedAugust 2011February 2010Newer by 19 months
Focus manually Very precise focusing
Display resolution614k230kCrisper display (+384k dot)
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Olympus SP-800 UZ over the Olympus E-P3

 SP-800 UZ E-P3 

Common features in the Olympus E-P3 and Olympus SP-800 UZ

 E-P3 SP-800 UZ 
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Display dimension3"3"Identical display measurements
Selfie screen Lacking selfie screen

Olympus E-P3 vs Olympus SP-800 UZ Physical Comparison

In case you're going to travel with your camera regularly, you should factor in its weight and size. The Olympus E-P3 features outer measurements of 122mm x 69mm x 34mm (4.8" x 2.7" x 1.3") with a weight of 369 grams (0.81 lbs) and the Olympus SP-800 UZ has specifications of 110mm x 90mm x 91mm (4.3" x 3.5" x 3.6") having a weight of 455 grams (1.00 lbs).

Check out the Olympus E-P3 vs Olympus SP-800 UZ in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary dependant on the lens you are working with at that time. Below is the front view scale comparison of the E-P3 compared to the SP-800 UZ.

Olympus E-P3 vs Olympus SP-800 UZ size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-P3 and SP-800 UZ is 86 and 69 respectively.

Olympus E-P3 vs Olympus SP-800 UZ top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-P3 vs Olympus SP-800 UZ Sensor Comparison

Quite often, it is very tough to visualize the difference in sensor dimensions merely by viewing specs. The image below should give you a better sense of the sensor measurements in the E-P3 and SP-800 UZ.

All in all, both cameras have got different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The E-P3 featuring a larger sensor is going to make shooting shallow depth of field simpler and the Olympus SP-800 UZ will render greater detail utilizing its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also make it easier to crop photos much more aggressively. The fresher E-P3 provides a benefit with regard to sensor tech.

Olympus E-P3 vs Olympus SP-800 UZ sensor size comparison

Olympus E-P3 vs Olympus SP-800 UZ Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-P3 vs Olympus SP-800 UZ Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-P3 Portrait photography features
Olympus SP-800 UZ Portrait photography features
60
has manual focus
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
supports face detect autofocus
supports RAW files
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
28
MP count decent (14 megapixels)
focusing manually not possible
no manual mode
no external flash support
small sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-P3 as a Street photography camera
Olympus SP-800 UZ as a Street photography camera
76
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
offers touch to focus
no articulating screen
46
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
screen does not articulate
small sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-P3 Sports photography features
Olympus SP-800 UZ Sports photography features
49
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
supports tracking focus
low frames per second (3.0 frames per second)
low megapixels (12MP)
has no phase detect autofocus
47
excellent zoom range (28-840mm 30.0 x zoom)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
MP count decent (14 megapixels)
supports tracking focus
no shutter priority mode
small sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-P3 as a Travel photography camera
Olympus SP-800 UZ as a Travel photography camera
60
offers touch to focus
built-in flash
no Timelapse recording
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
display isn't selfie friendly
61
MP count decent (14 megapixels)
built-in flash
pretty wide (28mm)
great reach (840mm)
doesn't contain selfie friendly screen
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.8)
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus E-P3
Landscape photography with Olympus SP-800 UZ
65
has manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
good sized screen (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
low megapixels (12MP)
no Timelapse recording
41
pretty wide (28mm)
nice screen size (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
MP count decent (14 megapixels)
focusing manually not possible
can't change lenses (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.8)
no manual mode
small sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-P3 Vlogging advice
Olympus SP-800 UZ Vlogging advice
35
touchscreen capability
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
supports face detect autofocus
high video quality (1920 x 1080 pixels)
display isn't selfie friendly
no microphone port
24
pretty wide (28mm)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.8)
doesn't contain selfie friendly screen
low quality video (1280 x 720 pixels)
no mic jack
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Olympus E-P3 vs Olympus SP-800 UZ Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-P3 and Olympus SP-800 UZ
 Olympus PEN E-P3Olympus SP-800 UZ
General Information
Make Olympus Olympus
Model type Olympus PEN E-P3 Olympus SP-800 UZ
Class Entry-Level Mirrorless Small Sensor Superzoom
Released 2011-08-17 2010-02-02
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Chip TruePic VI TruePic III
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixels 14 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 -
Maximum resolution 4032 x 3024 4288 x 3216
Maximum native ISO 12800 3200
Maximum boosted ISO - 1000
Lowest native ISO 100 64
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Continuous autofocus
Single autofocus
Tracking autofocus
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Total focus points 35 143
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 28-840mm (30.0x)
Maximum aperture - f/2.8-5.6
Macro focusing range - 1cm
Total lenses 107 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.8
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen size 3 inch 3 inch
Resolution of screen 614k dot 230k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Screen technology 3:2 OLED with Anti-Fingerprint Coating -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic (optional) None
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 secs 12 secs
Highest shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/2000 secs
Continuous shooting speed 3.0fps 10.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes -
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 10.00 m (@ ISO 200) 3.10 m
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Wireless, Manual (3 levels) Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Highest flash sync 1/180 secs -
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video file format AVCHD, Motion JPEG H.264
Mic 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 369 grams (0.81 lb) 455 grams (1.00 lb)
Dimensions 122 x 69 x 34mm (4.8" x 2.7" x 1.3") 110 x 90 x 91mm (4.3" x 3.5" x 3.6")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 51 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 20.8 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 10.1 not tested
DXO Low light rating 536 not tested
Other
Battery life 330 pictures -
Type of battery Battery Pack -
Battery ID BLS-5 Li-50B
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (12 or 2 sec)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC card SD/SDHC, Internal
Storage slots 1 1
Launch cost $0 $270