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Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic S1H

Portability
86
Imaging
48
Features
60
Overall
52
Olympus PEN E-P3 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DC-S1H front
Portability
52
Imaging
75
Features
87
Overall
79

Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic S1H Key Specs

Olympus E-P3
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 12800
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 369g - 122 x 69 x 34mm
  • Released August 2011
  • Superseded the Olympus E-P2
  • Replacement is Olympus E-P5
Panasonic S1H
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3.2" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 100 - 51200 (Increase to 204800)
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 5952 x 3988 video
  • Leica L Mount
  • 1052g - 151 x 114 x 110mm
  • Introduced August 2019
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Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic S1H Overview

On this page, we will be contrasting the Olympus E-P3 versus Panasonic S1H, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the latter is a Pro Mirrorless by competitors Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a huge gap among the sensor resolutions of the E-P3 (12MP) and S1H (24MP) and the E-P3 (Four Thirds) and S1H (Full frame) have different sensor size.

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The E-P3 was brought out 9 years prior to the S1H and that is a fairly significant gap as far as camera technology is concerned. The two cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-P3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic S1H being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before going straight to a complete comparison, here is a quick highlight of how the E-P3 grades versus the S1H in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-P3 over the Panasonic S1H

 E-P3 S1H 

Reasons to pick Panasonic S1H over the Olympus E-P3

 S1H E-P3 
IntroducedAugust 2019August 2011More recent by 97 months
Screen typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating screen
Screen dimensions3.2"3"Bigger screen (+0.2")
Screen resolution2330k614kSharper screen (+1716k dot)
Selfie screen Take selfies

Common features in the Olympus E-P3 and Panasonic S1H

 E-P3 S1H 
Focus manually Very precise focusing
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic S1H Physical Comparison

For those who are looking to lug around your camera frequently, you will need to take into account its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-P3 has got outer measurements of 122mm x 69mm x 34mm (4.8" x 2.7" x 1.3") accompanied by a weight of 369 grams (0.81 lbs) while the Panasonic S1H has dimensions of 151mm x 114mm x 110mm (5.9" x 4.5" x 4.3") and a weight of 1052 grams (2.32 lbs).

Check the Olympus E-P3 versus Panasonic S1H in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Keep in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary dependant on the lens you have chosen at that moment. Here is a front view sizing comparison of the E-P3 vs the S1H.

Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic S1H size comparison

Using dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-P3 and S1H is 86 and 52 respectively.

Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic S1H top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic S1H Sensor Comparison

Normally, it is very hard to picture the contrast in sensor measurements merely by viewing specs. The graphic here will offer you a greater sense of the sensor sizing in the E-P3 and S1H.

As you can plainly see, the two cameras provide different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The E-P3 featuring a smaller sensor is going to make achieving shallower DOF harder and the Panasonic S1H will result in greater detail having its extra 12MP. Higher resolution can also help you crop pictures more aggressively. The older E-P3 will be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor technology.

Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic S1H sensor size comparison

Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic S1H Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic S1H Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus E-P3
Portrait photography with Panasonic S1H
60
focusing manually
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
comes with face detection focus
saves RAW formats
low MP (12 megapixels)
85
you can focus manually
flash sync is higher than normal (1/320 seconds)
good resolution (24MP)
big sensor size (Full frame)
comes with face detection autofocus
delivers RAW files
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus E-P3
Street photography with Panasonic S1H
76
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
comes with touch focus
fixed screen
69
fully articulated screen
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
big sensor size (Full frame)
delivers RAW files
boasts touch to focus
weather proof
great ISO range (51,200)
more heavy than competition in class (1,052 grams)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-P3 Sports photography advice
Panasonic S1H Sports photography advice
49
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
comes with tracking autofocus
slow fps (3.0 frames per second)
low MP (12MP)
lack of phase detect auto focus
76
great max shutter speed (1/8,000 seconds)
quiet shutter (1/8,000 seconds)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good resolution (24MP)
big sensor size (Full frame)
comes with tracking autofocus
weather proof
not so great battery life (400 shots)
doesn't have phase detect autofocus
Photography Glossary

Travel Comparison

Olympus E-P3 Travel photography info
Panasonic S1H Travel photography info
60
comes with touch focus
has built in flash
lack of Timelapse function
low MP (12 megapixels)
doesn't feature selfie friendly screen
64
weather proof
connects via bluetooth
boasts touch to focus
good resolution (24MP)
selfie friendly screen
not so great battery life (400 per charge)
more heavy than competition in class (1,052g)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-P3 Landscape photography advice
Panasonic S1H Landscape photography advice
65
focusing manually
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
low MP (12 megapixels)
lack of Timelapse function
80
you can focus manually
interchangeable lenses (Leica L mount)
screen is a good size (3.2 inch)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good resolution (24 megapixels)
big sensor size (Full frame)
great ISO range (51,200)
delivers RAW files
weather proof
2 card slots
not so great battery life (400 shots)
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-P3 as a Vlogging camera
Panasonic S1H as a Vlogging camera
35
has touchscreen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
comes with face detection focus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
doesn't feature selfie friendly screen
lack of external microphone port
70
selfie friendly screen
touchscreen enabled
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
comes with face detection autofocus
video res high (5952 x 3988 pxls)
includes external microphone support
more heavy than competition in class (1,052g)
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Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic S1H Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-P3 and Panasonic S1H
 Olympus PEN E-P3Panasonic Lumix DC-S1H
General Information
Company Olympus Panasonic
Model Olympus PEN E-P3 Panasonic Lumix DC-S1H
Class Entry-Level Mirrorless Pro Mirrorless
Released 2011-08-17 2019-08-28
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Chip TruePic VI Venus Engine
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds Full frame
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 35.6 x 23.8mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 847.3mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixels 24 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 4032 x 3024 6000 x 4000
Highest native ISO 12800 51200
Highest enhanced ISO - 204800
Min native ISO 100 100
RAW support
Min enhanced ISO - 50
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
AF continuous
AF single
Tracking AF
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Number of focus points 35 225
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds Leica L
Amount of lenses 107 30
Crop factor 2.1 1
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fully Articulated
Display diagonal 3" 3.2"
Display resolution 614k dots 2,330k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Display tech 3:2 OLED with Anti-Fingerprint Coating -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic (optional) Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 5,760k dots
Viewfinder coverage - 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.78x
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60s 60s
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000s 1/8000s
Fastest quiet shutter speed - 1/8000s
Continuous shutter rate 3.0 frames/s 9.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range 10.00 m (@ ISO 200) no built-in flash
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Wireless, Manual (3 levels) Auto, Auto/Red-eye Reduction, Forced On, Forced On/Red-eye Reduction, Slow Sync., Slow Sync./Red-eye Reduction, Forced Off
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Fastest flash synchronize 1/180s 1/320s
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 5952 x 3988 @ 23.98p / 200 Mbps, MOV, H.265, Linear PCM
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 5952x3988
Video data format AVCHD, Motion JPEG MPEG-4, H.264, H.265
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) Yes
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 369 grams (0.81 lb) 1052 grams (2.32 lb)
Physical dimensions 122 x 69 x 34mm (4.8" x 2.7" x 1.3") 151 x 114 x 110mm (5.9" x 4.5" x 4.3")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score 51 not tested
DXO Color Depth score 20.8 not tested
DXO Dynamic range score 10.1 not tested
DXO Low light score 536 not tested
Other
Battery life 330 pictures 400 pictures
Battery style Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model BLS-5 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC card Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC slots (UHS-II supported)
Card slots One Two
Retail pricing $0 $3,998