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Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic FH27

Portability
86
Imaging
48
Features
60
Overall
52
Olympus PEN E-P3 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH27 front
Portability
94
Imaging
39
Features
34
Overall
37

Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic FH27 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
  • Launched August 2011
  • Older Model is Olympus E-P2
  • Replacement is Olympus E-P5
Panasonic FH27
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-224mm (F3.3-5.9) lens
  • 152g - 99 x 57 x 28mm
  • Announced January 2011
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Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic FH27 Overview

Here is a in depth assessment of the Olympus E-P3 and Panasonic FH27, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the other is a Small Sensor Compact by rivals Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a noticeable gap among the image resolutions of the E-P3 (12MP) and FH27 (16MP) and the E-P3 (Four Thirds) and FH27 (1/2.3") have totally different sensor size.

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The E-P3 was announced 8 months later than the FH27 so they are both of a similar age. Both of these cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-P3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic FH27 being a Compact camera.

Before getting into a thorough comparison, here is a short synopsis of how the E-P3 matches up versus the FH27 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-P3 over the Panasonic FH27

 E-P3 FH27 
AnnouncedAugust 2011January 2011Fresher by 8 months
Manual focus More precise focus
Display resolution614k230kSharper display (+384k dot)

Reasons to pick Panasonic FH27 over the Olympus E-P3

 FH27 E-P3 

Common features in the Olympus E-P3 and Panasonic FH27

 E-P3 FH27 
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Display dimensions3"3"Equal display size
Selfie screen Lacking selfie screen
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic FH27 Physical Comparison

If you are looking to carry your camera regularly, you'll have to factor its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-P3 has got outside measurements of 122mm x 69mm x 34mm (4.8" x 2.7" x 1.3") along with a weight of 369 grams (0.81 lbs) whilst the Panasonic FH27 has measurements of 99mm x 57mm x 28mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 1.1") having a weight of 152 grams (0.34 lbs).

See the Olympus E-P3 and Panasonic FH27 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you have at that time. The following is a front view size comparison of the E-P3 against the FH27.

Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic FH27 size comparison

Using dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-P3 and FH27 is 86 and 94 respectively.

Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic FH27 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic FH27 Sensor Comparison

More often than not, it is difficult to visualise the difference in sensor sizing simply by researching a spec sheet. The graphic below may provide you a much better sense of the sensor sizing in the E-P3 and FH27.

As you can see, each of these cameras provide different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The E-P3 using its larger sensor will make shooting bokeh less difficult and the Panasonic FH27 will result in more detail with its extra 4MP. Greater resolution will also enable you to crop images more aggressively. The fresher E-P3 will have an advantage with regard to sensor tech.

Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic FH27 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic FH27 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic FH27 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-P3 Portrait photography highlights
Panasonic FH27 Portrait photography highlights
60
focusing manually
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
offers face detection focus
exports RAW formats
low MP (12 megapixels)
34
MP count good (16 megapixels)
supports face detection autofocus
focusing manually not possible
no manual mode
can't use external flash
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-P3 Street photography highlights
Panasonic FH27 Street photography highlights
76
image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
boasts touch to focus
no moving screen
63
image stabilization (Optical)
comes with touch focus
no moving screen
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-P3 as a Sports photography camera
Panasonic FH27 as a Sports photography camera
49
image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
offers tracking autofocus
slow continuous shooting (3.0 frames/s)
low MP (12MP)
has no phase detect auto focus
40
image stabilization (Optical)
MP count good (16MP)
supports tracking autofocus
low fps (4.0 frames/s)
no shutter priority
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
has no phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-P3 as a Travel photography camera
Panasonic FH27 as a Travel photography camera
60
boasts touch to focus
flash built-in
no Time Lapse recording
low MP (12MP)
display is not selfie friendly
68
comes with touch focus
MP count good (16MP)
flash built-in
fairly wide (28mm)
no Time Lapse recording
display is not selfie friendly
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.3)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-P3 as a Landscape photography camera
Panasonic FH27 as a Landscape photography camera
65
focusing manually
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
good sized screen (3 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
low MP (12MP)
no Time Lapse recording
43
fairly wide (28mm)
screen is a good size (3 inch)
image stabilization (Optical)
MP count good (16 megapixels)
focusing manually not possible
can't switch lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.3)
no manual mode
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
no Time Lapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus E-P3
Vlogging with Panasonic FH27
35
touchscreen enabled
image stabilization (Sensor based)
offers face detection focus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
display is not selfie friendly
no external mic port
32
fairly wide (28mm)
touchscreen capability
image stabilization (Optical)
supports face detection autofocus
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.3)
display is not selfie friendly
video res low (1280 x 720 resolution)
no external mic support
Photography Glossary

Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic FH27 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-P3 and Panasonic FH27
 Olympus PEN E-P3Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH27
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Panasonic
Model type Olympus PEN E-P3 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH27
Type Entry-Level Mirrorless Small Sensor Compact
Launched 2011-08-17 2011-01-05
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Chip TruePic VI Venus Engine VI
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixels 16 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 -
Highest resolution 4032 x 3024 4608 x 3456
Highest native ISO 12800 6400
Minimum native ISO 100 100
RAW images
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
Continuous AF
AF single
AF tracking
Selective AF
AF center weighted
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Total focus points 35 11
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 28-224mm (8.0x)
Maximal aperture - f/3.3-5.9
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 inches 3 inches
Resolution of display 614 thousand dots 230 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Display technology 3:2 OLED with Anti-Fingerprint Coating TFT Touch Screen LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic (optional) None
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60s 60s
Highest shutter speed 1/4000s 1/1600s
Continuous shooting rate 3.0 frames per second 4.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes -
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 10.00 m (@ ISO 200) 5.80 m
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Wireless, Manual (3 levels) Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction
Hot shoe
AEB
White balance bracketing
Highest flash synchronize 1/180s -
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1280 x 720 (24 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video format AVCHD, Motion JPEG Motion JPEG
Mic support
Headphone support
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 sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 369 gr (0.81 pounds) 152 gr (0.34 pounds)
Physical dimensions 122 x 69 x 34mm (4.8" x 2.7" x 1.3") 99 x 57 x 28mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 1.1")
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 photos 250 photos
Battery style Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLS-5 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC card SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Card slots Single Single
Price at launch $0 $229