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Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic FH6

Portability
86
Imaging
48
Features
60
Overall
52
Olympus PEN E-P3 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH6 front
Portability
96
Imaging
38
Features
29
Overall
34

Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic FH6 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
  • Revealed August 2011
  • Superseded the Olympus E-P2
  • Successor is Olympus E-P5
Panasonic FH6
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 24-120mm (F2.5-6.4) lens
  • 119g - 96 x 56 x 20mm
  • Introduced January 2012
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Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic FH6 Overview

Lets look more closely at the Olympus E-P3 and Panasonic FH6, one is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the other is a Small Sensor Compact by rivals Olympus and Panasonic. The image resolution of the E-P3 (12MP) and the FH6 (14MP) is very well matched but the E-P3 (Four Thirds) and FH6 (1/2.3") offer totally different sensor size.

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The E-P3 was brought out 4 months before the FH6 so they are of a similar generation. Both of these cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-P3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic FH6 being a Compact camera.

Before diving right into a step-by-step comparison, here is a brief highlight of how the E-P3 grades versus the FH6 for portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-P3 over the Panasonic FH6

 E-P3 FH6 
Focus manually Dial accurate focusing
Display size3"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")
Display resolution614k230kSharper display (+384k dot)
Touch display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Panasonic FH6 over the Olympus E-P3

 FH6 E-P3 

Common features in the Olympus E-P3 and Panasonic FH6

 E-P3 FH6 
IntroducedAugust 2011January 2012Similar generation
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Selfie screen Neither provides selfie screen

Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic FH6 Physical Comparison

When you are aiming to carry around your camera, you should consider its weight and size. The Olympus E-P3 provides outside dimensions 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 FH6 has specifications of 96mm x 56mm x 20mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.8") having a weight of 119 grams (0.26 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-P3 and Panasonic FH6 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Always remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary dependant on the lens you are using at the time. Following is a front view over all size comparison of the E-P3 against the FH6.

Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic FH6 size comparison

Using dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-P3 and FH6 is 86 and 96 respectively.

Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic FH6 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic FH6 Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, it's tough to envision the contrast between sensor sizes just by reading through technical specs. The pic underneath will help give you a better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-P3 and FH6.

As you can tell, both cameras feature different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The E-P3 due to its larger sensor will make shooting shallow depth of field less difficult and the Panasonic FH6 will give extra detail having its extra 2MP. Greater resolution will also allow you to crop images way more aggressively.

Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic FH6 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic FH6 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic FH6 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photography Glossary

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-P3 as a Portrait photography camera
Panasonic FH6 as a Portrait photography camera
60
has manual focus
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
includes face detection autofocus
exports RAW files
low megapixels (12MP)
34
good megapixels (14MP)
comes with face detect focus
no manual focus
lack of manual exposure
no external flash support
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-P3 as a Street photography camera
Panasonic FH6 as a Street photography camera
76
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
supports focus by touch
fixed screen
63
has image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competitors in class (119g)
screen does not articulate
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-P3 Sports photography information
Panasonic FH6 Sports photography information
49
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
includes tracking autofocus
continuous shooting slow (3.0 frames/s)
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
lacks phase detect autofocus
40
has image stabilization (Optical)
good megapixels (14MP)
better than average battery (280 shots)
continuous shooting slow (2.0 frames per second)
no shutter priority mode
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
has no phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-P3 Travel photography advice
Panasonic FH6 Travel photography advice
60
supports focus by touch
has built in flash
missing Time Lapse mode
low megapixels (12MP)
doesn't offer selfie friendly screen
71
better than average battery (280 per charge)
lighter than competitors in class (119 grams)
good megapixels (14MP)
flash built-in
decently wide (24mm)
missing Time Lapse recording
doesn't feature selfie friendly display
slow maximum aperture (f2.5)
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus E-P3
Landscape photography with Panasonic FH6
65
has manual focus
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is good (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
low megapixels (12MP)
missing Time Lapse mode
41
decently wide (24mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
good megapixels (14 megapixels)
better than average battery (280 shots)
no manual focus
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f2.5)
screen is small (2.7 inches)
lack of manual exposure
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
missing Time Lapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-P3 Vlogging information
Panasonic FH6 Vlogging information
35
touchscreen
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
includes face detection autofocus
high res video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
doesn't offer selfie friendly screen
missing external mic support
33
decently wide (24mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
comes with face detect focus
lighter than competitors in class (119g)
slow maximum aperture (f2.5)
doesn't feature selfie friendly display
low res video (1280 x 720 pixels)
missing mic port
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Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic FH6 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-P3 and Panasonic FH6
 Olympus PEN E-P3Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH6
General Information
Company Olympus Panasonic
Model Olympus PEN E-P3 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH6
Type Entry-Level Mirrorless Small Sensor Compact
Revealed 2011-08-17 2012-01-09
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Chip TruePic 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 12MP 14MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 4:3 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 4032 x 3024 4320 x 3240
Maximum native ISO 12800 6400
Min native ISO 100 100
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch to focus
AF continuous
Single AF
AF tracking
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Number of focus points 35 9
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 24-120mm (5.0x)
Max aperture - f/2.5-6.4
Macro focus distance - 5cm
Total lenses 107 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.9
Screen
Range of display Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display sizing 3" 2.7"
Display resolution 614k dot 230k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Display technology 3:2 OLED with Anti-Fingerprint Coating TFT Color LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic (optional) None
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60 secs 8 secs
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/1600 secs
Continuous shooting speed 3.0 frames/s 2.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Change WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 10.00 m (@ ISO 200) 4.60 m
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Wireless, Manual (3 levels) Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction
External flash
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Maximum flash sync 1/180 secs -
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported 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), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video file format AVCHD, Motion JPEG Motion JPEG
Mic jack
Headphone jack
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 proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 369 grams (0.81 lb) 119 grams (0.26 lb)
Physical dimensions 122 x 69 x 34mm (4.8" x 2.7" x 1.3") 96 x 56 x 20mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.8")
DXO scores
DXO All around 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 shots 280 shots
Battery form Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model BLS-5 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC card SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Storage slots One One
Retail cost $0 $129