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Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic FP5

Portability
86
Imaging
48
Features
60
Overall
52
Olympus PEN E-P3 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FP5 front
Portability
95
Imaging
37
Features
33
Overall
35

Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic FP5 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
  • Revealed August 2011
  • Superseded the Olympus E-P2
  • Refreshed by Olympus E-P5
Panasonic FP5
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 35-140mm (F3.5-5.9) lens
  • 141g - 101 x 59 x 18mm
  • Launched January 2011
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Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic FP5 Overview

Let's take a closer look at the Olympus E-P3 versus Panasonic FP5, former is a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Ultracompact by manufacturers Olympus and Panasonic. The resolution of the E-P3 (12MP) and the FP5 (14MP) is pretty well matched but the E-P3 (Four Thirds) and FP5 (1/2.3") feature totally different sensor sizes.

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The E-P3 was released 8 months after the FP5 and they are of a similar age. Both of the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-P3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic FP5 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before diving straight into a in-depth comparison, below is a quick highlight of how the E-P3 scores versus the FP5 for portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-P3 over the Panasonic FP5

 E-P3 FP5 
LaunchedAugust 2011January 2011More modern by 8 months
Manual focus More precise focusing
Screen resolution614k230kClearer screen (+384k dot)

Reasons to pick Panasonic FP5 over the Olympus E-P3

 FP5 E-P3 

Common features in the Olympus E-P3 and Panasonic FP5

 E-P3 FP5 
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Screen dimension3"3"Identical screen dimensions
Selfie screen Neither provides selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic FP5 Physical Comparison

If you're looking to carry around your camera often, you are going to need to take into account its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-P3 provides exterior 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 Panasonic FP5 has dimensions of 101mm x 59mm x 18mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 0.7") along with a weight of 141 grams (0.31 lbs).

See the Olympus E-P3 versus Panasonic FP5 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you have attached at the time. Below is the front view proportions comparison of the E-P3 compared to the FP5.

Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic FP5 size comparison

Using size and weight, the portability score of the E-P3 and FP5 is 86 and 95 respectively.

Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic FP5 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic FP5 Sensor Comparison

Generally, its hard to envision the difference between sensor sizes purely by reading through specs. The picture here should give you a greater sense of the sensor sizing in the E-P3 and FP5.

As you can plainly see, both the cameras have got different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The E-P3 featuring a bigger sensor will make getting shallow DOF simpler and the Panasonic FP5 will give you greater detail as a result of its extra 2 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also let you crop photographs much more aggressively. The younger E-P3 is going to have an advantage when it comes to sensor innovation.

Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic FP5 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic FP5 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic FP5 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-P3 Portrait photography features
Panasonic FP5 Portrait photography features
60
has manual focus
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
has face detect focus
saves RAW formats
MP count low (12 megapixels)
33
sensor resolution is decent (14 megapixels)
supports face detect focus
manual focus not available
no manual control
external flash not possible
very small sensor (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-P3 Street photography advice
Panasonic FP5 Street photography advice
76
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
includes focus by touch
screen does not articulate
63
built in image stabilization (Optical)
features touch to focus
fixed screen
very small sensor (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-P3 Sports photography features
Panasonic FP5 Sports photography features
49
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
has tracking focus
low fps (3.0 frames/s)
MP count low (12MP)
lack of phase detect auto focus
43
built in image stabilization (Optical)
sensor resolution is decent (14 megapixels)
supports tracking focus
great battery (260 per charge)
very slow continuous shooting (6.0 frames per second)
lack of shutter priority mode
very small sensor (1/2.3")
does not have phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-P3 as a Travel photography camera
Panasonic FP5 as a Travel photography camera
60
includes focus by touch
flash built-in
lack of Timelapse mode
MP count low (12MP)
doesn't posses selfie friendly display
65
great battery (260 shots)
features touch to focus
sensor resolution is decent (14MP)
flash built-in
lack of Timelapse function
screen isn't selfie friendly
wide angle not good (35mm)
slow max aperture (f3.5)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-P3 Landscape photography factors
Panasonic FP5 Landscape photography factors
65
has manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen is a good size (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
MP count low (12MP)
lack of Timelapse mode
40
screen size is good (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
sensor resolution is decent (14 megapixels)
great battery (260 shots)
manual focus not available
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not good (35mm)
slow max aperture (f3.5)
no manual control
very small sensor (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
lack of Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-P3 Vlogging features
Panasonic FP5 Vlogging features
35
has touchscreen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
has face detect focus
good video quality (1920 x 1080 pixels)
doesn't posses selfie friendly display
lack of microphone socket
30
touchscreen
built in image stabilization (Optical)
supports face detect focus
wide angle not good (35mm)
slow max aperture (f3.5)
screen isn't selfie friendly
low res video (1280 x 720 resolution)
lack of microphone support
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Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic FP5 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-P3 and Panasonic FP5
 Olympus PEN E-P3Panasonic Lumix DMC-FP5
General Information
Make Olympus Panasonic
Model Olympus PEN E-P3 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FP5
Class Entry-Level Mirrorless Ultracompact
Revealed 2011-08-17 2011-01-05
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless Ultracompact
Sensor Information
Processor Chip TruePic VI Venus Engine IV
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 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 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Highest resolution 4032 x 3024 4320 x 3240
Highest native ISO 12800 6400
Min native ISO 100 100
RAW images
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch to focus
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Autofocus center weighted
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Number of focus points 35 11
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 35-140mm (4.0x)
Max aperture - f/3.5-5.9
Macro focus range - 10cm
Total lenses 107 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.9
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen size 3 inches 3 inches
Resolution of screen 614 thousand dots 230 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Screen tech 3:2 OLED with Anti-Fingerprint Coating TFT Touch Screen LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic (optional) None
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60s 60s
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000s 1/1600s
Continuous shooting rate 3.0fps 6.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 10.00 m (@ ISO 200) 4.90 m
Flash settings 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 synchronize 1/180s -
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)
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video data format AVCHD, Motion JPEG Motion JPEG
Microphone 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 proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 369g (0.81 lb) 141g (0.31 lb)
Dimensions 122 x 69 x 34mm (4.8" x 2.7" x 1.3") 101 x 59 x 18mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 0.7")
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 pictures 260 pictures
Form of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model BLS-5 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC card SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Card slots Single Single
Launch price $0 $199