Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic FS12

Let's look much closer at the Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic FS12, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the other is a Ultracompact by rivals Olympus and Panasonic. The image resolution of the E-P3 (12MP) and the FS12 (12MP) is fairly well matched but the E-P3 (Four Thirds) and FS12 (1/2.3") offer different sensor sizing.

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The E-P3 was introduced 2 years later than the FS12 and that is quite a big gap as far as technology is concerned. Each of these cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-P3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic FS12 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before delving into a step-by-step comparison, here is a concise introduction of how the E-P3 matches up versus the FS12 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus PEN E-P3 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS12. The whole galleries are available at Olympus E-P3 Gallery and Panasonic FS12 Gallery.

For anyone who is planning to lug around your camera often, you will want to factor in its weight and size. The Olympus E-P3 comes with external dimensions of 122mm x 69mm x 34mm (4.8" x 2.7" x 1.3") accompanied by a weight of 369 grams (0.81 lbs) whilst the Panasonic FS12 has specifications of 97mm x 55mm x 22mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.9") and a weight of 129 grams (0.28 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic FS12 in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Do not forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you use at that moment. The following is a front view scale comparison of the E-P3 and the FS12.

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-P3 and FS12 is 86 and 95 respectively.

Quite often, its tough to picture the difference between sensor measurements merely by looking at technical specs. The graphic here will help give you a far better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-P3 and FS12.

As you can tell, each of these cameras provide the same megapixel count but different sensor measurements. The E-P3 features the larger sensor which will make obtaining shallow DOF simpler. The younger E-P3 should have a benefit with regard to sensor tech.