Clicky

Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic FX48

Portability
86
Imaging
48
Features
60
Overall
52
Olympus PEN E-P3 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX48 front
Portability
95
Imaging
34
Features
21
Overall
28

Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic FX48 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
  • Introduced August 2011
  • Older Model is Olympus E-P2
  • New Model is Olympus E-P5
Panasonic FX48
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.5" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 3200 (Expand to 6400)
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 640 x 480 video
  • 25-125mm (F2.8-5.9) lens
  • 150g - 95 x 53 x 22mm
  • Introduced January 2009
  • Additionally Known as Lumix DMC-FX40
Photobucket discusses licensing 13 billion images with AI firms

Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic FX48 Overview

In this article, we will be evaluating the Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic FX48, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by brands Olympus and Panasonic. The resolution of the E-P3 (12MP) and the FX48 (12MP) is pretty comparable but the E-P3 (Four Thirds) and FX48 (1/2.3") use totally different sensor dimensions.

President Biden pushes bill mandating TikTok sale or ban

The E-P3 was unveiled 2 years later than the FX48 and that is a fairly sizable gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Both cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-P3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic FX48 being a Compact camera.

Before going straight into a step-by-step comparison, below is a brief introduction of how the E-P3 matches up against the FX48 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Samsung Releases Faster Versions of EVO MicroSD Cards
	
	

Reasons to pick Olympus E-P3 over the Panasonic FX48

 E-P3 FX48 
IntroducedAugust 2011January 2009Fresher by 32 months
Focus manually More precise focus
Screen sizing3"2.5"Bigger screen (+0.5")
Screen resolution614k230kSharper screen (+384k dot)
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Panasonic FX48 over the Olympus E-P3

 FX48 E-P3 

Common features in the Olympus E-P3 and Panasonic FX48

 E-P3 FX48 
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Selfie screen Neither has selfie screen

Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic FX48 Physical Comparison

If you are going to carry your camera frequently, you'll need to think about its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-P3 has exterior 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) while the Panasonic FX48 has measurements of 95mm x 53mm x 22mm (3.7" x 2.1" x 0.9") along with a weight of 150 grams (0.33 lbs).

Examine the Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic FX48 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary based on the lens you use at that time. Here is the front view over all size comparison of the E-P3 versus the FX48.

Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic FX48 size comparison

Looking at size and weight, the portability score of the E-P3 and FX48 is 86 and 95 respectively.

Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic FX48 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic FX48 Sensor Comparison

Generally, it is tough to visualise the contrast in sensor sizing only by going through technical specs. The photograph here should provide you a more clear sense of the sensor sizes in the E-P3 and FX48.

As you can tell, both of those cameras enjoy the same exact MP albeit not the same sensor sizing. The E-P3 provides the bigger sensor which should make getting shallow DOF less difficult. The more recent E-P3 will have a benefit with regard to sensor technology.

Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic FX48 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic FX48 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic FX48 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus E-P3
Portrait photography with Panasonic FX48
60
you can focus manually
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
includes face detection focusing
saves RAW formats
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
27
comes with face detection focusing
lack of manual focus
cannot use external flash
resolution not great (12 megapixels)
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
Meta to Introduce 'AI-Generated' Labels for Media starting next month

Street Comparison

Olympus E-P3 Street photography factors
Panasonic FX48 Street photography factors
76
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
comes with touch to focus
no moving screen
56
has image stabilization (Optical)
no moving screen
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
Japan-exclusive Leica Leitz Phone 3 features big sensor and new modes

Sports Comparison

Olympus E-P3 Sports photography factors
Panasonic FX48 Sports photography factors
49
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
includes tracking autofocus
max fps low (3.0 frames/s)
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
lacks phase detect AF
25
has image stabilization (Optical)
max fps very slow (2.0 frames/s)
lack of shutter priority mode
resolution not great (12MP)
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
lack of phase detect AF
Apple Innovates by Creating Next-Level Optical Stabilization for iPhone

Travel Comparison

Olympus E-P3 Travel photography advice
Panasonic FX48 Travel photography advice
60
comes with touch to focus
built-in flash
missing Time Lapse recording
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
doesn't feature selfie friendly screen
58
built-in flash
quite wide (25mm)
missing Time Lapse recording
resolution not great (12MP)
doesn't posses selfie friendly display
slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
Snapchat Adds Watermarks to AI-Created Images

Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus E-P3
Landscape photography with Panasonic FX48
65
you can focus manually
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is good (3")
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
megapixel count low (12MP)
missing Time Lapse recording
33
quite wide (25mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
lack of manual focus
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
screen is small (2.5")
resolution not great (12 megapixels)
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
missing Time Lapse recording
Photography Glossary

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-P3 Vlogging info
Panasonic FX48 Vlogging info
35
touchscreen capability
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
includes face detection focusing
high video quality (1920 x 1080 pixels)
doesn't feature selfie friendly screen
missing external mic jack
30
quite wide (25mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
comes with face detection focusing
slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
doesn't posses selfie friendly display
video quality not great (640 x 480 pixels)
missing external mic support
Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music video

Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic FX48 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-P3 and Panasonic FX48
 Olympus PEN E-P3Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX48
General Information
Make Olympus Panasonic
Model type Olympus PEN E-P3 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX48
Also called - Lumix DMC-FX40
Category Entry-Level Mirrorless Small Sensor Compact
Introduced 2011-08-17 2009-01-27
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Powered by 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 12 megapixels 12 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 4032 x 3024 4000 x 3000
Max native ISO 12800 3200
Max boosted ISO - 6400
Minimum native ISO 100 80
RAW files
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Continuous AF
AF single
Tracking AF
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Total focus points 35 11
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 25-125mm (5.0x)
Maximum aperture - f/2.8-5.9
Macro focusing range - 5cm
Number of lenses 107 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.9
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display diagonal 3 inches 2.5 inches
Display resolution 614k dots 230k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Display technology 3:2 OLED with Anti-Fingerprint Coating -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic (optional) None
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 secs 60 secs
Highest shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/3000 secs
Continuous shooting rate 3.0 frames/s 2.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 10.00 m (@ ISO 200) 6.00 m
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Wireless, Manual (3 levels) Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction, Slow Sync
External flash
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Highest flash synchronize 1/180 secs -
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) 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Max video resolution 1920x1080 640x480
Video file 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
Environment sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 369g (0.81 lb) 150g (0.33 lb)
Dimensions 122 x 69 x 34mm (4.8" x 2.7" x 1.3") 95 x 53 x 22mm (3.7" x 2.1" x 0.9")
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 pictures -
Style of battery Battery Pack -
Battery ID BLS-5 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC card SD/MMC/SDHC card, Internal
Card slots 1 1
Pricing at launch $0 $325