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Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic L1

Portability
86
Imaging
48
Features
60
Overall
52
Olympus PEN E-P3 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-L1 front
Portability
65
Imaging
41
Features
38
Overall
39

Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic L1 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
  • New Model is Olympus E-P5
Panasonic L1
(Full Review)
  • 7MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 2.5" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 1600
  • No Video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 606g - 146 x 87 x 77mm
  • Launched April 2007
Photography Glossary

Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic L1 Overview

Lets look a bit more closely at the Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic L1, former is a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Advanced DSLR by companies Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a sizable gap between the sensor resolutions of the E-P3 (12MP) and L1 (7MP) but both cameras boast the same sensor dimensions (Four Thirds).

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The E-P3 was released 4 years after the L1 which is quite a significant difference as far as technology is concerned. Both of the cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-P3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic L1 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before diving right into a step-by-step comparison, here is a quick overview of how the E-P3 scores versus the L1 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-P3 over the Panasonic L1

 E-P3 L1 
LaunchedAugust 2011April 2007More modern by 53 months
Screen dimensions3"2.5"Bigger screen (+0.5")
Screen resolution614k207kClearer screen (+407k dot)
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Panasonic L1 over the Olympus E-P3

 L1 E-P3 

Common features in the Olympus E-P3 and Panasonic L1

 E-P3 L1 
Manual focus Very exact focusing
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Selfie screen Lacking selfie screen

Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic L1 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is aiming to carry around your camera regularly, you are going to need to factor in its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-P3 enjoys exterior measurements 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 L1 has measurements of 146mm x 87mm x 77mm (5.7" x 3.4" x 3.0") having a weight of 606 grams (1.34 lbs).

Examine the Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic L1 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you are utilising during that time. Following is a front view size comparison of the E-P3 compared to the L1.

Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic L1 size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-P3 and L1 is 86 and 65 respectively.

Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic L1 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic L1 Sensor Comparison

Quite often, its tough to envision the contrast between sensor sizes purely by reading through a spec sheet. The picture here will help offer you a more clear sense of the sensor measurements in the E-P3 and L1.

As you can see, both of these cameras provide the same sensor dimensions albeit not the same megapixels. You can expect the Olympus E-P3 to give greater detail as a result of its extra 5 Megapixels. Higher resolution will help you crop pictures more aggressively. The more modern E-P3 is going to have a benefit when it comes to sensor innovation.

Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic L1 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic L1 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic L1 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-P3 Portrait photography features
Panasonic L1 Portrait photography features
60
has manual focus
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
comes with face detection focusing
exports RAW files
sensor resolution low (12MP)
54
has manual focus
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
low resolution (7 megapixels)
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-P3 Street photography features
Panasonic L1 Street photography features
76
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
supports touch to focus
no moving screen
58
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
lighter than competition in class (606 grams)
screen does not articulate
does not have image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-P3 Sports photography details
Panasonic L1 Sports photography details
49
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
comes with tracking autofocus
slow continuous shooting (3.0 fps)
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
does not have phase detect AF
40
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
sensor has phase detect autofocus
very slow continuous shooting (3.0 fps)
does not have image stabilization
low resolution (7 megapixels)
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-P3 Travel photography info
Panasonic L1 Travel photography info
60
supports touch to focus
has built in flash
does not have Timelapse recording
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
doesn't feature selfie friendly display
50
lighter than competition in class (606g)
has built in flash
doesn't have Timelapse mode
low resolution (7 megapixels)
display is not selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-P3 Landscape photography factors
Panasonic L1 Landscape photography factors
65
has manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen is a good size (3")
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
does not have Timelapse recording
47
has manual focus
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
screen is small (2.5 inches)
does not have image stabilization
low resolution (7 megapixels)
doesn't have Timelapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-P3 as a Vlogging camera
Panasonic L1 as a Vlogging camera
35
touchscreen functionality
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
comes with face detection focusing
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
doesn't feature selfie friendly display
does not have external microphone port
9
no video shooting
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Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic L1 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-P3 and Panasonic L1
 Olympus PEN E-P3Panasonic Lumix DMC-L1
General Information
Brand Olympus Panasonic
Model type Olympus PEN E-P3 Panasonic Lumix DMC-L1
Type Entry-Level Mirrorless Advanced DSLR
Launched 2011-08-17 2007-04-11
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Processor Chip TruePic VI -
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds Four Thirds
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 17.3 x 13mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 224.9mm²
Sensor resolution 12MP 7MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Highest resolution 4032 x 3024 3136 x 2352
Highest native ISO 12800 1600
Minimum native ISO 100 100
RAW data
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
AF continuous
Single AF
AF tracking
Selective AF
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Total focus points 35 3
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds Micro Four Thirds
Total lenses 107 45
Focal length multiplier 2.1 2.1
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display diagonal 3" 2.5"
Resolution of display 614 thousand dot 207 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Display tech 3:2 OLED with Anti-Fingerprint Coating -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic (optional) Optical (pentamirror)
Viewfinder coverage - 95%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.46x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 seconds 60 seconds
Highest shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Continuous shooting speed 3.0fps 3.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 10.00 m (@ ISO 200) 13.00 m
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Wireless, Manual (3 levels) Auto, Red-Eye Auto, On, Red-Eye On, Red-Eye Slow Sync, Off, Slow Sync (1&2)
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Highest flash sync 1/180 seconds 1/160 seconds
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) -
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 None
Video format AVCHD, Motion JPEG -
Microphone 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 proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 369g (0.81 pounds) 606g (1.34 pounds)
Physical dimensions 122 x 69 x 34mm (4.8" x 2.7" x 1.3") 146 x 87 x 77mm (5.7" x 3.4" x 3.0")
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 -
Battery form 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 card
Storage slots 1 1
Price at launch $0 $1,500