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Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic LX7

Portability
86
Imaging
48
Features
60
Overall
52
Olympus PEN E-P3 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX7 front
Portability
86
Imaging
35
Features
61
Overall
45

Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic LX7 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
  • Earlier Model is Olympus E-P2
  • Replacement is Olympus E-P5
Panasonic LX7
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - 1/1.7" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 6400 (Increase to 12800)
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 24-90mm (F1.4-2.3) lens
  • 298g - 111 x 68 x 46mm
  • Announced October 2012
  • Replaced the Panasonic LX5
  • Successor is Panasonic LX10
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Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic LX7 Overview

Its time to look a little more in depth at the Olympus E-P3 versus Panasonic LX7, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the other is a Small Sensor Compact by manufacturers Olympus and Panasonic. The resolution of the E-P3 (12MP) and the LX7 (10MP) is very close but the E-P3 (Four Thirds) and LX7 (1/1.7") possess different sensor sizes.

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The E-P3 was unveiled 14 months prior to the LX7 making the cameras a generation apart from one another. Both of these cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-P3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic LX7 being a Compact camera.

Before delving through a step-by-step comparison, below is a simple highlight of how the E-P3 matches up vs the LX7 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-P3 over the Panasonic LX7

 E-P3 LX7 
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Panasonic LX7 over the Olympus E-P3

 LX7 E-P3 
AnnouncedOctober 2012August 2011Fresher by 14 months
Display resolution920k614kSharper display (+306k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-P3 and Panasonic LX7

 E-P3 LX7 
Manually focus More exact focus
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Display dimension3"3"Identical display dimensions
Selfie screen Lack of selfie screen

Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic LX7 Physical Comparison

When you are aiming to carry your camera regularly, you have to factor its weight and volume. The Olympus E-P3 features outer measurements of 122mm x 69mm x 34mm (4.8" x 2.7" x 1.3") and a weight of 369 grams (0.81 lbs) whilst the Panasonic LX7 has sizing of 111mm x 68mm x 46mm (4.4" x 2.7" x 1.8") having a weight of 298 grams (0.66 lbs).

Look at the Olympus E-P3 versus Panasonic LX7 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into account, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change depending on the lens you are using at the time. The following is the front view scale comparison of the E-P3 vs the LX7.

Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic LX7 size comparison

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-P3 and LX7 is 86 and 86 respectively.

Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic LX7 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic LX7 Sensor Comparison

Typically, it's difficult to picture the contrast in sensor sizing purely by viewing specs. The visual underneath will give you a clearer sense of the sensor measurements in the E-P3 and LX7.

As you can plainly see, each of the cameras have got different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The E-P3 using its larger sensor is going to make shooting shallower depth of field easier and the Olympus E-P3 will render more detail having an extra 2MP. Greater resolution will also let you crop photos much more aggressively. The older E-P3 will be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor tech.

Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic LX7 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic LX7 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic LX7 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus E-P3
Portrait photography with Panasonic LX7
60
focusing manually
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
has face detection focus
saves RAW formats
MP count low (12MP)
45
focusing manually
provides face detection focusing
delivers RAW formats
low MP (10MP)
sensor size is very small (1/1.7")
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-P3 Street photography highlights
Panasonic LX7 Street photography highlights
76
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
has touch focus
no moving screen
58
built in image stabilization (Optical)
delivers RAW formats
screen does not articulate
sensor size is very small (1/1.7")
more heavy than competition in class (298 grams)
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus E-P3
Sports photography with Panasonic LX7
49
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
has tracking autofocus
very slow continuous shooting (3.0 fps)
MP count low (12MP)
doesn't have phase detect auto focus
42
built in image stabilization (Optical)
provides tracking autofocus
good battery life (330 per charge)
low MP (10MP)
sensor size is very small (1/1.7")
has no phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus E-P3
Travel photography with Panasonic LX7
60
has touch focus
built-in flash
lack of Time Lapse function
MP count low (12 megapixels)
display is not selfie friendly
64
good battery life (330 per charge)
built-in flash
pretty wide (24mm)
good maximum aperture (f1.4)
more heavy than competition in class (298 grams)
low MP (10MP)
does not contain selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-P3 as a Landscape photography camera
Panasonic LX7 as a Landscape photography camera
65
focusing manually
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen is a good size (3")
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
MP count low (12 megapixels)
lack of Time Lapse function
57
focusing manually
pretty wide (24mm)
good maximum aperture (f1.4)
screen size is good (3")
built in image stabilization (Optical)
delivers RAW formats
good battery life (330 per charge)
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
low MP (10MP)
sensor size is very small (1/1.7")
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-P3 as a Vlogging camera
Panasonic LX7 as a Vlogging camera
35
touchscreen functionality
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
has face detection focus
high res video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
display is not selfie friendly
lack of external mic jack
33
pretty wide (24mm)
good maximum aperture (f1.4)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
provides face detection focusing
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
does not contain selfie friendly screen
doesn't have external microphone jack
more heavy than competition in class (298 grams)
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Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic LX7 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-P3 and Panasonic LX7
 Olympus PEN E-P3Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX7
General Information
Brand Olympus Panasonic
Model type Olympus PEN E-P3 Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX7
Class Entry-Level Mirrorless Small Sensor Compact
Revealed 2011-08-17 2012-10-15
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Chip TruePic VI Venus Engine
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/1.7"
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 7.44 x 5.58mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 41.5mm²
Sensor resolution 12MP 10MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Highest Possible resolution 4032 x 3024 3648 x 2736
Maximum native ISO 12800 6400
Maximum enhanced ISO - 12800
Minimum native ISO 100 80
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
AF continuous
AF single
AF tracking
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Total focus points 35 23
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 24-90mm (3.8x)
Maximum aperture - f/1.4-2.3
Macro focusing range - 1cm
Amount of lenses 107 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 4.8
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen diagonal 3 inches 3 inches
Screen resolution 614 thousand dot 920 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Screen tech 3:2 OLED with Anti-Fingerprint Coating TFT Color LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic (optional) Electronic (optional)
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60 secs 60 secs
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/4000 secs
Continuous shutter speed 3.0 frames per second 11.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 10.00 m (@ ISO 200) 8.50 m
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Wireless, Manual (3 levels) Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Fastest flash sync 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) 1920 x 1080 (60, 50, 30, 25 fps), 1280 x 720p (60, 50, 30, 25 fps), 640 x 480 (30, 25 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video data format AVCHD, Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD
Microphone input
Headphone input
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 lbs) 298g (0.66 lbs)
Dimensions 122 x 69 x 34mm (4.8" x 2.7" x 1.3") 111 x 68 x 46mm (4.4" x 2.7" x 1.8")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 51 50
DXO Color Depth rating 20.8 20.7
DXO Dynamic range rating 10.1 11.7
DXO Low light rating 536 147
Other
Battery life 330 photos 330 photos
Battery format Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLS-5 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10 sec (3 images))
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC card SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Storage slots One One
Price at release $0 $400