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Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic LZ40

Portability
86
Imaging
48
Features
60
Overall
52
Olympus PEN E-P3 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ40 front
Portability
67
Imaging
45
Features
35
Overall
41

Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic LZ40 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
  • Released August 2011
  • Replaced the Olympus E-P2
  • Successor is Olympus E-P5
Panasonic LZ40
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 1600 (Boost to 6400)
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 22-924mm (F3.0-6.5) lens
  • 524g - 126 x 87 x 94mm
  • Launched January 2014
  • Earlier Model is Panasonic LZ30
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Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic LZ40 Overview

Below is a extended overview of the Olympus E-P3 versus Panasonic LZ40, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom by manufacturers Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a sizeable gap between the image resolutions of the E-P3 (12MP) and LZ40 (20MP) and the E-P3 (Four Thirds) and LZ40 (1/2.3") posses totally different sensor sizing.

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The E-P3 was manufactured 3 years before the LZ40 and that is quite a large gap 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 LZ40 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera.

Before getting straight to a comprehensive comparison, here is a quick highlight of how the E-P3 scores against the LZ40 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-P3 over the Panasonic LZ40

 E-P3 LZ40 
Focus manually Dial exact focusing
Display resolution614k460kClearer display (+154k dot)
Touch display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Panasonic LZ40 over the Olympus E-P3

 LZ40 E-P3 
LaunchedJanuary 2014August 2011More recent by 29 months

Common features in the Olympus E-P3 and Panasonic LZ40

 E-P3 LZ40 
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Display dimensions3"3"Equal display measurement
Selfie screen No selfie screen

Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic LZ40 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is planning to lug around your camera frequently, you will need to take into account its weight and volume. The Olympus E-P3 offers outer 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 LZ40 has sizing of 126mm x 87mm x 94mm (5.0" x 3.4" x 3.7") along with a weight of 524 grams (1.16 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus E-P3 versus Panasonic LZ40 in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Do not forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ depending on the lens you choose at that moment. Underneath is a front view over all size comparison of the E-P3 vs the LZ40.

Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic LZ40 size comparison

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-P3 and LZ40 is 86 and 67 respectively.

Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic LZ40 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic LZ40 Sensor Comparison

More often than not, its tough to see the contrast between sensor measurements merely by checking technical specs. The photograph below will give you a greater sense of the sensor measurements in the E-P3 and LZ40.

As you have seen, both cameras have different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The E-P3 because of its larger sensor will make shooting shallower depth of field simpler and the Panasonic LZ40 will give you extra detail due to its extra 8MP. Greater resolution will enable you to crop images a bit more aggressively. The older E-P3 is going to be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor technology.

Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic LZ40 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic LZ40 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic LZ40 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photography Glossary

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-P3 Portrait photography highlights
Panasonic LZ40 Portrait photography highlights
60
has manual focus
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports face detect autofocus
saves RAW formats
megapixel count low (12MP)
40
MP count good (20 megapixels)
has face detect focusing
lack of manual focus
no external flash support
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have RAW files
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus E-P3
Street photography with Panasonic LZ40
76
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
has focus via touch
screen does not articulate
45
has image stabilization (Optical)
screen does not articulate
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have RAW files
more heavy than others in class (524g)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-P3 as a Sports photography camera
Panasonic LZ40 as a Sports photography camera
49
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports tracking focus
max fps low (3.0 frames/s)
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
does not have phase detect autofocus
47
excellent zoom range (22-924mm 42.0 x zoom)
has image stabilization (Optical)
MP count good (20MP)
has tracking focus
max frames per second very slow (1.0 frames/s)
lack of shutter priority mode
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-P3 Travel photography highlights
Panasonic LZ40 Travel photography highlights
60
has focus via touch
flash built-in
no Timelapse function
megapixel count low (12MP)
screen is not selfie friendly
55
MP count good (20 megapixels)
has built in flash
relatively wide (22mm)
long reach (924mm)
no Timelapse mode
more heavy than others in class (524g)
does not contain selfie friendly display
slow max aperture (f3.0)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-P3 as a Landscape photography camera
Panasonic LZ40 as a Landscape photography camera
65
has manual focus
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen is a decent size (3")
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
no Timelapse function
44
relatively wide (22mm)
screen is a good size (3")
has image stabilization (Optical)
MP count good (20MP)
lack of manual focus
can't change lens (fixed lens mount)
slow max aperture (f3.0)
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have RAW files
no Timelapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-P3 Vlogging info
Panasonic LZ40 Vlogging info
35
touchscreen capability
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
supports face detect autofocus
great video quality (1920 x 1080 resolution)
screen is not selfie friendly
no microphone jack
27
relatively wide (22mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
has face detect focusing
includes microphone jack
slow max aperture (f3.0)
does not contain selfie friendly display
video resolution low (1280 x 720 resolution)
more heavy than others in class (524g)
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Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic LZ40 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-P3 and Panasonic LZ40
 Olympus PEN E-P3Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ40
General Information
Company Olympus Panasonic
Model type Olympus PEN E-P3 Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ40
Category Entry-Level Mirrorless Small Sensor Superzoom
Released 2011-08-17 2014-01-06
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless SLR-like (bridge)
Sensor Information
Processor Chip TruePic VI -
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixels 20 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 4032 x 3024 5152 x 3864
Highest native ISO 12800 1600
Highest enhanced ISO - 6400
Lowest native ISO 100 100
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Tracking autofocus
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Total focus points 35 9
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 22-924mm (42.0x)
Highest aperture - f/3.0-6.5
Macro focusing range - 1cm
Total lenses 107 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.8
Screen
Range of display Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display diagonal 3 inch 3 inch
Display resolution 614k dot 460k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Display tech 3:2 OLED with Anti-Fingerprint Coating TFT LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic (optional) None
Features
Min shutter speed 60 seconds 15 seconds
Max shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/1500 seconds
Continuous shutter speed 3.0 frames/s 1.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 10.00 m (@ ISO 200) 10.80 m
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Wireless, Manual (3 levels) Auto, Auto/Red-eye Reduction, Forced On, Slow Sync./Red-eye Reduction, Forced Off
Hot shoe
AEB
White balance bracketing
Max flash sync 1/180 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) 1280 x 720 (30p), 640 x 480 (30p), 320 x 240 (30p)
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video format AVCHD, Motion JPEG Motion JPEG
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
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 369 gr (0.81 pounds) 524 gr (1.16 pounds)
Physical dimensions 122 x 69 x 34mm (4.8" x 2.7" x 1.3") 126 x 87 x 94mm (5.0" x 3.4" x 3.7")
DXO scores
DXO Overall 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 images 320 images
Battery format Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLS-5 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC card SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Storage slots One One
Cost at release $0 $219