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Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic SZ3

Portability
86
Imaging
48
Features
60
Overall
52
Olympus PEN E-P3 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ3 front
Portability
96
Imaging
40
Features
29
Overall
35

Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic SZ3 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
  • Announced August 2011
  • Succeeded the Olympus E-P2
  • Refreshed by Olympus E-P5
Panasonic SZ3
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 25-250mm (F3.1-5.9) lens
  • 126g - 95 x 56 x 22mm
  • Announced January 2013
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Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic SZ3 Overview

Lets look more in depth at the Olympus E-P3 versus Panasonic SZ3, former is a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the other is a Small Sensor Compact by companies Olympus and Panasonic. There is a considerable difference among the sensor resolutions of the E-P3 (12MP) and SZ3 (16MP) and the E-P3 (Four Thirds) and SZ3 (1/2.3") posses different sensor sizes.

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The E-P3 was manufactured 16 months before the SZ3 making them a generation away from each other. Both cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-P3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic SZ3 being a Compact camera.

Before going into a in-depth comparison, here is a short highlight of how the E-P3 matches up vs the SZ3 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-P3 over the Panasonic SZ3

 E-P3 SZ3 
Manual focus Dial exact focusing
Display dimensions3"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")
Display resolution614k230kSharper display (+384k dot)
Touch display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Panasonic SZ3 over the Olympus E-P3

 SZ3 E-P3 
AnnouncedJanuary 2013August 2011Newer by 16 months

Common features in the Olympus E-P3 and Panasonic SZ3

 E-P3 SZ3 
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Selfie screen Neither has selfie screen

Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic SZ3 Physical Comparison

If you're planning to travel with your camera often, you are going to need to take into account its weight and volume. The Olympus E-P3 has outer dimensions 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 SZ3 has sizing of 95mm x 56mm x 22mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9") accompanied by a weight of 126 grams (0.28 lbs).

Look at the Olympus E-P3 versus Panasonic SZ3 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you are employing at that moment. Following is a front view scale comparison of the E-P3 vs the SZ3.

Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic SZ3 size comparison

Considering size and weight, the portability score of the E-P3 and SZ3 is 86 and 96 respectively.

Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic SZ3 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic SZ3 Sensor Comparison

Generally, it is very hard to picture the gap in sensor dimensions purely by going through specifications. The pic below might give you a better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-P3 and SZ3.

To sum up, the 2 cameras have different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The E-P3 featuring a larger sensor is going to make shooting shallow depth of field simpler and the Panasonic SZ3 will show more detail due to its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also help you crop pics a bit more aggressively. The more aged E-P3 will be behind with regard to sensor tech.

Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic SZ3 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic SZ3 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic SZ3 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-P3 Portrait photography info
Panasonic SZ3 Portrait photography info
60
focusing manually
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
offers face detection focus
supports RAW formats
sensor resolution low (12MP)
30
MP count decent (16 megapixels)
manual focus not available
manual mode not possible
cannot use external flash
small sensor size (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-P3 Street photography details
Panasonic SZ3 Street photography details
76
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
supports touch focus
screen does not articulate
64
built in image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competition (126g)
screen does not articulate
small sensor size (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
Photography Glossary

Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus E-P3
Sports photography with Panasonic SZ3
49
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
offers tracking autofocus
painfully slow continuous shooting (3.0 frames/s)
sensor resolution low (12MP)
doesn't have phase detect auto focus
41
built in image stabilization (Optical)
MP count decent (16 megapixels)
has tracking autofocus
slow continuous shooting (1.0 frames per second)
lack of shutter priority mode
small sensor size (1/2.3")
has no phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-P3 Travel photography highlights
Panasonic SZ3 Travel photography highlights
60
supports touch focus
flash built-in
missing Time Lapse function
sensor resolution low (12MP)
does not have selfie friendly display
71
lighter than competition (126 grams)
MP count decent (16 megapixels)
flash built-in
really wide (25mm)
great zoom (250mm)
missing Time Lapse mode
does not contain selfie friendly screen
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.1)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-P3 Landscape photography info
Panasonic SZ3 Landscape photography info
65
focusing manually
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
good sized screen (3")
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
sensor resolution low (12MP)
missing Time Lapse function
39
really wide (25mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
MP count decent (16 megapixels)
manual focus not available
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.1)
tiny screen (2.7")
manual mode not possible
small sensor size (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
missing Time Lapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus E-P3
Vlogging with Panasonic SZ3
35
touchscreen functionality
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
offers face detection focus
high res video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
does not have selfie friendly display
missing external mic jack
31
really wide (25mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competition (126g)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.1)
does not contain selfie friendly screen
low quality video (1280 x 720 pxls)
missing external mic port
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Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic SZ3 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-P3 and Panasonic SZ3
 Olympus PEN E-P3Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ3
General Information
Company Olympus Panasonic
Model Olympus PEN E-P3 Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ3
Class Entry-Level Mirrorless Small Sensor Compact
Announced 2011-08-17 2013-01-07
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Chip 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 surface area 224.9mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 12MP 16MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 -
Peak resolution 4032 x 3024 4608 x 3456
Highest native ISO 12800 6400
Minimum native ISO 100 100
RAW format
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
Continuous AF
AF single
AF tracking
AF selectice
AF center weighted
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Number of focus points 35 23
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 25-250mm (10.0x)
Maximal aperture - f/3.1-5.9
Macro focus range - 5cm
Amount of lenses 107 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.9
Screen
Range of screen Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen size 3" 2.7"
Resolution of screen 614 thousand dot 230 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Screen technology 3:2 OLED with Anti-Fingerprint Coating TFT LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic (optional) None
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60 secs 60 secs
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/1600 secs
Continuous shutter speed 3.0fps 1.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Set WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 10.00 m (@ ISO 200) 4.10 m
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Wireless, Manual (3 levels) Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Syncro
External flash
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Fastest flash sync 1/180 secs -
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video data format AVCHD, Motion JPEG Motion JPEG
Mic 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 proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 369 gr (0.81 pounds) 126 gr (0.28 pounds)
Physical dimensions 122 x 69 x 34mm (4.8" x 2.7" x 1.3") 95 x 56 x 22mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score 51 not tested
DXO Color Depth score 20.8 not tested
DXO Dynamic range score 10.1 not tested
DXO Low light score 536 not tested
Other
Battery life 330 photographs 250 photographs
Battery form Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model BLS-5 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC card SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Storage slots Single Single
Launch pricing $0 $150