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Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic SZ7

Portability
86
Imaging
48
Features
60
Overall
52
Olympus PEN E-P3 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ7 front
Portability
95
Imaging
37
Features
41
Overall
38

Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic SZ7 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
  • Superseded the Olympus E-P2
  • Renewed by Olympus E-P5
Panasonic SZ7
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 25-250mm (F3.1-5.9) lens
  • 133g - 99 x 59 x 21mm
  • Launched January 2012
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Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic SZ7 Overview

The following is a complete review of the Olympus E-P3 and Panasonic SZ7, former is a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by companies Olympus and Panasonic. The sensor resolution of the E-P3 (12MP) and the SZ7 (14MP) is pretty comparable but the E-P3 (Four Thirds) and SZ7 (1/2.3") possess different sensor sizes.

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The E-P3 was brought out 4 months earlier than the SZ7 which means that they are of a similar age. Both the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-P3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic SZ7 being a Compact camera.

Before we go in to a complete comparison, below is a concise synopsis of how the E-P3 grades against the SZ7 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-P3 over the Panasonic SZ7

 E-P3 SZ7 
Focus manually More accurate focusing
Screen resolution614k460kClearer screen (+154k dot)
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Panasonic SZ7 over the Olympus E-P3

 SZ7 E-P3 

Common features in the Olympus E-P3 and Panasonic SZ7

 E-P3 SZ7 
LaunchedAugust 2011January 2012Same age
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Screen dimension3"3"Identical screen dimensions
Selfie screen No selfie screen

Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic SZ7 Physical Comparison

If you're looking to travel with your camera frequently, you're going to have to factor its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-P3 has outside dimensions of 122mm x 69mm x 34mm (4.8" x 2.7" x 1.3") having a weight of 369 grams (0.81 lbs) and the Panasonic SZ7 has measurements of 99mm x 59mm x 21mm (3.9" x 2.3" x 0.8") accompanied by a weight of 133 grams (0.29 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus E-P3 and Panasonic SZ7 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you have attached at that moment. Following is the front view dimensions comparison of the E-P3 versus the SZ7.

Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic SZ7 size comparison

Looking at size and weight, the portability rating of the E-P3 and SZ7 is 86 and 95 respectively.

Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic SZ7 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic SZ7 Sensor Comparison

Oftentimes, it's difficult to picture the gap in sensor dimensions simply by going through a spec sheet. The image underneath will help provide you a clearer sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-P3 and SZ7.

Clearly, both of these cameras have got different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The E-P3 due to its bigger sensor is going to make getting shallow DOF simpler and the Panasonic SZ7 will produce more detail having its extra 2MP. Higher resolution will make it easier to crop shots much more aggressively.

Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic SZ7 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic SZ7 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic SZ7 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photography Glossary

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-P3 Portrait photography info
Panasonic SZ7 Portrait photography info
60
has manual focus
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
features face detection focusing
delivers RAW formats
low megapixels (12MP)
33
resolution is good (14 megapixels)
has face detect focus
lack of manual focus
manual exposure not available
cannot use external flash
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-P3 Street photography details
Panasonic SZ7 Street photography details
76
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
provides focus by touch
no moving screen
63
has image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competitors (133 grams)
screen is fixed
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus E-P3
Sports photography with Panasonic SZ7
49
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
features tracking autofocus
very slow continuous shooting (3.0 frames/s)
low megapixels (12MP)
has no phase detect AF
43
has image stabilization (Optical)
resolution is good (14MP)
has tracking focus
no shutter priority mode
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
lack of phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-P3 as a Travel photography camera
Panasonic SZ7 as a Travel photography camera
60
provides focus by touch
has built in flash
doesn't have Time Lapse function
low megapixels (12MP)
does not feature selfie friendly screen
70
lighter than competitors (133 grams)
resolution is good (14 megapixels)
flash built-in
decently wide (25mm)
long zoom (250mm)
missing Time Lapse recording
display isn't selfie friendly
slow maximum aperture (f3.1)
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus E-P3
Landscape photography with Panasonic SZ7
65
has manual focus
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is good (3 inches)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
doesn't have Time Lapse function
42
decently wide (25mm)
screen is a good size (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Optical)
resolution is good (14 megapixels)
lack of manual focus
cannot change lens (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f3.1)
manual exposure not available
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
missing Time Lapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-P3 Vlogging highlights
Panasonic SZ7 Vlogging highlights
35
screen is touchscreen
image stabilization (Sensor based)
features face detection focusing
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
does not feature selfie friendly screen
doesn't have external mic jack
35
decently wide (25mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
has face detect focus
good video quality (1920 x 1080 pxls)
lighter than competitors (133g)
slow maximum aperture (f3.1)
display isn't selfie friendly
missing mic support
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Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic SZ7 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-P3 and Panasonic SZ7
 Olympus PEN E-P3Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ7
General Information
Brand Olympus Panasonic
Model Olympus PEN E-P3 Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ7
Type Entry-Level Mirrorless Small Sensor Compact
Introduced 2011-08-17 2012-01-09
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Chip TruePic VI -
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
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 megapixel 14 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 4032 x 3024 4320 x 3240
Max native ISO 12800 6400
Min native ISO 100 100
RAW support
Autofocusing
Manual focus
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
Number of focus points 35 23
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 25-250mm (10.0x)
Maximum aperture - f/3.1-5.9
Macro focus distance - 4cm
Total lenses 107 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.9
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display size 3 inch 3 inch
Resolution of display 614 thousand dots 460 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Display technology 3:2 OLED with Anti-Fingerprint Coating TFT Color LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic (optional) None
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60s 8s
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000s 1/1600s
Continuous shooting rate 3.0 frames per second 10.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes -
Set WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 10.00 m (@ ISO 200) 5.60 m
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Wireless, Manual (3 levels) Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction
External flash
AEB
WB bracketing
Maximum flash synchronize 1/180s -
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, 30 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Max video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video data format AVCHD, Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD
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
Environmental sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 369 gr (0.81 lbs) 133 gr (0.29 lbs)
Dimensions 122 x 69 x 34mm (4.8" x 2.7" x 1.3") 99 x 59 x 21mm (3.9" x 2.3" x 0.8")
DXO scores
DXO All around 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 shots 220 shots
Style of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model BLS-5 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC card SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Card slots One One
Retail pricing $0 $199