Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic SZ8
86 Imaging
48 Features
60 Overall
52
94 Imaging
40 Features
31 Overall
36
Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic SZ8 Key Specs
(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
- Revealed August 2011
- Replaced the Olympus E-P2
- Replacement is Olympus E-P5
(Full Review)
- 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
- 3" Fixed Display
- ISO 100 - 1600 (Boost to 6400)
- Optical Image Stabilization
- 1280 x 720 video
- 24-288mm (F3.1-6.3) lens
- 159g - 100 x 60 x 27mm
- Introduced January 2014
Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic SZ8 Overview
Lets look a little more closely at the Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic SZ8, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom by brands Olympus and Panasonic. There is a sizable difference between the sensor resolutions of the E-P3 (12MP) and SZ8 (16MP) and the E-P3 (Four Thirds) and SZ8 (1/2.3") possess totally different sensor dimensions.
Photography GlossaryThe E-P3 was unveiled 3 years earlier than the SZ8 and that is quite a significant difference as far as tech is concerned. Both the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-P3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic SZ8 being a Compact camera.
Before diving straight into a detailed comparison, below is a short introduction of how the E-P3 scores versus the SZ8 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.
Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic SZ8 Gallery
This is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus PEN E-P3 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ8. The full galleries are available at Olympus E-P3 Gallery & Panasonic SZ8 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus E-P3 over the Panasonic SZ8
E-P3 | SZ8 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Focus manually | Very exact focus | |||
Display resolution | 614k | 460k | Clearer display (+154k dot) | |
Touch display | Easily navigate |
Reasons to pick Panasonic SZ8 over the Olympus E-P3
SZ8 | E-P3 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Introduced | January 2014 | August 2011 | Fresher by 29 months |
Common features in the Olympus E-P3 and Panasonic SZ8
E-P3 | SZ8 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Display type | Fixed | Fixed | Fixed display | |
Display dimension | 3" | 3" | Identical display sizing | |
Selfie screen | Lack of selfie screen |
Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic SZ8 Physical Comparison
For those who are going to carry your camera frequently, you have to think about its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-P3 offers external dimensions of 122mm x 69mm x 34mm (4.8" x 2.7" x 1.3") accompanied by a weight of 369 grams (0.81 lbs) and the Panasonic SZ8 has dimensions of 100mm x 60mm x 27mm (3.9" x 2.4" x 1.1") along with a weight of 159 grams (0.35 lbs).
Contrast the Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic SZ8 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you choose at that time. Below is the front view dimensions comparison of the E-P3 versus the SZ8.
Taking into account size and weight, the portability grade of the E-P3 and SZ8 is 86 and 94 respectively.
Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic SZ8 Sensor Comparison
Often, it is very tough to see the difference between sensor sizing purely by reviewing technical specs. The visual here will help offer you a more clear sense of the sensor sizes in the E-P3 and SZ8.
As you have seen, the 2 cameras posses different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The E-P3 using its larger sensor will make achieving shallow DOF simpler and the Panasonic SZ8 will offer you extra detail having an extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also help you crop images somewhat more aggressively. The older E-P3 is going to be behind in sensor innovation.
Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic SZ8 Screen and ViewFinder
Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison
Street Comparison
Sports Comparison
Travel Comparison
Landscape Comparison
Vlogging Comparison
Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic SZ8 Specifications
Olympus PEN E-P3 | Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ8 | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Brand Name | Olympus | Panasonic |
Model type | Olympus PEN E-P3 | Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ8 |
Class | Entry-Level Mirrorless | Small Sensor Superzoom |
Revealed | 2011-08-17 | 2014-01-06 |
Body design | Rangefinder-style mirrorless | Compact |
Sensor Information | ||
Powered by | TruePic VI | Venus Engine |
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 | 12 megapixel | 16 megapixel |
Anti alias filter | ||
Aspect ratio | 4:3 | 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 |
Peak resolution | 4032 x 3024 | 4608 x 3456 |
Highest native ISO | 12800 | 1600 |
Highest enhanced ISO | - | 6400 |
Min native ISO | 100 | 100 |
RAW support | ||
Autofocusing | ||
Focus manually | ||
Autofocus touch | ||
Autofocus continuous | ||
Single autofocus | ||
Autofocus tracking | ||
Selective autofocus | ||
Autofocus center weighted | ||
Multi area autofocus | ||
Autofocus live view | ||
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 | - | 24-288mm (12.0x) |
Max aperture | - | f/3.1-6.3 |
Number of lenses | 107 | - |
Focal length multiplier | 2.1 | 5.9 |
Screen | ||
Range of display | Fixed Type | Fixed Type |
Display sizing | 3 inches | 3 inches |
Resolution of display | 614k dot | 460k dot |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch operation | ||
Display technology | 3:2 OLED with Anti-Fingerprint Coating | TFT LCD |
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder | Electronic (optional) | None |
Features | ||
Min shutter speed | 60s | 8s |
Max shutter speed | 1/4000s | 1/2000s |
Continuous shutter speed | 3.0 frames/s | 1.0 frames/s |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Manually set exposure | ||
Exposure compensation | Yes | - |
Change white balance | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Integrated flash | ||
Flash distance | 10.00 m (@ ISO 200) | 5.20 m |
Flash options | 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 |
External flash | ||
Auto exposure bracketing | ||
WB bracketing | ||
Max flash sync | 1/180s | - |
Exposure | ||
Multisegment exposure | ||
Average exposure | ||
Spot exposure | ||
Partial exposure | ||
AF area exposure | ||
Center weighted exposure | ||
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 |
Mic input | ||
Headphone input | ||
Connectivity | ||
Wireless | None | Built-In |
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 | 369 gr (0.81 lbs) | 159 gr (0.35 lbs) |
Dimensions | 122 x 69 x 34mm (4.8" x 2.7" x 1.3") | 100 x 60 x 27mm (3.9" x 2.4" x 1.1") |
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 | 200 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 shooting | ||
Type of storage | SD/SDHC/SDXC card | SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal |
Storage slots | One | One |
Retail cost | $0 | $275 |