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Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic ZS20

Portability
86
Imaging
48
Features
60
Overall
52
Olympus PEN E-P3 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS20 front
Portability
92
Imaging
37
Features
46
Overall
40

Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic ZS20 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
  • Released August 2011
  • Previous Model is Olympus E-P2
  • Later Model is Olympus E-P5
Panasonic ZS20
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 24-480mm (F3.3-6.4) lens
  • 206g - 105 x 59 x 28mm
  • Released April 2012
  • Other Name is Lumix DMC-TZ30
  • Succeeded the Panasonic ZS15
  • Renewed by Panasonic ZS25
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Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic ZS20 Overview

Its time to look much closer at the Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic ZS20, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by manufacturers Olympus and Panasonic. The image resolution of the E-P3 (12MP) and the ZS20 (14MP) is relatively well matched but the E-P3 (Four Thirds) and ZS20 (1/2.3") provide different sensor sizes.

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The E-P3 was released 8 months before the ZS20 and they are both of a similar generation. Both the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-P3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic ZS20 being a Compact camera.

Before we go into a in-depth comparison, here is a short view of how the E-P3 scores vs the ZS20 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-P3 over the Panasonic ZS20

 E-P3 ZS20 
Focus manually Very precise focusing
Screen resolution614k460kCrisper screen (+154k dot)

Reasons to pick Panasonic ZS20 over the Olympus E-P3

 ZS20 E-P3 
ReleasedApril 2012August 2011Fresher by 8 months

Common features in the Olympus E-P3 and Panasonic ZS20

 E-P3 ZS20 
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Screen size3"3"Same screen dimensions
Selfie screen Neither provides selfie screen
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic ZS20 Physical Comparison

If you're going to carry your camera frequently, you'll have to factor its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-P3 provides physical 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 ZS20 has proportions of 105mm x 59mm x 28mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.1") accompanied by a weight of 206 grams (0.45 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic ZS20 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ based on the lens you select during that time. Below is a front view overall size comparison of the E-P3 compared to the ZS20.

Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic ZS20 size comparison

Considering size and weight, the portability rating of the E-P3 and ZS20 is 86 and 92 respectively.

Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic ZS20 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic ZS20 Sensor Comparison

Generally, it is hard to picture the difference between sensor sizing purely by checking specifications. The graphic here should provide you a far better sense of the sensor sizing in the E-P3 and ZS20.

Plainly, both of these cameras come with different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The E-P3 because of its bigger sensor is going to make achieving bokeh less difficult and the Panasonic ZS20 will resolve extra detail as a result of its extra 2MP. Higher resolution will make it easier to crop pictures a good deal more aggressively. The older E-P3 is going to be behind in sensor technology.

Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic ZS20 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic ZS20 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic ZS20 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus E-P3
Portrait photography with Panasonic ZS20
60
has manual focus
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
supports face detection focus
saves RAW formats
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
30
decent megapixels (14MP)
lack of manual focus
cannot use external flash
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW format
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-P3 Street photography factors
Panasonic ZS20 Street photography factors
76
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
includes focus via touch
screen is fixed
65
built in image stabilization (Optical)
supports touch to focus
lighter than competition in class (206g)
fixed screen
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-P3 Sports photography advice
Panasonic ZS20 Sports photography advice
49
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
supports tracking autofocus
slow fps (3.0 fps)
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
has no phase detect auto focus
47
excellent zoom range (24-480mm 20.0 x zoom)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
decent megapixels (14 megapixels)
supports tracking focus
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
not so great battery pack (260 per charge)
doesn't have phase detect auto focus
Photography Glossary

Travel Comparison

Olympus E-P3 Travel photography features
Panasonic ZS20 Travel photography features
60
includes focus via touch
has built in flash
no Timelapse recording
megapixel count low (12MP)
doesn't feature selfie friendly display
68
lighter than competition in class (206 grams)
supports touch to focus
decent megapixels (14 megapixels)
has built in flash
really wide (24mm)
very long zoom (480mm)
does not have Time Lapse mode
not so great battery pack (260 shots)
does not contain selfie friendly screen
sluggish max aperture (f3.3)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-P3 Landscape photography details
Panasonic ZS20 Landscape photography details
65
has manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
nice screen size (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
no Timelapse recording
42
really wide (24mm)
screen size is decent (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
decent megapixels (14 megapixels)
lack of manual focus
cannot switch lenses (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f3.3)
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW format
not so great battery pack (260 shots)
does not have Time Lapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-P3 as a Vlogging camera
Panasonic ZS20 as a Vlogging camera
35
has touchscreen
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
supports face detection focus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
doesn't feature selfie friendly display
no external microphone port
34
really wide (24mm)
touchscreen functionality
built in image stabilization (Optical)
great video quality (1920 x 1080 resolution)
lighter than competition in class (206g)
sluggish max aperture (f3.3)
does not contain selfie friendly screen
does not have mic jack
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Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic ZS20 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-P3 and Panasonic ZS20
 Olympus PEN E-P3Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS20
General Information
Company Olympus Panasonic
Model Olympus PEN E-P3 Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS20
Also called as - Lumix DMC-TZ30
Class Entry-Level Mirrorless Small Sensor Superzoom
Released 2011-08-17 2012-04-26
Body design 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 surface area 224.9mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixels 14 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 4032 x 3024 4320 x 3240
Highest native ISO 12800 6400
Min native ISO 100 100
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
AF continuous
Single AF
Tracking AF
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Number of focus points 35 23
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 24-480mm (20.0x)
Largest aperture - f/3.3-6.4
Macro focus range - 3cm
Total lenses 107 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.9
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen size 3 inch 3 inch
Screen resolution 614k dot 460k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Screen technology 3:2 OLED with Anti-Fingerprint Coating -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic (optional) None
Features
Min shutter speed 60 seconds 15 seconds
Max shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/2000 seconds
Continuous shutter speed 3.0 frames/s 10.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 10.00 m (@ ISO 200) 6.40 m
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Wireless, Manual (3 levels) Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Syncro
External flash
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Max flash sync 1/180 seconds -
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) 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (220 fps)
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video file format AVCHD, Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD
Mic 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 BuiltIn
Physical
Environment seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 369 grams (0.81 lbs) 206 grams (0.45 lbs)
Physical dimensions 122 x 69 x 34mm (4.8" x 2.7" x 1.3") 105 x 59 x 28mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.1")
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 images 260 images
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 feature
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC card SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Storage slots Single Single
Launch pricing $0 $349