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Olympus E-P5 vs Panasonic S3

Portability
85
Imaging
53
Features
76
Overall
62
Olympus PEN E-P5 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-S3 front
Portability
96
Imaging
37
Features
24
Overall
31

Olympus E-P5 vs Panasonic S3 Key Specs

Olympus E-P5
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 420g - 122 x 69 x 37mm
  • Announced October 2013
  • Earlier Model is Olympus E-P3
Panasonic S3
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-112mm (F3.1-5.6) lens
  • 117g - 99 x 59 x 21mm
  • Launched January 2011
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Olympus E-P5 vs Panasonic S3 Overview

Lets look a little more in depth at the Olympus E-P5 vs Panasonic S3, one is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the other is a Small Sensor Compact by brands Olympus and Panasonic. The resolution of the E-P5 (16MP) and the S3 (14MP) is very close but the E-P5 (Four Thirds) and S3 (1/2.3") offer totally different sensor sizing.

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The E-P5 was manufactured 2 years after the S3 which is a fairly large gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Both cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-P5 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic S3 being a Compact camera.

Before diving straight to a detailed comparison, here is a concise summary of how the E-P5 grades against the S3 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-P5 over the Panasonic S3

 E-P5 S3 
LaunchedOctober 2013January 2011More modern by 34 months
Manually focus Very precise focusing
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display size3"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")
Display resolution1037k230kCrisper display (+807k dot)
Touch display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Panasonic S3 over the Olympus E-P5

 S3 E-P5 

Common features in the Olympus E-P5 and Panasonic S3

 E-P5 S3 
Selfie screen Lack of selfie screen

Olympus E-P5 vs Panasonic S3 Physical Comparison

For those who are intending to carry around your camera often, you are going to need to factor its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-P5 offers physical dimensions of 122mm x 69mm x 37mm (4.8" x 2.7" x 1.5") having a weight of 420 grams (0.93 lbs) while the Panasonic S3 has proportions of 99mm x 59mm x 21mm (3.9" x 2.3" x 0.8") having a weight of 117 grams (0.26 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-P5 vs Panasonic S3 in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary dependant on the lens you select during that time. Here is a front view size comparison of the E-P5 versus the S3.

Olympus E-P5 vs Panasonic S3 size comparison

Using size and weight, the portability rating of the E-P5 and S3 is 85 and 96 respectively.

Olympus E-P5 vs Panasonic S3 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-P5 vs Panasonic S3 Sensor Comparison

Often, it can be difficult to envision the difference in sensor sizes only by looking through technical specs. The image underneath might give you a greater sense of the sensor sizes in the E-P5 and S3.

As you can tell, both of these cameras come with different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The E-P5 because of its larger sensor will make shooting shallow DOF less difficult and the Olympus E-P5 will provide you with extra detail due to its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution will allow you to crop images a good deal more aggressively. The newer E-P5 is going to have a benefit with regard to sensor technology.

Olympus E-P5 vs Panasonic S3 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-P5 vs Panasonic S3 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-P5 vs Panasonic S3 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-P5 as a Portrait photography camera
Panasonic S3 as a Portrait photography camera
71
has manual focus
high flash sync speed (1/320s)
resolution is good (16MP)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
provides face detection autofocus
delivers RAW formats
28
decent MP (14MP)
manual focus not available
no manual exposure
external flash not possible
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-P5 Street photography information
Panasonic S3 Street photography information
78
screen tilts up and down
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
supports touch to focus
very good high ISO (25,600)
more heavy than others in class (420 grams)
63
built in image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competitors (117g)
no articulating screen
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-P5 Sports photography details
Panasonic S3 Sports photography details
68
high shutter speed (1/8,000 seconds)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
provides tracking autofocus
does not have phase detect autofocus
35
built in image stabilization (Optical)
decent MP (14 megapixels)
max frames per second low (2.0 frames per second)
no shutter priority
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
lack of phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-P5 as a Travel photography camera
Panasonic S3 as a Travel photography camera
68
supports touch to focus
resolution is good (16MP)
has built in flash
more heavy than others in class (420g)
does not have selfie friendly display
68
lighter than competitors (117g)
decent MP (14 megapixels)
built-in flash
really wide (28mm)
doesn't have Time Lapse mode
screen is not selfie friendly
slow max aperture (f3.1)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-P5 Landscape photography information
Panasonic S3 Landscape photography information
79
has manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
good sized screen (3 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
resolution is good (16MP)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
very good high ISO (25,600)
delivers RAW formats
38
really wide (28mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
decent MP (14MP)
manual focus not available
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
slow max aperture (f3.1)
small screen (2.7 inch)
no manual exposure
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
doesn't have Time Lapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-P5 as a Vlogging camera
Panasonic S3 as a Vlogging camera
33
built-in touchscreen
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
provides face detection autofocus
high res video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
does not have selfie friendly display
no external microphone port
more heavy than others in class (420 grams)
31
really wide (28mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competitors (117 grams)
slow max aperture (f3.1)
screen is not selfie friendly
low quality video (1280 x 720 resolution)
doesn't have mic jack
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Olympus E-P5 vs Panasonic S3 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-P5 and Panasonic S3
 Olympus PEN E-P5Panasonic Lumix DMC-S3
General Information
Brand Olympus Panasonic
Model type Olympus PEN E-P5 Panasonic Lumix DMC-S3
Type Entry-Level Mirrorless Small Sensor Compact
Announced 2013-10-03 2011-01-05
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Chip - Venus Engine IV
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 16MP 14MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 4608 x 3456 4320 x 3240
Maximum native ISO 25600 6400
Min native ISO 100 100
RAW data
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch focus
Continuous AF
Single AF
Tracking AF
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Total focus points 35 11
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 28-112mm (4.0x)
Highest aperture - f/3.1-5.6
Macro focusing distance - 5cm
Total lenses 107 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.9
Screen
Range of screen Tilting Fixed Type
Screen size 3" 2.7"
Resolution of screen 1,037 thousand dot 230 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Screen technology 3:2 LCD capacitive touchscreen TFT LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic (optional) None
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60s 8s
Highest shutter speed 1/8000s 1/1600s
Continuous shooting speed 9.0 frames/s 2.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 7.00 m (ISO 100) 3.30 m
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync (1st or 2nd curtain), Manual (1/1 - 1/64) Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Highest flash sync 1/320s -
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30p), 1280 x 720 (30p) 1280 x 720 (30fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video format H.264 MPEG-4
Mic input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In 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 420g (0.93 lb) 117g (0.26 lb)
Physical dimensions 122 x 69 x 37mm (4.8" x 2.7" x 1.5") 99 x 59 x 21mm (3.9" x 2.3" x 0.8")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 72 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 22.8 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 12.4 not tested
DXO Low light rating 895 not tested
Other
Battery life 330 pictures 250 pictures
Battery format Battery Pack Battery Pack
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Storage slots 1 1
Price at launch $389 $110