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Olympus E-PL1 vs Panasonic FH3

Portability
86
Imaging
47
Features
43
Overall
45
Olympus PEN E-PL1 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH3 front
Portability
94
Imaging
36
Features
21
Overall
30

Olympus E-PL1 vs Panasonic FH3 Key Specs

Olympus E-PL1
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 334g - 115 x 72 x 42mm
  • Announced May 2010
  • Successor is Olympus E-PL1s
Panasonic FH3
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-140mm (F2.8-6.9) lens
  • 165g - 98 x 55 x 24mm
  • Introduced January 2010
  • Alternative Name is Lumix DMC-FS11
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Olympus E-PL1 vs Panasonic FH3 Overview

In this article, we are evaluating the Olympus E-PL1 and Panasonic FH3, former is a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the other is a Small Sensor Compact by competitors Olympus and Panasonic. The image resolution of the E-PL1 (12MP) and the FH3 (14MP) is fairly comparable but the E-PL1 (Four Thirds) and FH3 (1/2.3") come with different sensor sizes.

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The E-PL1 was manufactured 5 months after the FH3 and they are of a similar age. Both the cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-PL1 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic FH3 being a Compact camera.

Before going through a step-by-step comparison, below is a short view of how the E-PL1 scores vs the FH3 for portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL1 over the Panasonic FH3

 E-PL1 FH3 
Focus manually Very exact focusing

Reasons to pick Panasonic FH3 over the Olympus E-PL1

 FH3 E-PL1 

Common features in the Olympus E-PL1 and Panasonic FH3

 E-PL1 FH3 
IntroducedMay 2010January 2010Same age
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Display sizing2.7"2.7"Equivalent display dimensions
Display resolution230k230kThe same display resolution
Selfie screen Absent selfie screen
Touch friendly display Neither has Touch friendly display

Olympus E-PL1 vs Panasonic FH3 Physical Comparison

If you're going to carry around your camera, you are going to need to factor its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-PL1 has exterior measurements of 115mm x 72mm x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") along with a weight of 334 grams (0.74 lbs) whilst the Panasonic FH3 has dimensions of 98mm x 55mm x 24mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 0.9") along with a weight of 165 grams (0.36 lbs).

See the Olympus E-PL1 and Panasonic FH3 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you have at the time. Below is the front view proportions comparison of the E-PL1 compared to the FH3.

Olympus E-PL1 vs Panasonic FH3 size comparison

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-PL1 and FH3 is 86 and 94 respectively.

Olympus E-PL1 vs Panasonic FH3 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL1 vs Panasonic FH3 Sensor Comparison

More often than not, it's difficult to visualize the gap in sensor sizes purely by going through specs. The image underneath may provide you a far better sense of the sensor measurements in the E-PL1 and FH3.

All in all, the 2 cameras enjoy different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The E-PL1 featuring a larger sensor is going to make shooting shallow DOF less difficult and the Panasonic FH3 will produce extra detail due to its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution will make it easier to crop images far more aggressively.

Olympus E-PL1 vs Panasonic FH3 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL1 vs Panasonic FH3 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL1 vs Panasonic FH3 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photography Glossary

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus E-PL1
Portrait photography with Panasonic FH3
60
has manual focus
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
includes face detect autofocus
delivers RAW formats
low megapixels (12MP)
28
decent megapixels (14 megapixels)
no manual focus
manual mode not possible
can't use external flash
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
no RAW format
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-PL1 Street photography factors
Panasonic FH3 Street photography factors
74
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
fixed screen
56
has image stabilization (Optical)
fixed screen
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
no RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PL1 Sports photography features
Panasonic FH3 Sports photography features
44
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
includes tracking focus
slow continuous shooting (3.0 frames per second)
low megapixels (12MP)
bad battery life (290 shots)
lacks phase detect autofocus
34
has image stabilization (Optical)
decent megapixels (14 megapixels)
low fps (6.0 frames/s)
lack of shutter priority mode
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
no phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL1 Travel photography information
Panasonic FH3 Travel photography information
51
flash built-in
lack of Time Lapse recording
bad battery life (290 CIPA)
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
does not contain selfie friendly display
64
decent megapixels (14MP)
built-in flash
rather wide (28mm)
no Timelapse function
screen isn't selfie friendly
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.8)
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus E-PL1
Landscape photography with Panasonic FH3
55
has manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
screen is small (2.7")
low megapixels (12MP)
bad battery life (290 per charge)
lack of Time Lapse recording
37
rather wide (28mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
decent megapixels (14 megapixels)
no manual focus
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.8)
small screen (2.7")
manual mode not possible
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
no RAW format
no Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL1 Vlogging highlights
Panasonic FH3 Vlogging highlights
29
image stabilization (Sensor based)
includes face detect autofocus
does not contain selfie friendly display
low quality video (1280 x 720 pixels)
lack of mic port
29
rather wide (28mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.8)
screen isn't selfie friendly
low quality video (1280 x 720 resolution)
no microphone support
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Olympus E-PL1 vs Panasonic FH3 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL1 and Panasonic FH3
 Olympus PEN E-PL1Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH3
General Information
Company Olympus Panasonic
Model Olympus PEN E-PL1 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH3
Also referred to as - Lumix DMC-FS11
Category Entry-Level Mirrorless Small Sensor Compact
Announced 2010-05-17 2010-01-06
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Chip Truepic V -
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixel 14 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Max resolution 4032 x 3024 4320 x 3240
Max native ISO 3200 6400
Minimum native ISO 100 80
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Continuous autofocus
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Number of focus points 11 9
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 28-140mm (5.0x)
Maximal aperture - f/2.8-6.9
Macro focus range - 5cm
Total lenses 107 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.9
Screen
Type of screen Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen size 2.7 inch 2.7 inch
Resolution of screen 230 thousand dots 230 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Screen tech HyperCrystal LCD AR (Anti-Reflective) coating -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic (optional) None
Features
Min shutter speed 60s 60s
Max shutter speed 1/2000s 1/1600s
Continuous shutter rate 3.0fps 6.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 10.00 m 6.80 m
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Syncro
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Max flash synchronize 1/160s -
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Max video resolution 1280x720 1280x720
Video file format Motion JPEG Motion JPEG
Microphone 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 334 gr (0.74 lbs) 165 gr (0.36 lbs)
Dimensions 115 x 72 x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") 98 x 55 x 24mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 0.9")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score 54 not tested
DXO Color Depth score 21.5 not tested
DXO Dynamic range score 10.1 not tested
DXO Low light score 487 not tested
Other
Battery life 290 photographs -
Battery style Battery Pack -
Battery model BLS-1 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Storage type SD/SDHC card SD/SDHC/SDXC card, Internal
Card slots One One
Price at release $288 $160