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Olympus E-PL1 vs Panasonic SZ3

Portability
86
Imaging
47
Features
43
Overall
45
Olympus PEN E-PL1 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ3 front
Portability
96
Imaging
40
Features
29
Overall
35

Olympus E-PL1 vs Panasonic SZ3 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
  • Introduced May 2010
  • Updated by Olympus E-PL1s
Panasonic SZ3
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 25-250mm (F3.1-5.9) lens
  • 126g - 95 x 56 x 22mm
  • Revealed January 2013
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Olympus E-PL1 vs Panasonic SZ3 Overview

Below is a thorough assessment of the Olympus E-PL1 vs Panasonic SZ3, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by companies Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a substantial gap between the sensor resolutions of the E-PL1 (12MP) and SZ3 (16MP) and the E-PL1 (Four Thirds) and SZ3 (1/2.3") feature totally different sensor sizes.

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The E-PL1 was announced 3 years earlier than the SZ3 and that is quite a big difference as far as technology is concerned. Each of the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-PL1 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic SZ3 being a Compact camera.

Before going in to a in depth comparison, below is a quick synopsis of how the E-PL1 grades versus the SZ3 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL1 over the Panasonic SZ3

 E-PL1 SZ3 
Focus manually Dial exact focus

Reasons to pick Panasonic SZ3 over the Olympus E-PL1

 SZ3 E-PL1 
RevealedJanuary 2013May 2010More recent by 32 months

Common features in the Olympus E-PL1 and Panasonic SZ3

 E-PL1 SZ3 
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Screen dimension2.7"2.7"Identical screen dimensions
Screen resolution230k230kExact same screen resolution
Selfie screen Absent selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Absent Touch friendly screen

Olympus E-PL1 vs Panasonic SZ3 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is going to lug around your camera frequently, you'll have to think about its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-PL1 provides external measurements of 115mm x 72mm x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") accompanied by a weight of 334 grams (0.74 lbs) while the Panasonic SZ3 has proportions of 95mm x 56mm x 22mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9") with a weight of 126 grams (0.28 lbs).

Look at the Olympus E-PL1 vs Panasonic SZ3 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you are utilising at the time. Here is the front view dimension comparison of the E-PL1 compared to the SZ3.

Olympus E-PL1 vs Panasonic SZ3 size comparison

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-PL1 and SZ3 is 86 and 96 respectively.

Olympus E-PL1 vs Panasonic SZ3 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL1 vs Panasonic SZ3 Sensor Comparison

Quite often, it is hard to see the contrast between sensor measurements purely by checking a spec sheet. The visual underneath may give you a far better sense of the sensor sizing in the E-PL1 and SZ3.

Clearly, each of the cameras posses different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The E-PL1 using its bigger sensor will make getting shallower depth of field simpler and the Panasonic SZ3 will give more detail with its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also let you crop pictures somewhat more aggressively. The older E-PL1 is going to be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor technology.

Olympus E-PL1 vs Panasonic SZ3 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL1 vs Panasonic SZ3 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL1 vs Panasonic SZ3 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PL1 as a Portrait photography camera
Panasonic SZ3 as a Portrait photography camera
60
focusing manually
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
provides face detect focus
saves RAW formats
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
30
sensor resolution is decent (16MP)
lack of manual focus
manual exposure not available
no external flash support
small sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW support
Photography Glossary

Street Comparison

Olympus E-PL1 as a Street photography camera
Panasonic SZ3 as a Street photography camera
74
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
screen does not articulate
64
image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competitors in class (126 grams)
screen is fixed
small sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PL1 Sports photography info
Panasonic SZ3 Sports photography info
44
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
provides tracking focus
low fps (3.0 fps)
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
not so great battery (290 shots)
no phase detect auto focus
41
image stabilization (Optical)
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
offers tracking autofocus
slow fps (1.0 frames/s)
no shutter priority mode
small sensor (1/2.3")
no phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL1 Travel photography info
Panasonic SZ3 Travel photography info
51
has built in flash
missing Time Lapse recording
not so great battery (290 shots)
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
display is not selfie friendly
71
lighter than competitors in class (126g)
sensor resolution is decent (16MP)
has built in flash
reasonably wide (25mm)
long reach (250mm)
no Time Lapse mode
does not offer selfie friendly screen
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.1)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PL1 as a Landscape photography camera
Panasonic SZ3 as a Landscape photography camera
55
focusing manually
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
small screen (2.7 inches)
low megapixels (12MP)
not so great battery (290 CIPA)
missing Time Lapse recording
39
reasonably wide (25mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
sensor resolution is decent (16MP)
lack of manual focus
can't swap lenses (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.1)
small screen (2.7")
manual exposure not available
small sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW support
no Time Lapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL1 Vlogging information
Panasonic SZ3 Vlogging information
29
image stabilization (Sensor based)
provides face detect focus
display is not selfie friendly
low quality video (1280 x 720 pixels)
missing mic socket
31
reasonably wide (25mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competitors in class (126 grams)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.1)
does not offer selfie friendly screen
video quality not great (1280 x 720 pxls)
no external mic support
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Olympus E-PL1 vs Panasonic SZ3 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL1 and Panasonic SZ3
 Olympus PEN E-PL1Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ3
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Panasonic
Model type Olympus PEN E-PL1 Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ3
Class Entry-Level Mirrorless Small Sensor Compact
Introduced 2010-05-17 2013-01-07
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Chip Truepic V -
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 12MP 16MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 -
Peak resolution 4032 x 3024 4608 x 3456
Highest native ISO 3200 6400
Min native ISO 100 100
RAW format
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Total focus points 11 23
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 25-250mm (10.0x)
Maximum aperture - f/3.1-5.9
Macro focusing distance - 5cm
Amount of lenses 107 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.9
Screen
Type of screen Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen size 2.7 inches 2.7 inches
Resolution of screen 230 thousand dots 230 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Screen technology HyperCrystal LCD AR (Anti-Reflective) coating TFT LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic (optional) None
Features
Min shutter speed 60 seconds 60 seconds
Max shutter speed 1/2000 seconds 1/1600 seconds
Continuous shutter rate 3.0 frames/s 1.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes -
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 10.00 m 4.10 m
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Syncro
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Max flash synchronize 1/160 seconds -
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution 1280x720 1280x720
Video data format Motion JPEG Motion JPEG
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 proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 334 gr (0.74 lb) 126 gr (0.28 lb)
Dimensions 115 x 72 x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") 95 x 56 x 22mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 54 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 21.5 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 10.1 not tested
DXO Low light rating 487 not tested
Other
Battery life 290 images 250 images
Battery style Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLS-1 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD/SDHC card SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Card slots Single Single
Cost at release $288 $150