Olympus E-PL1 vs Panasonic SZ3
86 Imaging
47 Features
43 Overall
45
96 Imaging
40 Features
29 Overall
35
Olympus E-PL1 vs Panasonic SZ3 Key Specs
(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
(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
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.
Samsung Releases Faster Versions of EVO MicroSD CardsThe 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.
Olympus E-PL1 vs Panasonic SZ3 Gallery
Below is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus PEN E-PL1 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ3. The whole galleries are viewable at Olympus E-PL1 Gallery & Panasonic SZ3 Gallery.
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 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Revealed | January 2013 | May 2010 | More recent by 32 months |
Common features in the Olympus E-PL1 and Panasonic SZ3
E-PL1 | SZ3 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Screen type | Fixed | Fixed | Fixed screen | |
Screen dimension | 2.7" | 2.7" | Identical screen dimensions | |
Screen resolution | 230k | 230k | Exact 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.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.
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 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 Screen and ViewFinder
Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison
Street Comparison
Sports Comparison
Travel Comparison
Landscape Comparison
Vlogging Comparison
Olympus E-PL1 vs Panasonic SZ3 Specifications
Olympus PEN E-PL1 | Panasonic 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 |