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Olympus E-PL1s vs Panasonic LX3

Portability
86
Imaging
48
Features
43
Overall
46
Olympus PEN E-PL1s front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3 front
Portability
91
Imaging
34
Features
40
Overall
36

Olympus E-PL1s vs Panasonic LX3 Key Specs

Olympus E-PL1s
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 334g - 115 x 72 x 42mm
  • Announced November 2010
  • Previous Model is Olympus E-PL1
  • Replacement is Olympus E-PL2
Panasonic LX3
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - 1/1.63" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 24-60mm (F2.0-2.8) lens
  • 265g - 109 x 60 x 27mm
  • Introduced November 2008
  • Later Model is Panasonic LX5
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Olympus E-PL1s vs Panasonic LX3 Overview

Lets look a bit more closely at the Olympus E-PL1s versus Panasonic LX3, one is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by brands Olympus and Panasonic. The image resolution of the E-PL1s (12MP) and the LX3 (10MP) is relatively similar but the E-PL1s (Four Thirds) and LX3 (1/1.63") come with different sensor dimensions.

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The E-PL1s was unveiled 2 years after the LX3 which is quite a big gap as far as technology is concerned. Both of these cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-PL1s being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic LX3 being a Compact camera.

Before going in to a full comparison, below is a simple view of how the E-PL1s grades versus the LX3 for portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Photography Glossary
	
	

Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL1s over the Panasonic LX3

 E-PL1s LX3 
IntroducedNovember 2010November 2008More modern by 25 months

Reasons to pick Panasonic LX3 over the Olympus E-PL1s

 LX3 E-PL1s 
Screen dimension3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution460k230kCrisper screen (+230k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-PL1s and Panasonic LX3

 E-PL1s LX3 
Focus manually More accurate focus
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Selfie screen Lacking selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Neither contains Touch friendly screen

Olympus E-PL1s vs Panasonic LX3 Physical Comparison

For anyone who is planning to carry around your camera, you are going to need to factor its weight and size. The Olympus E-PL1s has got external dimensions 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 LX3 has specifications of 109mm x 60mm x 27mm (4.3" x 2.4" x 1.1") along with a weight of 265 grams (0.58 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus E-PL1s versus Panasonic LX3 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ dependant on the lens you are utilizing at that moment. Here is the front view physical size comparison of the E-PL1s versus the LX3.

Olympus E-PL1s vs Panasonic LX3 size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-PL1s and LX3 is 86 and 91 respectively.

Olympus E-PL1s vs Panasonic LX3 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL1s vs Panasonic LX3 Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, it is hard to imagine the gap between sensor sizes just by reviewing specs. The pic here will give you a better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-PL1s and LX3.

As you can plainly see, the 2 cameras posses different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The E-PL1s having a bigger sensor is going to make achieving shallower depth of field simpler and the Olympus E-PL1s will offer you greater detail having an extra 2 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also enable you to crop shots somewhat more aggressively. The more recent E-PL1s should have an edge when it comes to sensor tech.

Olympus E-PL1s vs Panasonic LX3 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL1s vs Panasonic LX3 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL1s vs Panasonic LX3 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PL1s Portrait photography details
Panasonic LX3 Portrait photography details
60
you can focus manually
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
includes face detection focus
supports RAW formats
low MP (12MP)
40
manual focus
supports RAW files
low MP (10 megapixels)
very small sensor size (1/1.63")
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-PL1s Street photography factors
Panasonic LX3 Street photography factors
74
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
screen is fixed
60
built in image stabilization (Optical)
supports RAW files
no moving screen
very small sensor size (1/1.63")
heavier than competition (265g)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PL1s Sports photography highlights
Panasonic LX3 Sports photography highlights
45
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
includes tracking autofocus
max frames per second low (3.0 frames/s)
low MP (12MP)
low battery pack (290 CIPA)
no phase detect auto focus
27
built in image stabilization (Optical)
very slow continuous shooting (3.0 fps)
low MP (10MP)
very small sensor size (1/1.63")
doesn't have phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL1s Travel photography highlights
Panasonic LX3 Travel photography highlights
52
has built in flash
missing Time Lapse recording
low battery pack (290 shots)
low MP (12 megapixels)
display is not selfie friendly
60
built-in flash
reasonably wide (24mm)
good maximum aperture (f2.0)
does not have Time Lapse mode
heavier than competition (265g)
low MP (10MP)
does not contain selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus E-PL1s
Landscape photography with Panasonic LX3
55
you can focus manually
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
screen is somewhat small (2.7 inches)
low MP (12MP)
low battery pack (290 per charge)
missing Time Lapse recording
52
manual focus
reasonably wide (24mm)
good maximum aperture (f2.0)
nice screen size (3")
built in image stabilization (Optical)
supports RAW files
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
low MP (10 megapixels)
very small sensor size (1/1.63")
does not have Time Lapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus E-PL1s
Vlogging with Panasonic LX3
30
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
includes face detection focus
display is not selfie friendly
low quality video (1280 x 720 pixels)
missing external mic support
30
reasonably wide (24mm)
good maximum aperture (f2.0)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
does not contain selfie friendly screen
low video resolution (1280 x 720 resolution)
does not have external mic jack
heavier than competition (265g)
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Olympus E-PL1s vs Panasonic LX3 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL1s and Panasonic LX3
 Olympus PEN E-PL1sPanasonic Lumix DMC-LX3
General Information
Company Olympus Panasonic
Model Olympus PEN E-PL1s Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3
Class Entry-Level Mirrorless Small Sensor Compact
Announced 2010-11-16 2008-11-04
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Powered by Truepic V -
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/1.63"
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 8.07 x 5.56mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 44.9mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixel 10 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Highest Possible resolution 4032 x 3024 3648 x 2736
Maximum native ISO 6400 6400
Minimum native ISO 100 80
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Manual focus
AF touch
AF continuous
AF single
AF tracking
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Number of focus points 11 -
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 24-60mm (2.5x)
Maximum aperture - f/2.0-2.8
Macro focus range - 1cm
Number of lenses 107 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 4.5
Screen
Range of screen Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen size 2.7" 3"
Resolution of screen 230k dot 460k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Screen technology HyperCrystal LCD AR (Anti-Reflective) coating -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic (optional) None
Features
Min shutter speed 60 seconds 60 seconds
Max shutter speed 1/2000 seconds 1/2000 seconds
Continuous shutter speed 3.0fps 3.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 10.00 m 8.30 m
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Max flash sync 1/160 seconds -
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1280 x 720 (HD 24 fps), 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30fps), 320 x 240 (10fps)
Maximum video resolution 1280x720 1280x720
Video data format Motion JPEG -
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 None
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 334 gr (0.74 lbs) 265 gr (0.58 lbs)
Dimensions 115 x 72 x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") 109 x 60 x 27mm (4.3" x 2.4" x 1.1")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score not tested 39
DXO Color Depth score not tested 19.6
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 10.8
DXO Low light score not tested 94
Other
Battery life 290 pictures -
Battery format Battery Pack -
Battery model BLS-1 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Storage media SD/SDHC SD/MMC/SDHC card, Internal
Storage slots One One
Launch price $599 $449