Olympus E-PL1s vs Panasonic SZ3

Its time to look a little more closely at the Olympus E-PL1s versus Panasonic SZ3, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the other is a Small Sensor Compact by brands Olympus and Panasonic. There is a considerable difference between the resolutions of the E-PL1s (12MP) and SZ3 (16MP) and the E-PL1s (Four Thirds) and SZ3 (1/2.3") feature different sensor dimensions.

Photography Glossary

The E-PL1s was brought out 3 years prior to the SZ3 and that is quite a large difference as far as tech is concerned. Both cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-PL1s being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic SZ3 being a Compact camera.

Before we go in to a detailed comparison, below is a simple summary of how the E-PL1s matches up vs the SZ3 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

This is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus PEN E-PL1s & Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ3. The entire galleries are viewable at Olympus E-PL1s Gallery & Panasonic SZ3 Gallery.

For anyone who is aiming to lug around your camera often, you're going to have to consider its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-PL1s features exterior 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) whilst the Panasonic SZ3 has dimensions of 95mm x 56mm x 22mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9") and a weight of 126 grams (0.28 lbs).

Check the Olympus E-PL1s versus Panasonic SZ3 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Always remember, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you are using at the time. Underneath is the front view measurements comparison of the E-PL1s vs the SZ3.

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability score of the E-PL1s and SZ3 is 86 and 96 respectively.

Oftentimes, it is very hard to visualize the difference between sensor measurements merely by looking at a spec sheet. The visual underneath will help give you a greater sense of the sensor sizing in the E-PL1s and SZ3.

Clearly, both of these cameras posses different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The E-PL1s because of its larger sensor is going to make achieving shallower DOF simpler and the Panasonic SZ3 will resolve greater detail having its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also help you crop pics somewhat more aggressively. The older E-PL1s is going to be behind in sensor tech.