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Olympus E-PL3 vs Olympus SP-565UZ

Portability
88
Imaging
48
Features
52
Overall
49
Olympus PEN E-PL3 front
 
Olympus SP-565UZ front
Portability
72
Imaging
33
Features
32
Overall
32

Olympus E-PL3 vs Olympus SP-565UZ Key Specs

Olympus E-PL3
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 200 - 12800
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 313g - 110 x 64 x 37mm
  • Announced September 2011
  • Superseded the Olympus E-PL2
Olympus SP-565UZ
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.5" Fixed Display
  • ISO 64 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 640 x 480 video
  • 26-520mm (F2.8-4.5) lens
  • 413g - 116 x 84 x 81mm
  • Launched January 2009
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Olympus E-PL3 vs Olympus SP-565UZ Overview

Below is a comprehensive comparison of the Olympus E-PL3 versus Olympus SP-565UZ, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom and they are both built by Olympus. The resolution of the E-PL3 (12MP) and the SP-565UZ (10MP) is very well matched but the E-PL3 (Four Thirds) and SP-565UZ (1/2.3") come with different sensor size.

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The E-PL3 was introduced 2 years later than the SP-565UZ and that is quite a serious difference as far as tech is concerned. Both of these cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-PL3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Olympus SP-565UZ being a Compact camera.

Before getting straight into a detailed comparison, below is a simple overview of how the E-PL3 scores versus the SP-565UZ with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL3 over the Olympus SP-565UZ

 E-PL3 SP-565UZ 
LaunchedSeptember 2011January 2009More recent by 33 months
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display dimension3"2.5"Larger display (+0.5")
Display resolution460k230kSharper display (+230k dot)

Reasons to pick Olympus SP-565UZ over the Olympus E-PL3

 SP-565UZ E-PL3 

Common features in the Olympus E-PL3 and Olympus SP-565UZ

 E-PL3 SP-565UZ 
Manually focus More accurate focus
Selfie screen Absent selfie screen
Touch display Absent Touch display

Olympus E-PL3 vs Olympus SP-565UZ Physical Comparison

For anyone who is looking to lug around your camera often, you should consider its weight and size. The Olympus E-PL3 provides outside dimensions of 110mm x 64mm x 37mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.5") and a weight of 313 grams (0.69 lbs) whilst the Olympus SP-565UZ has specifications of 116mm x 84mm x 81mm (4.6" x 3.3" x 3.2") along with a weight of 413 grams (0.91 lbs).

Look at the Olympus E-PL3 versus Olympus SP-565UZ in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you have at that time. Below is the front view overall size comparison of the E-PL3 vs the SP-565UZ.

Olympus E-PL3 vs Olympus SP-565UZ size comparison

Factoring in size and weight, the portability grade of the E-PL3 and SP-565UZ is 88 and 72 respectively.

Olympus E-PL3 vs Olympus SP-565UZ top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL3 vs Olympus SP-565UZ Sensor Comparison

Usually, its tough to visualize the difference between sensor measurements simply by checking technical specs. The visual here will provide you a much better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-PL3 and SP-565UZ.

As you can tell, the 2 cameras posses different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The E-PL3 using its larger sensor is going to make shooting shallow depth of field simpler and the Olympus E-PL3 will give you more detail using its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution will make it easier to crop photos somewhat more aggressively. The newer E-PL3 provides an advantage with regard to sensor tech.

Olympus E-PL3 vs Olympus SP-565UZ sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL3 vs Olympus SP-565UZ Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL3 vs Olympus SP-565UZ Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PL3 Portrait photography factors
Olympus SP-565UZ Portrait photography factors
60
manual focus
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
includes face detection focusing
delivers RAW formats
low resolution sensor (12MP)
39
you can focus manually
supports RAW files
sensor resolution not great (10 megapixels)
very small sensor (1/2.3")
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-PL3 Street photography details
Olympus SP-565UZ Street photography details
84
screen tilts
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
56
built in image stabilization (Optical)
supports RAW files
screen is fixed
very small sensor (1/2.3")
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PL3 as a Sports photography camera
Olympus SP-565UZ as a Sports photography camera
45
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
includes tracking autofocus
painfully slow continuous shooting (6.0 frames/s)
low resolution sensor (12 megapixels)
low battery life (300 CIPA)
lack of phase detect AF
33
great zoom range (26-520mm 20.0 x zoom)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
max frames per second very slow (1.0 frames per second)
sensor resolution not great (10MP)
very small sensor (1/2.3")
has no phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL3 Travel photography features
Olympus SP-565UZ Travel photography features
44
missing Timelapse function
low battery life (300 CIPA)
low resolution sensor (12 megapixels)
screen is not selfie friendly
52
flash built-in
really wide (26mm)
great zoom (520mm)
missing Time Lapse recording
sensor resolution not great (10MP)
does not posses selfie friendly screen
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.8)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PL3 as a Landscape photography camera
Olympus SP-565UZ as a Landscape photography camera
61
manual focus
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
nice screen size (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
low resolution sensor (12 megapixels)
low battery life (300 CIPA)
missing Timelapse function
40
you can focus manually
really wide (26mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
supports RAW files
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.8)
screen is somewhat small (2.5 inches)
sensor resolution not great (10MP)
very small sensor (1/2.3")
missing Time Lapse recording
Photography Glossary

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL3 Vlogging information
Olympus SP-565UZ Vlogging information
34
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
includes face detection focusing
high res video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
screen is not selfie friendly
missing external microphone port
24
really wide (26mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.8)
does not posses selfie friendly screen
video resolution low (640 x 480 resolution)
missing mic socket
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Olympus E-PL3 vs Olympus SP-565UZ Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL3 and Olympus SP-565UZ
 Olympus PEN E-PL3Olympus SP-565UZ
General Information
Make Olympus Olympus
Model Olympus PEN E-PL3 Olympus SP-565UZ
Class Entry-Level Mirrorless Small Sensor Superzoom
Announced 2011-09-20 2009-01-15
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Truepic VI -
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixels 10 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 4:3 and 16:9
Peak resolution 4032 x 3024 3648 x 2736
Highest native ISO 12800 6400
Minimum native ISO 200 64
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Manual focus
AF touch
AF continuous
Single AF
AF tracking
Selective AF
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Number of focus points 35 143
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 26-520mm (20.0x)
Maximum aperture - f/2.8-4.5
Macro focus range - 1cm
Available lenses 107 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.9
Screen
Screen type Tilting Fixed Type
Screen size 3 inches 2.5 inches
Resolution of screen 460k dots 230k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Screen technology HyperCrystal LCD AR(Anti-Reflective) coating -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic (optional) Electronic
Features
Min shutter speed 60 secs 1 secs
Max shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/2000 secs
Continuous shutter rate 6.0 frames/s 1.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range no built-in flash 6.40 m (ISO 200)
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction, Slow Sync
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Max flash synchronize 1/160 secs -
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 640 x 480 @ 30 fps/15 fps, 320 x 240 @ 30 fps/15 fps
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 640x480
Video data format AVCHD, Motion JPEG -
Mic port
Headphone port
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 313 gr (0.69 pounds) 413 gr (0.91 pounds)
Dimensions 110 x 64 x 37mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.5") 116 x 84 x 81mm (4.6" x 3.3" x 3.2")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score 52 30
DXO Color Depth score 20.9 18.7
DXO Dynamic range score 10.3 10.1
DXO Low light score 499 68
Other
Battery life 300 shots -
Form of battery Battery Pack -
Battery model BLS-5 4 x AA
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (12 or 2 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC xD Picture Card, Internal
Card slots Single Single
Launch pricing $399 $400