Olympus E-PL3 vs Olympus SZ-30MR
88 Imaging
47 Features
52 Overall
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89 Imaging
38 Features
39 Overall
38
Olympus E-PL3 vs Olympus SZ-30MR Key Specs
(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
- Old Model is Olympus E-PL2
(Full Review)
- 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
- 3" Fixed Screen
- ISO 80 - 3200
- Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
- 1920 x 1080 video
- 25-600mm (F3.0-6.9) lens
- 226g - 106 x 69 x 40mm
- Introduced March 2011
Photography Glossary Olympus E-PL3 vs Olympus SZ-30MR Overview
Lets look more in depth at the Olympus E-PL3 vs Olympus SZ-30MR, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom and they are both built by Olympus. There exists a large gap among the image resolutions of the E-PL3 (12MP) and SZ-30MR (16MP) and the E-PL3 (Four Thirds) and SZ-30MR (1/2.3") have different sensor size.
Snapchat Adds Watermarks to AI-Created ImagesThe E-PL3 was launched 7 months later than the SZ-30MR which means that they are both of a similar age. Each of the cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-PL3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Olympus SZ-30MR being a Compact camera.
Before we go right into a more detailed comparison, here is a short view of how the E-PL3 scores vs the SZ-30MR when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.
Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music video Olympus E-PL3 vs Olympus SZ-30MR Gallery
The following is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus PEN E-PL3 & Olympus SZ-30MR. The complete galleries are viewable at Olympus E-PL3 Gallery & Olympus SZ-30MR Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL3 over the Olympus SZ-30MR
| E-PL3 | SZ-30MR | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Introduced | September 2011 | March 2011 | Fresher by 7 months | |
| Manual focus | Very accurate focusing | |||
| Screen type | Tilting | Fixed | Tilting screen |
Reasons to pick Olympus SZ-30MR over the Olympus E-PL3
| SZ-30MR | E-PL3 |
|---|
Common features in the Olympus E-PL3 and Olympus SZ-30MR
| E-PL3 | SZ-30MR | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Screen dimensions | 3" | 3" | Equal screen size | |
| Screen resolution | 460k | 460k | Equal screen resolution | |
| Selfie screen | Missing selfie screen | |||
| Touch screen | Missing Touch screen |
Olympus E-PL3 vs Olympus SZ-30MR Physical Comparison
In case you're planning to carry your camera regularly, you will want to take into account its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-PL3 has physical measurements of 110mm x 64mm x 37mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.5") accompanied by a weight of 313 grams (0.69 lbs) while the Olympus SZ-30MR has dimensions of 106mm x 69mm x 40mm (4.2" x 2.7" x 1.6") along with a weight of 226 grams (0.50 lbs).
Take a look at the Olympus E-PL3 vs Olympus SZ-30MR in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Remember, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you have attached at the time. Following is a front view size comparison of the E-PL3 against the SZ-30MR.

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-PL3 and SZ-30MR is 88 and 89 respectively.
Olympus E-PL3 vs Olympus SZ-30MR Sensor Comparison
Normally, its difficult to picture the gap in sensor sizing merely by researching technical specs. The visual here should offer you a much better sense of the sensor sizing in the E-PL3 and SZ-30MR.
As you have seen, each of the cameras have different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The E-PL3 due to its bigger sensor is going to make achieving bokeh simpler and the Olympus SZ-30MR will provide you with extra detail utilizing its extra 4MP. Higher resolution can also enable you to crop pictures a bit more aggressively. The more recent E-PL3 should have an edge in sensor innovation.
Olympus E-PL3 vs Olympus SZ-30MR Screen and ViewFinder
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Olympus E-PL3 vs Olympus SZ-30MR Specifications
| Olympus PEN E-PL3 | Olympus SZ-30MR | |
|---|---|---|
| General Information | ||
| Manufacturer | Olympus | Olympus |
| Model | Olympus PEN E-PL3 | Olympus SZ-30MR |
| Category | Entry-Level Mirrorless | Small Sensor Superzoom |
| Announced | 2011-09-20 | 2011-03-02 |
| Body design | Rangefinder-style mirrorless | Compact |
| Sensor Information | ||
| Processor Chip | Truepic VI | TruePic III+ |
| Sensor type | CMOS | CMOS |
| Sensor size | Four Thirds | 1/2.3" |
| Sensor dimensions | 17.3 x 13mm | 6.17 x 4.55mm |
| Sensor area | 224.9mm² | 28.1mm² |
| Sensor resolution | 12 megapixel | 16 megapixel |
| Anti aliasing filter | ||
| Aspect ratio | 4:3 | 4:3 and 16:9 |
| Max resolution | 4032 x 3024 | 4608 x 3456 |
| Max native ISO | 12800 | 3200 |
| Minimum native ISO | 200 | 80 |
| RAW format | ||
| Autofocusing | ||
| Manual focus | ||
| AF touch | ||
| Continuous AF | ||
| Single AF | ||
| Tracking AF | ||
| Selective AF | ||
| AF center weighted | ||
| AF multi area | ||
| AF live view | ||
| Face detection AF | ||
| Contract detection AF | ||
| Phase detection AF | ||
| Number of focus points | 35 | - |
| Cross focus points | - | - |
| Lens | ||
| Lens mounting type | Micro Four Thirds | fixed lens |
| Lens focal range | - | 25-600mm (24.0x) |
| Largest aperture | - | f/3.0-6.9 |
| Macro focus distance | - | 1cm |
| Total lenses | 107 | - |
| Crop factor | 2.1 | 5.8 |
| Screen | ||
| Screen type | Tilting | Fixed Type |
| Screen size | 3 inch | 3 inch |
| Screen resolution | 460k dot | 460k dot |
| Selfie friendly | ||
| Liveview | ||
| Touch functionality | ||
| Screen technology | HyperCrystal LCD AR(Anti-Reflective) coating | TFT Hypercrystal III Color LCD |
| Viewfinder Information | ||
| Viewfinder type | Electronic (optional) | None |
| Features | ||
| Min shutter speed | 60s | 4s |
| Max shutter speed | 1/4000s | 1/1700s |
| Continuous shutter speed | 6.0 frames/s | 2.0 frames/s |
| Shutter priority | ||
| Aperture priority | ||
| Expose Manually | ||
| Exposure compensation | Yes | - |
| Custom WB | ||
| Image stabilization | ||
| Integrated flash | ||
| Flash range | no built-in flash | 4.00 m |
| Flash settings | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in |
| Hot shoe | ||
| AE bracketing | ||
| White balance bracketing | ||
| Max flash sync | 1/160s | - |
| Exposure | ||
| Multisegment exposure | ||
| Average exposure | ||
| Spot exposure | ||
| Partial exposure | ||
| AF area exposure | ||
| Center weighted exposure | ||
| Video features | ||
| Video resolutions | 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) | 1920 x 1080 (30 fps)1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 180 (30fps) |
| Max video resolution | 1920x1080 | 1920x1080 |
| Video data format | AVCHD, Motion JPEG | MPEG-4 |
| Mic jack | ||
| Headphone jack | ||
| Connectivity | ||
| Wireless | None | Eye-Fi Connected |
| Bluetooth | ||
| NFC | ||
| HDMI | ||
| USB | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) |
| GPS | None | None |
| Physical | ||
| Environment seal | ||
| Water proof | ||
| Dust proof | ||
| Shock proof | ||
| Crush proof | ||
| Freeze proof | ||
| Weight | 313 gr (0.69 lb) | 226 gr (0.50 lb) |
| Physical dimensions | 110 x 64 x 37mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.5") | 106 x 69 x 40mm (4.2" x 2.7" x 1.6") |
| DXO scores | ||
| DXO Overall score | 52 | not tested |
| DXO Color Depth score | 20.9 | not tested |
| DXO Dynamic range score | 10.3 | not tested |
| DXO Low light score | 499 | not tested |
| Other | ||
| Battery life | 300 shots | 220 shots |
| Battery form | Battery Pack | Battery Pack |
| Battery model | BLS-5 | LI-50B |
| Self timer | Yes (2 or 12 sec) | Yes (2 or 12 sec) |
| Time lapse feature | ||
| Type of storage | SD/SDHC/SDXC | SD/SDHC/SDXC |
| Storage slots | One | One |
| Price at release | $399 | $279 |