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Olympus E-PL3 vs Olympus SZ-31MR iHS

Portability
88
Imaging
48
Features
52
Overall
49
Olympus PEN E-PL3 front
 
Olympus SZ-31MR iHS front
Portability
89
Imaging
39
Features
47
Overall
42

Olympus E-PL3 vs Olympus SZ-31MR iHS 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
  • Launched September 2011
  • Previous Model is Olympus E-PL2
Olympus SZ-31MR iHS
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 6400
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 25-600mm (F3.0-6.9) lens
  • 226g - 106 x 69 x 40mm
  • Released February 2012
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Olympus E-PL3 vs Olympus SZ-31MR iHS Overview

Lets examine more in depth at the Olympus E-PL3 vs Olympus SZ-31MR iHS, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom and they are both designed by Olympus. There exists a significant gap among the resolutions of the E-PL3 (12MP) and SZ-31MR iHS (16MP) and the E-PL3 (Four Thirds) and SZ-31MR iHS (1/2.3") feature totally different sensor dimensions.

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The E-PL3 was brought out 4 months earlier than the SZ-31MR iHS and they are both of a similar generation. Both of the cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-PL3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Olympus SZ-31MR iHS being a Compact camera.

Before getting straight into a thorough comparison, below is a simple highlight of how the E-PL3 matches up against the SZ-31MR iHS when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL3 over the Olympus SZ-31MR iHS

 E-PL3 SZ-31MR iHS 
Manual focus Very precise focusing
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen

Reasons to pick Olympus SZ-31MR iHS over the Olympus E-PL3

 SZ-31MR iHS E-PL3 
Screen resolution920k460kSharper screen (+460k dot)
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Common features in the Olympus E-PL3 and Olympus SZ-31MR iHS

 E-PL3 SZ-31MR iHS 
ReleasedSeptember 2011February 2012Same generation
Screen sizing3"3"Equivalent screen sizing
Selfie screen Lacking selfie screen

Olympus E-PL3 vs Olympus SZ-31MR iHS Physical Comparison

If you are looking to carry your camera, you have to think about its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-PL3 provides outer dimensions of 110mm x 64mm x 37mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.5") along with a weight of 313 grams (0.69 lbs) and the Olympus SZ-31MR iHS has measurements of 106mm x 69mm x 40mm (4.2" x 2.7" x 1.6") and a weight of 226 grams (0.50 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus E-PL3 vs Olympus SZ-31MR iHS in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Keep in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ based on the lens you have attached at the time. Here is the front view size comparison of the E-PL3 vs the SZ-31MR iHS.

Olympus E-PL3 vs Olympus SZ-31MR iHS size comparison

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-PL3 and SZ-31MR iHS is 88 and 89 respectively.

Olympus E-PL3 vs Olympus SZ-31MR iHS top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL3 vs Olympus SZ-31MR iHS Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, it is very tough to see the gap in sensor sizing only by looking through specs. The photograph here should offer you a greater sense of the sensor sizes in the E-PL3 and SZ-31MR iHS.

As you can plainly see, each of the cameras offer different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The E-PL3 because of its bigger sensor will make shooting bokeh simpler and the Olympus SZ-31MR iHS will render more detail having its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution will help you crop photographs a little more aggressively.

Olympus E-PL3 vs Olympus SZ-31MR iHS sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL3 vs Olympus SZ-31MR iHS Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL3 vs Olympus SZ-31MR iHS Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PL3 Portrait photography information
Olympus SZ-31MR iHS Portrait photography information
60
has manual focus
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
provides face detect focusing
delivers RAW files
low resolution sensor (12 megapixels)
34
decent MP (16MP)
offers face detect autofocus
no manual focus
manual mode not possible
no external flash support
small sensor size (1/2.3")
no RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-PL3 Street photography information
Olympus SZ-31MR iHS Street photography information
84
screen tilts up and down
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW files
64
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
comes with touch focus
lighter than competition (226g)
screen does not articulate
small sensor size (1/2.3")
no RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PL3 Sports photography features
Olympus SZ-31MR iHS Sports photography features
45
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
provides tracking focus
slow continuous shooting (6.0 frames per second)
low resolution sensor (12MP)
low battery life (300 shots)
doesn't have phase detect AF
44
excellent zoom range (25-600mm 24.0 x zoom)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
decent MP (16 megapixels)
offers tracking focus
lack of shutter priority mode
small sensor size (1/2.3")
terrible battery power (200 CIPA)
no phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL3 Travel photography factors
Olympus SZ-31MR iHS Travel photography factors
44
does not have Time Lapse mode
low battery life (300 shots)
low resolution sensor (12MP)
screen isn't selfie friendly
67
lighter than competition (226g)
comes with touch focus
decent MP (16 megapixels)
flash built-in
pretty wide (25mm)
great zoom (600mm)
missing Time Lapse recording
terrible battery power (200 CIPA)
doesn't feature selfie friendly screen
slow maximum aperture (f3.0)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PL3 Landscape photography details
Olympus SZ-31MR iHS Landscape photography details
61
has manual focus
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW files
low resolution sensor (12MP)
low battery life (300 CIPA)
does not have Time Lapse mode
41
pretty wide (25mm)
screen size is good (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
decent MP (16 megapixels)
no manual focus
cannot change lenses (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f3.0)
manual mode not possible
small sensor size (1/2.3")
no RAW files
terrible battery power (200 shots)
missing Time Lapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus E-PL3
Vlogging with Olympus SZ-31MR iHS
34
image stabilization (Sensor based)
provides face detect focusing
high quality video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
screen isn't selfie friendly
does not have mic support
35
pretty wide (25mm)
touch screen
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
offers face detect autofocus
high res video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
lighter than competition (226g)
slow maximum aperture (f3.0)
doesn't feature selfie friendly screen
missing mic port
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Olympus E-PL3 vs Olympus SZ-31MR iHS Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL3 and Olympus SZ-31MR iHS
 Olympus PEN E-PL3Olympus SZ-31MR iHS
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Olympus
Model Olympus PEN E-PL3 Olympus SZ-31MR iHS
Class Entry-Level Mirrorless Small Sensor Superzoom
Launched 2011-09-20 2012-02-08
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Chip Truepic VI Dual TruePic V
Sensor type CMOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 12MP 16MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 4:3 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 4032 x 3024 4608 x 3456
Maximum native ISO 12800 6400
Minimum native ISO 200 80
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Tracking autofocus
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Number of focus points 35 -
Cross focus points - -
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 25-600mm (24.0x)
Max aperture - f/3.0-6.9
Macro focus range - 1cm
Total lenses 107 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.8
Screen
Range of screen Tilting Fixed Type
Screen size 3" 3"
Resolution of screen 460 thousand dot 920 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Screen technology HyperCrystal LCD AR(Anti-Reflective) coating Hypercrystal III TFT Color LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic (optional) None
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 secs 4 secs
Highest shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/1700 secs
Continuous shooting speed 6.0 frames per second 7.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes -
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range no built-in flash 9.30 m
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Highest flash sync 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) 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 180 (30fps)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video file format AVCHD, Motion JPEG MPEG-4, H.264
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 pounds) 226 gr (0.50 pounds)
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 All around 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 photos 200 photos
Battery form Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model BLS-5 LI-50B
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 12 sec, pet auto shutter)
Time lapse shooting
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC
Storage slots 1 1
Pricing at launch $399 $0