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Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic FZ1000 II

Portability
88
Imaging
48
Features
52
Overall
49
Olympus PEN E-PL3 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DC-FZ1000 II front
Portability
55
Imaging
54
Features
82
Overall
65

Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic FZ1000 II Key Specs

Olympus E-PL3
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 200 - 12800
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 313g - 110 x 64 x 37mm
  • Introduced September 2011
  • Replaced the Olympus E-PL2
Panasonic FZ1000 II
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - 1" Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 125 - 12800 (Boost to 25600)
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • 25-400mm (F2.8-4.0) lens
  • 808g - 136 x 97 x 132mm
  • Introduced February 2019
  • Superseded the Panasonic FZ1000
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Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic FZ1000 II Overview

Here, we will be contrasting the Olympus E-PL3 versus Panasonic FZ1000 II, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Large Sensor Superzoom by companies Olympus and Panasonic. There is a large difference between the sensor resolutions of the E-PL3 (12MP) and FZ1000 II (20MP) and the E-PL3 (Four Thirds) and FZ1000 II (1") provide different sensor sizing.

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The E-PL3 was launched 8 years before the FZ1000 II and that is quite a serious difference as far as tech is concerned. Both of the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-PL3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic FZ1000 II being a SLR-like (bridge) camera.

Before delving straight to a detailed comparison, here is a short overview of how the E-PL3 matches up vs the FZ1000 II in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL3 over the Panasonic FZ1000 II

 E-PL3 FZ1000 II 

Reasons to pick Panasonic FZ1000 II over the Olympus E-PL3

 FZ1000 II E-PL3 
IntroducedFebruary 2019September 2011Fresher by 90 months
Screen typeFully ArticulatedTiltingFully Articulating screen
Screen resolution1240k460kClearer screen (+780k dot)
Selfie screen Take selfies
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Common features in the Olympus E-PL3 and Panasonic FZ1000 II

 E-PL3 FZ1000 II 
Focus manually More accurate focusing
Screen size3"3"Same screen measurement

Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic FZ1000 II Physical Comparison

For anyone who is looking to carry your camera, you're going to have to think about its weight and volume. The Olympus E-PL3 has got exterior 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) and the Panasonic FZ1000 II has sizing of 136mm x 97mm x 132mm (5.4" x 3.8" x 5.2") along with a weight of 808 grams (1.78 lbs).

Check out the Olympus E-PL3 versus Panasonic FZ1000 II in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you use at the time. The following is a front view measurement comparison of the E-PL3 versus the FZ1000 II.

Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic FZ1000 II size comparison

Factoring in size and weight, the portability grade of the E-PL3 and FZ1000 II is 88 and 55 respectively.

Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic FZ1000 II top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic FZ1000 II Sensor Comparison

Often, it is tough to visualize the gap between sensor sizing merely by reviewing specs. The graphic here may offer you a greater sense of the sensor measurements in the E-PL3 and FZ1000 II.

All in all, both of these cameras feature different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The E-PL3 featuring a bigger sensor is going to make shooting shallow DOF less difficult and the Panasonic FZ1000 II will offer greater detail utilizing its extra 8MP. Higher resolution will help you crop pictures way more aggressively. The older E-PL3 is going to be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor innovation.

Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic FZ1000 II sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic FZ1000 II Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic FZ1000 II Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photography Glossary

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PL3 Portrait photography information
Panasonic FZ1000 II Portrait photography information
60
has manual focus
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
has face detect focusing
supports RAW formats
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
72
manual focus
good MP (20 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (1")
offers face detect focusing
delivers RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-PL3 Street photography factors
Panasonic FZ1000 II Street photography factors
84
has a tilting screen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
71
fully articulated screen
image stabilization (Optical)
sensor size is nice (1")
delivers RAW files
has touch focus
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PL3 Sports photography details
Panasonic FZ1000 II Sports photography details
45
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
has tracking focus
max frames per second low (6.0 fps)
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
low battery pack (300 per charge)
has no phase detect AF
69
incredible zoom range (25-400mm 16.0 x zoom)
quiet shutter (1/16,000s)
image stabilization (Optical)
good MP (20MP)
sensor size is nice (1")
offers tracking focus
no phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL3 as a Travel photography camera
Panasonic FZ1000 II as a Travel photography camera
44
no Time Lapse mode
low battery pack (300 CIPA)
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
does not feature selfie friendly display
67
connects via bluetooth
has touch focus
good MP (20 megapixels)
flash built-in
display is selfie friendly
relatively wide (25mm)
very long zoom (400mm)
slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PL3 Landscape photography information
Panasonic FZ1000 II Landscape photography information
61
has manual focus
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
good sized screen (3")
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
low battery pack (300 per charge)
no Time Lapse mode
65
manual focus
relatively wide (25mm)
pretty good screen size (3")
image stabilization (Optical)
good MP (20 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (1")
delivers RAW files
cannot swap lens (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus E-PL3
Vlogging with Panasonic FZ1000 II
34
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
has face detect focusing
video res high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
does not feature selfie friendly display
no mic jack
67
relatively wide (25mm)
display is selfie friendly
touch screen
image stabilization (Optical)
offers face detect focusing
video res high (3840 x 2160 pxls)
has mic support
slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
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Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic FZ1000 II Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL3 and Panasonic FZ1000 II
 Olympus PEN E-PL3Panasonic Lumix DC-FZ1000 II
General Information
Make Olympus Panasonic
Model Olympus PEN E-PL3 Panasonic Lumix DC-FZ1000 II
Type Entry-Level Mirrorless Large Sensor Superzoom
Introduced 2011-09-20 2019-02-18
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless SLR-like (bridge)
Sensor Information
Processor Chip Truepic VI Venus Engine
Sensor type CMOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds 1"
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 13.2 x 8.8mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 116.2mm²
Sensor resolution 12MP 20MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Max resolution 4032 x 3024 5472 x 3648
Max native ISO 12800 12800
Max enhanced ISO - 25600
Min native ISO 200 125
RAW support
Min enhanced ISO - 80
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Number of focus points 35 49
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 25-400mm (16.0x)
Maximum aperture - f/2.8-4.0
Macro focus distance - 3cm
Total lenses 107 -
Crop factor 2.1 2.7
Screen
Type of display Tilting Fully Articulated
Display sizing 3 inches 3 inches
Resolution of display 460k dots 1,240k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Display technology HyperCrystal LCD AR(Anti-Reflective) coating -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic (optional) Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 2,360k dots
Viewfinder coverage - 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.74x
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60 secs 60 secs
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/4000 secs
Fastest quiet shutter speed - 1/16000 secs
Continuous shutter rate 6.0fps 12.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range no built-in flash 13.50 m (with Auto ISO)
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) Auto, Auto/Red-eye Reduction, Forced On, Forced On/Red-eye Reduction, Slow Sync, Slow Sync/Red-eye Reduction, Forced Off, 1st / 2nd Slow Sync.
Hot shoe
AEB
WB bracketing
Fastest 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) 3840x2160 (30p), 1920 x 1080 (60p, 60i, 30p, 24p) 1280x720 (30p), 640 x 480 (30p)
Max video resolution 1920x1080 3840x2160
Video format AVCHD, Motion JPEG MPEG-4, H.264
Mic support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 313 gr (0.69 lb) 808 gr (1.78 lb)
Physical dimensions 110 x 64 x 37mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.5") 136 x 97 x 132mm (5.4" x 3.8" x 5.2")
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 photos 350 photos
Style of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model BLS-5 DMW-BLC12PP
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes
Time lapse feature
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC card (UHS-I supported)
Card slots One One
Price at release $399 $898