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Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic S1

Portability
88
Imaging
48
Features
52
Overall
49
Olympus PEN E-PL3 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DC-S1 front
Portability
54
Imaging
75
Features
84
Overall
78

Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic S1 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
  • Announced September 2011
  • Replaced the Olympus E-PL2
Panasonic S1
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3.2" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 51200 (Raise to 204800)
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Leica L Mount
  • 1021g - 149 x 110 x 97mm
  • Launched February 2019
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Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic S1 Overview

The following is a in-depth overview of the Olympus E-PL3 versus Panasonic S1, former is a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Pro Mirrorless by rivals Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a large gap between the sensor resolutions of the E-PL3 (12MP) and S1 (24MP) and the E-PL3 (Four Thirds) and S1 (Full frame) provide totally different sensor sizing.

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The E-PL3 was unveiled 8 years earlier than the S1 which is quite a serious difference as far as technology is concerned. The two cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-PL3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic S1 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before going right into a detailed comparison, here is a simple synopsis of how the E-PL3 matches up versus the S1 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL3 over the Panasonic S1

 E-PL3 S1 

Reasons to pick Panasonic S1 over the Olympus E-PL3

 S1 E-PL3 
LaunchedFebruary 2019September 2011Newer by 89 months
Screen dimensions3.2"3"Bigger screen (+0.2")
Screen resolution2100k460kClearer screen (+1640k dot)
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Common features in the Olympus E-PL3 and Panasonic S1

 E-PL3 S1 
Manual focus More exact focus
Screen typeTiltingTiltingTilting screen
Selfie screen No selfie screen

Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic S1 Physical Comparison

For those who are aiming to travel with your camera often, you'll need to factor in its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-PL3 has got outer measurements of 110mm x 64mm x 37mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.5") having a weight of 313 grams (0.69 lbs) while the Panasonic S1 has dimensions of 149mm x 110mm x 97mm (5.9" x 4.3" x 3.8") along with a weight of 1021 grams (2.25 lbs).

See the Olympus E-PL3 versus Panasonic S1 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you choose at that moment. The following is a front view over all size comparison of the E-PL3 vs the S1.

Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic S1 size comparison

Using dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-PL3 and S1 is 88 and 54 respectively.

Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic S1 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic S1 Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, it can be difficult to visualise the difference between sensor dimensions only by reading a spec sheet. The pic here should offer you a better sense of the sensor measurements in the E-PL3 and S1.

As you can see, both of the cameras have different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The E-PL3 using its tinier sensor will make shooting shallower depth of field more challenging and the Panasonic S1 will offer greater detail having an extra 12MP. Higher resolution can also enable you to crop photographs a bit more aggressively. The more aged E-PL3 is going to be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor innovation.

Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic S1 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic S1 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic S1 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PL3 Portrait photography details
Panasonic S1 Portrait photography details
60
you can focus manually
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
features face detect focusing
supports RAW formats
low MP (12 megapixels)
85
manual focus
above average flash sync (1/320s)
megapixel count good (24MP)
sensor size is big (Full frame)
offers face detection focusing
exports RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-PL3 as a Street photography camera
Panasonic S1 as a Street photography camera
84
screen tilts up and down
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
70
screen tilts up and down
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is big (Full frame)
exports RAW files
includes touch to focus
weather proof
great ISO range (51,200)
more heavy than competitors (1,021 grams)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PL3 Sports photography highlights
Panasonic S1 Sports photography highlights
45
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
features tracking focus
painfully slow continuous shooting (6.0 fps)
low MP (12MP)
low battery pack (300 shots)
lack of phase detect AF
76
maximum shutter speed is high (1/8,000 seconds)
quiet shutter (1/8,000 seconds)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
megapixel count good (24MP)
sensor size is big (Full frame)
offers tracking autofocus
weather proof
terrible battery power (380 shots)
does not have phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus E-PL3
Travel photography with Panasonic S1
44
doesn't have Time Lapse function
low battery pack (300 CIPA)
low MP (12 megapixels)
display is not selfie friendly
59
weather proof
has bluetooth
includes touch to focus
megapixel count good (24 megapixels)
terrible battery power (380 CIPA)
more heavy than competitors (1,021 grams)
display isn't selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PL3 Landscape photography info
Panasonic S1 Landscape photography info
61
you can focus manually
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is good (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
low MP (12 megapixels)
low battery pack (300 per charge)
doesn't have Time Lapse function
81
manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Leica L mount)
pretty good screen size (3.2")
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
megapixel count good (24 megapixels)
sensor size is big (Full frame)
does not have low pass filter
great ISO range (51,200)
exports RAW files
weather proof
2 card slots
terrible battery power (380 CIPA)
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL3 as a Vlogging camera
Panasonic S1 as a Vlogging camera
34
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
features face detect focusing
high video quality (1920 x 1080 resolution)
display is not selfie friendly
doesn't have mic support
32
touchscreen
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
offers face detection focusing
video res high (3840 x 2160 pxls)
has external microphone support
display isn't selfie friendly
more heavy than competitors (1,021g)
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Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic S1 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL3 and Panasonic S1
 Olympus PEN E-PL3Panasonic Lumix DC-S1
General Information
Brand Olympus Panasonic
Model Olympus PEN E-PL3 Panasonic Lumix DC-S1
Class Entry-Level Mirrorless Pro Mirrorless
Announced 2011-09-20 2019-02-01
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Powered by Truepic VI Venus Engine
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds Full frame
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 35.6 x 23.8mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 847.3mm²
Sensor resolution 12MP 24MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 4032 x 3024 6000 x 4000
Max native ISO 12800 51200
Max boosted ISO - 204800
Min native ISO 200 100
RAW format
Min boosted ISO - 50
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Live view autofocus
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Number of focus points 35 225
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds Leica L
Number of lenses 107 30
Crop factor 2.1 1
Screen
Type of display Tilting Tilting
Display size 3" 3.2"
Resolution of display 460k dots 2,100k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Display tech HyperCrystal LCD AR(Anti-Reflective) coating -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic (optional) Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 5,760k dots
Viewfinder coverage - 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.78x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60s 60s
Highest shutter speed 1/4000s 1/8000s
Highest quiet shutter speed - 1/8000s
Continuous shooting rate 6.0 frames per second 9.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range no built-in flash no built-in flash
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 w/Red-eye Reduction, Forced Off
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Highest flash synchronize 1/160s 1/320s
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) 3840 x 2160 @ 60p / 150 Mbps, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM
Max video resolution 1920x1080 3840x2160
Video data format AVCHD, Motion JPEG MPEG-4, H.264, H.265
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) Yes (can be charged with high-power laptop/tablet chargers or portable power banks)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 313g (0.69 lb) 1021g (2.25 lb)
Physical dimensions 110 x 64 x 37mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.5") 149 x 110 x 97mm (5.9" x 4.3" x 3.8")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 52 95
DXO Color Depth score 20.9 25.2
DXO Dynamic range score 10.3 14.5
DXO Low light score 499 3333
Other
Battery life 300 images 380 images
Battery style Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model BLS-5 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes
Time lapse shooting
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC -
Card slots Single 2
Retail pricing $399 $2,498