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Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic S5

Portability
88
Imaging
48
Features
52
Overall
49
Olympus PEN E-PL3 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DC-S5 front
Portability
60
Imaging
76
Features
92
Overall
82

Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic S5 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
  • Old Model is Olympus E-PL2
Panasonic S5
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3.0" Fully Articulated Display
  • ISO 100 - 51200 (Push to 204800)
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Leica L Mount
  • 714g - 133 x 97 x 82mm
  • Revealed August 2020
  • New Model is Panasonic S5 II
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Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic S5 Overview

Its time to look a little more closely at the Olympus E-PL3 and Panasonic S5, former is a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the other is a Pro Mirrorless by manufacturers Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a large gap between the image resolutions of the E-PL3 (12MP) and S5 (24MP) and the E-PL3 (Four Thirds) and S5 (Full frame) feature totally different sensor sizes.

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The E-PL3 was revealed 10 years before the S5 which is quite a serious difference as far as technology is concerned. Both cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-PL3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic S5 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before we go in to a detailed comparison, below is a brief summary of how the E-PL3 grades vs the S5 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL3 over the Panasonic S5

 E-PL3 S5 

Reasons to pick Panasonic S5 over the Olympus E-PL3

 S5 E-PL3 
RevealedAugust 2020September 2011Newer by 108 months
Display typeFully ArticulatedTiltingFully Articulating display
Display resolution1840k460kClearer display (+1380k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies
Touch display Easily navigate

Common features in the Olympus E-PL3 and Panasonic S5

 E-PL3 S5 
Focus manually Very precise focus
Display dimension3"3.0"Identical display dimensions

Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic S5 Physical Comparison

For anyone who is looking to travel with your camera frequently, you have to take into account its weight and size. The Olympus E-PL3 enjoys external measurements of 110mm x 64mm x 37mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.5") along with a weight of 313 grams (0.69 lbs) whilst the Panasonic S5 has specifications of 133mm x 97mm x 82mm (5.2" x 3.8" x 3.2") along with a weight of 714 grams (1.57 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-PL3 and Panasonic S5 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you are working with at that moment. Following is the front view over all size comparison of the E-PL3 against the S5.

Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic S5 size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-PL3 and S5 is 88 and 60 respectively.

Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic S5 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic S5 Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, it is very tough to visualise the difference between sensor dimensions only by going over specifications. The pic underneath may give you a greater sense of the sensor sizing in the E-PL3 and S5.

Plainly, both of the cameras have got different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The E-PL3 using its tinier sensor will make getting shallow depth of field more challenging and the Panasonic S5 will deliver extra detail because of its extra 12 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also make it easier to crop images much more aggressively. The more aged E-PL3 is going to be behind with regard to sensor innovation.

Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic S5 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic S5 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic S5 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photography Glossary

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PL3 as a Portrait photography camera
Panasonic S5 as a Portrait photography camera
60
manual focus
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
includes face detect focus
delivers RAW formats
low MP (12 megapixels)
85
you can focus manually
decent MP (24MP)
sensor size is great (Full frame)
provides face detect focusing
supports RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-PL3 Street photography info
Panasonic S5 Street photography info
84
screen tilts
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
78
screen can move to multiple angles
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is great (Full frame)
supports RAW files
provides touch to focus
weather proofing
very good ISO range (51,200)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PL3 as a Sports photography camera
Panasonic S5 as a Sports photography camera
45
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
includes tracking focus
max fps low (6.0 frames per second)
low MP (12MP)
bad battery life (300 CIPA)
lack of phase detect auto focus
81
max shutter speed is good (1/8,000s)
silent mode (1/8,000s)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent MP (24 megapixels)
sensor size is great (Full frame)
provides tracking focus
weather proofing
no phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus E-PL3
Travel photography with Panasonic S5
44
lack of Time Lapse mode
bad battery life (300 shots)
low MP (12 megapixels)
screen is not selfie friendly
79
weather proofing
supports bluetooth
provides touch to focus
decent MP (24 megapixels)
display is selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PL3 as a Landscape photography camera
Panasonic S5 as a Landscape photography camera
61
manual focus
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
decent sized screen (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
low MP (12MP)
bad battery life (300 CIPA)
lack of Time Lapse mode
86
you can focus manually
change lenses (Leica L mount)
decent sized screen (3.0 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent MP (24 megapixels)
sensor size is great (Full frame)
no low pass filter
very good ISO range (51,200)
supports RAW files
weather proofing
has double storage slots
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus E-PL3
Vlogging with Panasonic S5
34
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
includes face detect focus
video res high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
screen is not selfie friendly
lack of mic support
79
display is selfie friendly
touchscreen functionality
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
provides face detect focusing
high quality video (3840 x 2160 pxls)
does have microphone port
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Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic S5 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL3 and Panasonic S5
 Olympus PEN E-PL3Panasonic Lumix DC-S5
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Panasonic
Model Olympus PEN E-PL3 Panasonic Lumix DC-S5
Type Entry-Level Mirrorless Pro Mirrorless
Launched 2011-09-20 2020-08-14
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Processor Truepic VI -
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds Full frame
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 35.6 x 23.8mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 847.3mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixels 24 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 4032 x 3024 6000 x 4000
Highest native ISO 12800 51200
Highest enhanced ISO - 204800
Min native ISO 200 100
RAW pictures
Min enhanced ISO - 50
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch focus
Continuous autofocus
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Number of focus points 35 225
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds Leica L
Available lenses 107 31
Crop factor 2.1 1
Screen
Screen type Tilting Fully Articulated
Screen size 3 inch 3.0 inch
Resolution of screen 460k dot 1,840k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Screen tech HyperCrystal LCD AR(Anti-Reflective) coating -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic (optional) Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 2,360k dot
Viewfinder coverage - 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.74x
Features
Min shutter speed 60 secs 60 secs
Max shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/8000 secs
Max silent shutter speed - 1/8000 secs
Continuous shutter speed 6.0fps 7.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range no built-in flash no built-in flash
Flash settings 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
WB bracketing
Max flash sync 1/160 secs 1/250 secs
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) 3840 x 2160 @ 60p / 200 Mbps, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 3840x2160
Video data format AVCHD, Motion JPEG MPEG-4, H.264, H.265
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
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 seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 313 grams (0.69 lb) 714 grams (1.57 lb)
Dimensions 110 x 64 x 37mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.5") 133 x 97 x 82mm (5.2" x 3.8" x 3.2")
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 photographs 440 photographs
Type of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model BLS-5 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD Memory Card, SDHC Memory Card, SDXC Memory Card
Storage slots 1 2
Launch pricing $399 $1,999