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Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic FH1

Portability
88
Imaging
48
Features
52
Overall
49
Olympus PEN E-PL3 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH1 front
Portability
95
Imaging
35
Features
17
Overall
27

Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic FH1 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
  • Released September 2011
  • Succeeded the Olympus E-PL2
Panasonic FH1
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-140mm (F2.8-6.9) lens
  • 163g - 98 x 55 x 23mm
  • Announced January 2010
  • Alternate Name is Lumix DMC-FS10
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Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic FH1 Overview

Lets take a closer look at the Olympus E-PL3 versus Panasonic FH1, one is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the other is a Small Sensor Compact by competitors Olympus and Panasonic. The sensor resolution of the E-PL3 (12MP) and the FH1 (12MP) is very comparable but the E-PL3 (Four Thirds) and FH1 (1/2.3") feature totally different sensor size.

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The E-PL3 was brought out 21 months after the FH1 making the cameras a generation away from each other. Both of these cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-PL3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic FH1 being a Compact camera.

Before getting in to a in-depth comparison, below is a simple introduction of how the E-PL3 grades versus the FH1 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL3 over the Panasonic FH1

 E-PL3 FH1 
AnnouncedSeptember 2011January 2010Newer by 21 months
Manually focus More accurate focusing
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display dimension3"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")
Display resolution460k230kSharper display (+230k dot)

Reasons to pick Panasonic FH1 over the Olympus E-PL3

 FH1 E-PL3 

Common features in the Olympus E-PL3 and Panasonic FH1

 E-PL3 FH1 
Selfie screen Lack of selfie screen
Touch friendly display Lack of Touch friendly display

Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic FH1 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is intending to travel with your camera often, you have to consider its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-PL3 provides outer 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 Panasonic FH1 has dimensions of 98mm x 55mm x 23mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 0.9") with a weight of 163 grams (0.36 lbs).

See the Olympus E-PL3 versus Panasonic FH1 in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Do not forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ depending on the lens you are working with at that moment. Below is the front view dimension comparison of the E-PL3 versus the FH1.

Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic FH1 size comparison

Considering size and weight, the portability grade of the E-PL3 and FH1 is 88 and 95 respectively.

Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic FH1 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic FH1 Sensor Comparison

Often, it is difficult to see the gap in sensor dimensions only by seeing specs. The pic below might give you a stronger sense of the sensor measurements in the E-PL3 and FH1.

As you can plainly see, both cameras have got the exact same resolution but not the same sensor dimensions. The E-PL3 has the larger sensor which is going to make getting shallower DOF easier. The younger E-PL3 will have an advantage with regard to sensor technology.

Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic FH1 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic FH1 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic FH1 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PL3 Portrait photography advice
Panasonic FH1 Portrait photography advice
60
focusing manually
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
has face detect autofocus
delivers RAW files
sensor resolution not great (12 megapixels)
21
manual focus not available
no manual control
external flash not possible
low resolution sensor (12MP)
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
no RAW support
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus E-PL3
Street photography with Panasonic FH1
84
screen tilts
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW files
57
has image stabilization (Optical)
no articulating screen
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
no RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus E-PL3
Sports photography with Panasonic FH1
45
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
has tracking focus
painfully slow continuous shooting (6.0 frames per second)
sensor resolution not great (12MP)
bad battery life (300 per charge)
does not have phase detect autofocus
25
has image stabilization (Optical)
slow fps (6.0 fps)
no shutter priority
low resolution sensor (12MP)
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
no phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL3 Travel photography advice
Panasonic FH1 Travel photography advice
44
doesn't have Time Lapse recording
bad battery life (300 CIPA)
sensor resolution not great (12MP)
does not offer selfie friendly screen
58
flash built-in
reasonably wide (28mm)
doesn't have Timelapse recording
low resolution sensor (12MP)
does not contain selfie friendly screen
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.8)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PL3 Landscape photography information
Panasonic FH1 Landscape photography information
61
focusing manually
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen is a decent size (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW files
sensor resolution not great (12MP)
bad battery life (300 per charge)
doesn't have Time Lapse recording
32
reasonably wide (28mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
manual focus not available
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.8)
tiny screen (2.7 inch)
no manual control
low resolution sensor (12 megapixels)
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
no RAW support
doesn't have Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus E-PL3
Vlogging with Panasonic FH1
34
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
has face detect autofocus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
does not offer selfie friendly screen
doesn't have mic socket
29
reasonably wide (28mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.8)
does not contain selfie friendly screen
low quality video (1280 x 720 pixels)
doesn't have external microphone jack
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Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic FH1 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL3 and Panasonic FH1
 Olympus PEN E-PL3Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH1
General Information
Make Olympus Panasonic
Model Olympus PEN E-PL3 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH1
Also called - Lumix DMC-FS10
Class Entry-Level Mirrorless Small Sensor Compact
Released 2011-09-20 2010-01-06
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Chip Truepic VI -
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixel 12 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 4032 x 3024 4000 x 3000
Highest native ISO 12800 6400
Lowest native ISO 200 80
RAW data
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
Continuous autofocus
Single autofocus
Tracking autofocus
Selective autofocus
Autofocus center weighted
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Number of focus points 35 9
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 28-140mm (5.0x)
Max aperture - f/2.8-6.9
Macro focus distance - 5cm
Amount of lenses 107 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.9
Screen
Range of screen Tilting Fixed Type
Screen size 3 inch 2.7 inch
Screen resolution 460k dot 230k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Screen tech HyperCrystal LCD AR(Anti-Reflective) coating -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic (optional) None
Features
Min shutter speed 60 seconds 60 seconds
Max shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/1600 seconds
Continuous shutter speed 6.0 frames per second 6.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes -
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range no built-in flash 6.80 m
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Syncro
External flash
AEB
White balance bracketing
Max flash sync 1/160 seconds -
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video format AVCHD, Motion JPEG Motion JPEG
Microphone input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless None None
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 grams (0.69 lb) 163 grams (0.36 lb)
Dimensions 110 x 64 x 37mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.5") 98 x 55 x 23mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 0.9")
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 -
Battery format Battery Pack -
Battery model BLS-5 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC card, Internal
Storage slots 1 1
Launch pricing $399 $150