Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic FX580

Below is a thorough review of the Olympus E-PL3 versus Panasonic FX580, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the other is a Small Sensor Compact by manufacturers Olympus and Panasonic. The resolution of the E-PL3 (12MP) and the FX580 (12MP) is very comparable but the E-PL3 (Four Thirds) and FX580 (1/2.3") boast totally different sensor size.

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The E-PL3 was unveiled 2 years later than the FX580 and that is a fairly significant difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-PL3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic FX580 being a Compact camera.

Before going into a thorough comparison, here is a concise summary of how the E-PL3 scores versus the FX580 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Here is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus PEN E-PL3 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX580. The full galleries are available at Olympus E-PL3 Gallery & Panasonic FX580 Gallery.

For those who are looking to lug around your camera regularly, you'll need to think about its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-PL3 provides external 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) whilst the Panasonic FX580 has dimensions of 95mm x 57mm x 22mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9") having a weight of 167 grams (0.37 lbs).

See the Olympus E-PL3 versus Panasonic FX580 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you are utilising at that time. Here is a front view measurement comparison of the E-PL3 and the FX580.

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-PL3 and FX580 is 88 and 95 respectively.

Sometimes, it can be hard to see the contrast in sensor measurements just by going through technical specs. The graphic underneath might provide you a clearer sense of the sensor measurements in the E-PL3 and FX580.

As you have seen, both the cameras come with the identical megapixel count but not the same sensor measurements. The E-PL3 contains the larger sensor which should make obtaining shallow DOF simpler. The newer E-PL3 is going to have an edge when it comes to sensor tech.