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Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic FZ1000

Portability
88
Imaging
48
Features
52
Overall
49
Olympus PEN E-PL3 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ1000 front
Portability
55
Imaging
51
Features
80
Overall
62

Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic FZ1000 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
  • Announced September 2011
  • Previous Model is Olympus E-PL2
Panasonic FZ1000
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - 1" Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Display
  • ISO 125 - 12800 (Increase to 25600)
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • 25-400mm (F2.8-4.0) lens
  • 831g - 137 x 99 x 131mm
  • Released June 2014
  • New Model is Panasonic FZ2500
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Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic FZ1000 Overview

Below, we are evaluating the Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic FZ1000, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the other is a Large Sensor Superzoom by brands Olympus and Panasonic. There is a considerable difference between the image resolutions of the E-PL3 (12MP) and FZ1000 (20MP) and the E-PL3 (Four Thirds) and FZ1000 (1") come with different sensor sizing.

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The E-PL3 was manufactured 3 years before the FZ1000 and that is quite a large difference as far as tech is concerned. Each of the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-PL3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic FZ1000 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera.

Before going straight into a comprehensive comparison, below is a concise overview of how the E-PL3 scores against the FZ1000 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL3 over the Panasonic FZ1000

 E-PL3 FZ1000 

Reasons to pick Panasonic FZ1000 over the Olympus E-PL3

 FZ1000 E-PL3 
ReleasedJune 2014September 2011More recent by 33 months
Display typeFully ArticulatedTiltingFully Articulating display
Display resolution921k460kSharper display (+461k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies

Common features in the Olympus E-PL3 and Panasonic FZ1000

 E-PL3 FZ1000 
Manually focus Dial precise focusing
Display dimension3"3"Identical display measurement
Touch display Neither comes with Touch display

Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic FZ1000 Physical Comparison

If you are intending to lug around your camera frequently, you're going to have to factor in its weight and size. The Olympus E-PL3 comes with outer dimensions of 110mm x 64mm x 37mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.5") along with a weight of 313 grams (0.69 lbs) while the Panasonic FZ1000 has specifications of 137mm x 99mm x 131mm (5.4" x 3.9" x 5.2") having a weight of 831 grams (1.83 lbs).

Check the Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic FZ1000 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you are employing at the time. Following is the front view dimensions comparison of the E-PL3 compared to the FZ1000.

Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic FZ1000 size comparison

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability score of the E-PL3 and FZ1000 is 88 and 55 respectively.

Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic FZ1000 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic FZ1000 Sensor Comparison

Oftentimes, its hard to visualize the difference between sensor measurements only by going over specifications. The photograph underneath should provide you a clearer sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-PL3 and FZ1000.

To sum up, both cameras posses different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The E-PL3 featuring a larger sensor is going to make getting shallower depth of field simpler and the Panasonic FZ1000 will deliver more detail due to its extra 8 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also allow you to crop images somewhat more aggressively. The older E-PL3 is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor innovation.

Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic FZ1000 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic FZ1000 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic FZ1000 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PL3 as a Portrait photography camera
Panasonic FZ1000 as a Portrait photography camera
60
manual focus
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
features face detection autofocus
delivers RAW formats
low MP (12MP)
70
manual focus
decent sensor resolution (20 megapixels)
sensor size is good (1")
provides face detect focus
exports RAW files
Photography Glossary

Street Comparison

Olympus E-PL3 Street photography details
Panasonic FZ1000 Street photography details
84
screen tilts up and down
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
70
screen articulates
image stabilization (Optical)
sensor size is good (1")
exports RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus E-PL3
Sports photography with Panasonic FZ1000
45
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
features tracking autofocus
very slow continuous shooting (6.0 frames per second)
low MP (12MP)
low battery life (300 CIPA)
lacks phase detect autofocus
67
incredible zoom range (25-400mm 16.0 x zoom)
image stabilization (Optical)
decent sensor resolution (20MP)
sensor size is good (1")
provides tracking focus
doesn't have phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL3 Travel photography features
Panasonic FZ1000 Travel photography features
44
no Timelapse recording
low battery life (300 shots)
low MP (12 megapixels)
does not offer selfie friendly display
65
decent sensor resolution (20 megapixels)
has built in flash
display is selfie friendly
pretty wide (25mm)
very long zoom (400mm)
sluggish max aperture (f2.8)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PL3 Landscape photography features
Panasonic FZ1000 Landscape photography features
61
manual focus
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
good sized screen (3")
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
low MP (12MP)
low battery life (300 shots)
no Timelapse recording
64
manual focus
pretty wide (25mm)
nice screen size (3 inch)
image stabilization (Optical)
decent sensor resolution (20 megapixels)
sensor size is good (1")
exports RAW files
cannot swap lenses (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f2.8)
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL3 Vlogging highlights
Panasonic FZ1000 Vlogging highlights
34
image stabilization (Sensor based)
features face detection autofocus
video res high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
does not offer selfie friendly display
no external microphone socket
66
pretty wide (25mm)
display is selfie friendly
image stabilization (Optical)
provides face detect focus
video res high (3840 x 2160 resolution)
includes mic support
sluggish max aperture (f2.8)
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Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic FZ1000 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL3 and Panasonic FZ1000
 Olympus PEN E-PL3Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ1000
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Panasonic
Model Olympus PEN E-PL3 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ1000
Class Entry-Level Mirrorless Large Sensor Superzoom
Announced 2011-09-20 2014-06-12
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless SLR-like (bridge)
Sensor Information
Processor Truepic VI Venus Engine
Sensor type CMOS 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
Maximum resolution 4032 x 3024 5472 x 3648
Maximum native ISO 12800 12800
Maximum boosted ISO - 25600
Min native ISO 200 125
RAW files
Min boosted ISO - 80
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
AF continuous
Single AF
AF tracking
AF selectice
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Number of focus points 35 49
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 25-400mm (16.0x)
Largest aperture - f/2.8-4.0
Macro focus range - 3cm
Available lenses 107 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 2.7
Screen
Type of screen Tilting Fully Articulated
Screen size 3 inches 3 inches
Resolution of screen 460k dots 921k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Screen technology HyperCrystal LCD AR(Anti-Reflective) coating -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic (optional) Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 2,359k dots
Viewfinder coverage - 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.7x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 seconds 60 seconds
Highest shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Continuous shooting rate 6.0 frames per sec 12.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range no built-in flash 13.50 m (at 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
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Highest flash synchronize 1/160 seconds -
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
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)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 3840x2160
Video data format AVCHD, Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD
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
Environmental sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 313g (0.69 lb) 831g (1.83 lb)
Dimensions 110 x 64 x 37mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.5") 137 x 99 x 131mm (5.4" x 3.9" x 5.2")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 52 64
DXO Color Depth score 20.9 22.1
DXO Dynamic range score 10.3 11.7
DXO Low light score 499 517
Other
Battery life 300 images 360 images
Type of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model BLS-5 DMW-BLC12PP
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC -
Card slots One One
Launch cost $399 $800