Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic FZ80

Below is a detailed comparison of the Olympus E-PL3 versus Panasonic FZ80, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by manufacturers Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a significant gap between the image resolutions of the E-PL3 (12MP) and FZ80 (18MP) and the E-PL3 (Four Thirds) and FZ80 (1/2.3") offer different sensor sizes.

Photography Glossary

The E-PL3 was brought out 6 years before the FZ80 and that is quite a sizable gap as far as technology is concerned. Each of these cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-PL3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic FZ80 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera.

Before diving right into a detailed comparison, here is a brief summation of how the E-PL3 scores vs the FZ80 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

This is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus PEN E-PL3 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ80. The entire galleries are viewable at Olympus E-PL3 Gallery and Panasonic FZ80 Gallery.

If you're aiming to lug around your camera often, you need to take into account its weight and volume. The Olympus E-PL3 features outside dimensions of 110mm x 64mm x 37mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.5") with a weight of 313 grams (0.69 lbs) and the Panasonic FZ80 has sizing of 130mm x 94mm x 119mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 4.7") along with a weight of 616 grams (1.36 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-PL3 versus Panasonic FZ80 in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Keep in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary depending on the lens you have chosen at that moment. The following is a front view measurements comparison of the E-PL3 vs the FZ80.

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-PL3 and FZ80 is 88 and 63 respectively.

Quite often, it is very hard to imagine the difference between sensor measurements just by reading through technical specs. The graphic underneath might offer you a better sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-PL3 and FZ80.

As you have seen, each of the cameras have different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The E-PL3 featuring a bigger sensor is going to make getting shallow DOF simpler and the Panasonic FZ80 will give you extra detail having its extra 6MP. Higher resolution can also help you crop shots a bit more aggressively. The older E-PL3 is going to be disadvantaged in sensor tech.