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Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic FZ80

Portability
88
Imaging
48
Features
52
Overall
49
Olympus PEN E-PL3 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ80 front
Portability
63
Imaging
44
Features
62
Overall
51

Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic FZ80 Key Specs

Olympus E-PL3
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 200 - 12800
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 313g - 110 x 64 x 37mm
  • Released September 2011
  • Superseded the Olympus E-PL2
Panasonic FZ80
(Full Review)
  • 18MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 3200 (Expand to 6400)
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • 20-1200mm (F2.8-5.9) lens
  • 616g - 130 x 94 x 119mm
  • Introduced January 2017
  • Also Known as Lumix DMC-FZ82
Photography Glossary

Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic FZ80 Overview

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.

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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.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL3 over the Panasonic FZ80

 E-PL3 FZ80 
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen

Reasons to pick Panasonic FZ80 over the Olympus E-PL3

 FZ80 E-PL3 
IntroducedJanuary 2017September 2011More recent by 64 months
Screen resolution1040k460kSharper screen (+580k dot)
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Common features in the Olympus E-PL3 and Panasonic FZ80

 E-PL3 FZ80 
Manual focus Dial accurate focusing
Screen dimensions3"3"Equal screen dimensions
Selfie screen Neither includes selfie screen

Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic FZ80 Physical Comparison

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. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

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.

Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic FZ80 size comparison

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

Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic FZ80 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic FZ80 Sensor Comparison

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.

Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic FZ80 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic FZ80 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic FZ80 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PL3 Portrait photography advice
Panasonic FZ80 Portrait photography advice
60
you can focus manually
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
offers face detect focusing
supports RAW formats
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
58
focusing manually
good megapixels (18 megapixels)
has face detection autofocus
supports RAW formats
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-PL3 Street photography details
Panasonic FZ80 Street photography details
84
screen tilts
image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
54
has image stabilization (Optical)
supports RAW formats
has touch to focus
fixed screen
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
more heavy than competition (616g)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PL3 Sports photography highlights
Panasonic FZ80 Sports photography highlights
45
image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
offers tracking focus
painfully slow continuous shooting (6.0 frames/s)
sensor resolution low (12MP)
terrible battery pack (300 CIPA)
lack of phase detect AF
57
excellent zoom range (20-1200mm 60.0 x zoom)
quiet shooting (1/16,000s)
has image stabilization (Optical)
good megapixels (18MP)
has tracking autofocus
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
lacks phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL3 Travel photography features
Panasonic FZ80 Travel photography features
44
does not have Time Lapse recording
terrible battery pack (300 shots)
sensor resolution low (12MP)
screen is not selfie friendly
59
has touch to focus
good megapixels (18 megapixels)
has built in flash
decently wide (20mm)
very long reach (1200mm)
more heavy than competition (616 grams)
display is not selfie friendly
slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PL3 Landscape photography advice
Panasonic FZ80 Landscape photography advice
61
you can focus manually
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
decent sized screen (3 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
sensor resolution low (12MP)
terrible battery pack (300 CIPA)
does not have Time Lapse recording
57
focusing manually
decently wide (20mm)
screen is a good size (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Optical)
good megapixels (18MP)
supports RAW formats
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL3 Vlogging details
Panasonic FZ80 Vlogging details
34
image stabilization (Sensor based)
offers face detect focusing
video res high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
screen is not selfie friendly
does not have mic socket
28
decently wide (20mm)
touchscreen
has image stabilization (Optical)
has face detection autofocus
high res video (3840 x 2160 pxls)
slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
display is not selfie friendly
doesn't have external microphone support
more heavy than competition (616g)
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Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic FZ80 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL3 and Panasonic FZ80
 Olympus PEN E-PL3Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ80
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Panasonic
Model type Olympus PEN E-PL3 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ80
Also called as - Lumix DMC-FZ82
Type Entry-Level Mirrorless Small Sensor Superzoom
Released 2011-09-20 2017-01-04
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless SLR-like (bridge)
Sensor Information
Powered by Truepic VI Venus Engine
Sensor type CMOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixels 18 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 4:3
Highest Possible resolution 4032 x 3024 4896 x 3672
Maximum native ISO 12800 3200
Maximum enhanced ISO - 6400
Min native ISO 200 80
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Tracking autofocus
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Total focus points 35 49
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 20-1200mm (60.0x)
Maximal aperture - f/2.8-5.9
Macro focusing distance - 1cm
Number of lenses 107 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.8
Screen
Type of display Tilting Fixed Type
Display sizing 3" 3"
Display resolution 460 thousand dots 1,040 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Display tech HyperCrystal LCD AR(Anti-Reflective) coating -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic (optional) Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 1,166 thousand dots
Viewfinder coverage - 100%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.46x
Features
Min shutter speed 60s 4s
Max shutter speed 1/4000s 1/2000s
Max quiet shutter speed - 1/16000s
Continuous shutter rate 6.0fps 10.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance no built-in flash 14.10 m (at Auto ISO)
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) Auto, Auto/Red-eye Reduction, Forced Off, Forced On, Forced On/Red-eye Reduction, Slow Sync, Slow Sync/Red-eye Reduction, 1st Curtain Sync, 2nd Curtain Sync
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Max flash synchronize 1/160s -
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 3840 x 2160 @ 30p / 100 Mbps, MP4, H.264, AAC1920 x 1080 @ 60p / 28 Mbps, MP4, H.264, AAC
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 3840x2160
Video file format AVCHD, Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD
Microphone 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 proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 313g (0.69 lbs) 616g (1.36 lbs)
Physical dimensions 110 x 64 x 37mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.5") 130 x 94 x 119mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 4.7")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 52 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 20.9 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 10.3 not tested
DXO Low light rating 499 not tested
Other
Battery life 300 photos 330 photos
Battery style Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLS-5 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 secs, 3 images x 10 secs)
Time lapse feature
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC card
Card slots 1 1
Retail cost $399 $399