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Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic LX3

Portability
88
Imaging
48
Features
52
Overall
49
Olympus PEN E-PL3 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3 front
Portability
91
Imaging
34
Features
40
Overall
36

Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic LX3 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
  • Older Model is Olympus E-PL2
Panasonic LX3
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - 1/1.63" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 24-60mm (F2.0-2.8) lens
  • 265g - 109 x 60 x 27mm
  • Launched November 2008
  • Replacement is Panasonic LX5
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Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic LX3 Overview

Following is a in-depth analysis of the Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic LX3, one is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the other is a Small Sensor Compact by brands Olympus and Panasonic. The resolution of the E-PL3 (12MP) and the LX3 (10MP) is very similar but the E-PL3 (Four Thirds) and LX3 (1/1.63") use totally different sensor sizing.

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The E-PL3 was manufactured 2 years after the LX3 which is quite a large gap as far as technology is concerned. Both the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-PL3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic LX3 being a Compact camera.

Before going through a comprehensive comparison, below is a concise synopsis of how the E-PL3 matches up vs the LX3 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL3 over the Panasonic LX3

 E-PL3 LX3 
LaunchedSeptember 2011November 2008More modern by 35 months
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display

Reasons to pick Panasonic LX3 over the Olympus E-PL3

 LX3 E-PL3 

Common features in the Olympus E-PL3 and Panasonic LX3

 E-PL3 LX3 
Manually focus More accurate focusing
Display dimension3"3"Identical display measurement
Display resolution460k460kSame display resolution
Selfie screen Neither offers selfie screen
Touch display Neither offers Touch display

Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic LX3 Physical Comparison

For anyone who is planning to carry around your camera, you need to consider its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-PL3 offers outside measurements of 110mm x 64mm x 37mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.5") along with a weight of 313 grams (0.69 lbs) whilst the Panasonic LX3 has proportions of 109mm x 60mm x 27mm (4.3" x 2.4" x 1.1") having a weight of 265 grams (0.58 lbs).

Check out the Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic LX3 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Always remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change depending on the lens you choose at the time. Below is the front view dimensions comparison of the E-PL3 and the LX3.

Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic LX3 size comparison

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-PL3 and LX3 is 88 and 91 respectively.

Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic LX3 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic LX3 Sensor Comparison

Normally, it is hard to see the gap between sensor sizes just by going over technical specs. The image underneath will provide you a greater sense of the sensor measurements in the E-PL3 and LX3.

As you can tell, both cameras have got different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The E-PL3 because of its larger sensor will make getting shallower depth of field simpler and the Olympus E-PL3 will offer you extra detail due to its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also enable you to crop images much more aggressively. The newer E-PL3 is going to have an advantage in sensor technology.

Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic LX3 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic LX3 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic LX3 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PL3 Portrait photography advice
Panasonic LX3 Portrait photography advice
60
has manual focus
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
has face detection autofocus
exports RAW formats
MP count low (12 megapixels)
40
you can focus manually
delivers RAW formats
MP count low (10MP)
very small sensor size (1/1.63")
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus E-PL3
Street photography with Panasonic LX3
84
has a tilting screen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
60
has image stabilization (Optical)
delivers RAW formats
screen is fixed
very small sensor size (1/1.63")
heavier than competition in class (265 grams)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PL3 Sports photography highlights
Panasonic LX3 Sports photography highlights
45
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
has tracking autofocus
max fps low (6.0 frames/s)
MP count low (12MP)
not so great battery power (300 per charge)
does not have phase detect autofocus
27
has image stabilization (Optical)
slow continuous shooting (3.0 frames per second)
MP count low (10 megapixels)
very small sensor size (1/1.63")
lack of phase detect autofocus
Photography Glossary

Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL3 Travel photography info
Panasonic LX3 Travel photography info
44
no Timelapse function
not so great battery power (300 CIPA)
MP count low (12 megapixels)
screen is not selfie friendly
60
flash built-in
rather wide (24mm)
very good max aperture (f2.0)
doesn't have Time Lapse mode
heavier than competition in class (265g)
MP count low (10MP)
screen is not selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PL3 Landscape photography details
Panasonic LX3 Landscape photography details
61
has manual focus
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
MP count low (12MP)
not so great battery power (300 shots)
no Timelapse function
52
you can focus manually
rather wide (24mm)
very good max aperture (f2.0)
decent sized screen (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Optical)
delivers RAW formats
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
MP count low (10 megapixels)
very small sensor size (1/1.63")
doesn't have Time Lapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL3 as a Vlogging camera
Panasonic LX3 as a Vlogging camera
34
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
has face detection autofocus
video res high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
screen is not selfie friendly
no external microphone port
30
rather wide (24mm)
very good max aperture (f2.0)
has image stabilization (Optical)
screen is not selfie friendly
low video resolution (1280 x 720 resolution)
doesn't have mic port
heavier than competition in class (265 grams)
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Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic LX3 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL3 and Panasonic LX3
 Olympus PEN E-PL3Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Panasonic
Model type Olympus PEN E-PL3 Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3
Type Entry-Level Mirrorless Small Sensor Compact
Announced 2011-09-20 2008-11-04
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Chip Truepic VI -
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/1.63"
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 8.07 x 5.56mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 44.9mm²
Sensor resolution 12MP 10MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 4032 x 3024 3648 x 2736
Highest native ISO 12800 6400
Lowest native ISO 200 80
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
AF touch
AF continuous
Single AF
AF tracking
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Total focus points 35 -
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 24-60mm (2.5x)
Highest aperture - f/2.0-2.8
Macro focusing range - 1cm
Total lenses 107 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 4.5
Screen
Range of screen Tilting Fixed Type
Screen sizing 3 inches 3 inches
Resolution of screen 460k dot 460k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Screen technology HyperCrystal LCD AR(Anti-Reflective) coating -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic (optional) None
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60 seconds 60 seconds
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/2000 seconds
Continuous shutter speed 6.0fps 3.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance no built-in flash 8.30 m
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Fastest flash sync 1/160 seconds -
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) 1280 x 720 (HD 24 fps), 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30fps), 320 x 240 (10fps)
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video data format AVCHD, Motion JPEG -
Mic jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 313g (0.69 lb) 265g (0.58 lb)
Dimensions 110 x 64 x 37mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.5") 109 x 60 x 27mm (4.3" x 2.4" x 1.1")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 52 39
DXO Color Depth rating 20.9 19.6
DXO Dynamic range rating 10.3 10.8
DXO Low light rating 499 94
Other
Battery life 300 images -
Form of battery Battery Pack -
Battery ID BLS-5 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/MMC/SDHC card, Internal
Storage slots One One
Price at release $399 $449