Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic SZ7

Let's look more closely at the Olympus E-PL3 versus Panasonic SZ7, 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 SZ7 (14MP) is fairly well matched but the E-PL3 (Four Thirds) and SZ7 (1/2.3") have totally different sensor sizes.

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The E-PL3 was unveiled 3 months before the SZ7 which means that they are both of a similar age. Each of these cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-PL3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic SZ7 being a Compact camera.

Before delving straight to a detailed comparison, here is a simple overview of how the E-PL3 scores against the SZ7 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus PEN E-PL3 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ7. The full galleries are viewable at Olympus E-PL3 Gallery & Panasonic SZ7 Gallery.

If you are planning to lug around your camera frequently, you will need to take into account its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-PL3 offers physical dimensions of 110mm x 64mm x 37mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.5") having a weight of 313 grams (0.69 lbs) while the Panasonic SZ7 has proportions of 99mm x 59mm x 21mm (3.9" x 2.3" x 0.8") and a weight of 133 grams (0.29 lbs).

See the Olympus E-PL3 versus Panasonic SZ7 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you are employing at that moment. Here is a front view physical size comparison of the E-PL3 compared to the SZ7.

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability score of the E-PL3 and SZ7 is 88 and 95 respectively.

Often, it is very difficult to visualise the difference between sensor measurements only by reading through a spec sheet. The visual here might give you a more clear sense of the sensor sizes in the E-PL3 and SZ7.

As you can see, each of the cameras have different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The E-PL3 having a larger sensor will make achieving shallow DOF less difficult and the Panasonic SZ7 will give you extra detail having an extra 2MP. Greater resolution will also let you crop photos a bit more aggressively.