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Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic SZ7

Portability
88
Imaging
48
Features
52
Overall
49
Olympus PEN E-PL3 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ7 front
Portability
95
Imaging
37
Features
41
Overall
38

Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic SZ7 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
  • Introduced September 2011
  • Old Model is Olympus E-PL2
Panasonic SZ7
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 25-250mm (F3.1-5.9) lens
  • 133g - 99 x 59 x 21mm
  • Introduced January 2012
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Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic SZ7 Overview

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.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL3 over the Panasonic SZ7

 E-PL3 SZ7 
Manual focus Dial exact focus
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display

Reasons to pick Panasonic SZ7 over the Olympus E-PL3

 SZ7 E-PL3 

Common features in the Olympus E-PL3 and Panasonic SZ7

 E-PL3 SZ7 
IntroducedSeptember 2011January 2012Similar age
Display dimensions3"3"Equal display dimensions
Display resolution460k460kIdentical display resolution
Selfie screen Neither offers selfie screen
Touch friendly display Lack of Touch friendly display

Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic SZ7 Physical Comparison

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. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

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.

Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic SZ7 size comparison

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

Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic SZ7 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic SZ7 Sensor Comparison

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.

Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic SZ7 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic SZ7 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic SZ7 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus E-PL3
Portrait photography with Panasonic SZ7
60
has manual focus
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
comes with face detection focus
delivers RAW formats
MP count low (12 megapixels)
33
decent MP (14 megapixels)
comes with face detect autofocus
lack of manual focus
manual mode not possible
external flash not possible
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
Photography Glossary

Street Comparison

Olympus E-PL3 as a Street photography camera
Panasonic SZ7 as a Street photography camera
84
has a tilting screen
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
63
has image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than average (133g)
no moving screen
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PL3 Sports photography information
Panasonic SZ7 Sports photography information
45
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
comes with tracking autofocus
max frames per second very slow (6.0 frames per second)
MP count low (12MP)
bad battery life (300 shots)
lacks phase detect auto focus
43
has image stabilization (Optical)
decent MP (14MP)
comes with tracking focus
no shutter priority
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
has no phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL3 Travel photography details
Panasonic SZ7 Travel photography details
44
missing Timelapse recording
bad battery life (300 shots)
MP count low (12MP)
screen is not selfie friendly
70
lighter than average (133g)
decent MP (14 megapixels)
built-in flash
reasonably wide (25mm)
very long zoom (250mm)
does not have Timelapse mode
does not feature selfie friendly screen
slow max aperture (f3.1)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PL3 as a Landscape photography camera
Panasonic SZ7 as a Landscape photography camera
61
has manual focus
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is good (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
MP count low (12 megapixels)
bad battery life (300 CIPA)
missing Timelapse recording
42
reasonably wide (25mm)
screen size is decent (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Optical)
decent MP (14MP)
lack of manual focus
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
slow max aperture (f3.1)
manual mode not possible
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
does not have Timelapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL3 Vlogging advice
Panasonic SZ7 Vlogging advice
34
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
comes with face detection focus
high video quality (1920 x 1080 resolution)
screen is not selfie friendly
missing external microphone port
35
reasonably wide (25mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
comes with face detect autofocus
high res video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
lighter than average (133g)
slow max aperture (f3.1)
does not feature selfie friendly screen
does not have microphone jack
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Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic SZ7 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL3 and Panasonic SZ7
 Olympus PEN E-PL3Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ7
General Information
Company Olympus Panasonic
Model Olympus PEN E-PL3 Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ7
Type Entry-Level Mirrorless Small Sensor Compact
Introduced 2011-09-20 2012-01-09
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Chip Truepic VI -
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixel 14 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Highest Possible resolution 4032 x 3024 4320 x 3240
Maximum native ISO 12800 6400
Min native ISO 200 100
RAW data
Autofocusing
Manual focus
AF touch
Continuous AF
Single AF
AF tracking
Selective AF
AF center weighted
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Number of focus points 35 23
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 25-250mm (10.0x)
Maximal aperture - f/3.1-5.9
Macro focus range - 4cm
Total lenses 107 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.9
Screen
Screen type Tilting Fixed Type
Screen size 3 inch 3 inch
Screen resolution 460k dot 460k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Screen tech HyperCrystal LCD AR(Anti-Reflective) coating TFT Color LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic (optional) None
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60 secs 8 secs
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/1600 secs
Continuous shutter speed 6.0 frames/s 10.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Set WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range no built-in flash 5.60 m
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction
External flash
AEB
White balance bracketing
Fastest flash sync 1/160 secs -
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60, 30 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video data format AVCHD, Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD
Microphone input
Headphone input
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 proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 313g (0.69 lbs) 133g (0.29 lbs)
Physical dimensions 110 x 64 x 37mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.5") 99 x 59 x 21mm (3.9" x 2.3" x 0.8")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score 52 not tested
DXO Color Depth score 20.9 not tested
DXO Dynamic range score 10.3 not tested
DXO Low light score 499 not tested
Other
Battery life 300 photographs 220 photographs
Battery format Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model BLS-5 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Storage slots Single Single
Launch pricing $399 $199