Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic SZ8
88 Imaging
48 Features
52 Overall
49
94 Imaging
40 Features
31 Overall
36
Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic SZ8 Key Specs
(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
- Launched September 2011
- Succeeded the Olympus E-PL2
(Full Review)
- 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
- 3" Fixed Screen
- ISO 100 - 1600 (Push to 6400)
- Optical Image Stabilization
- 1280 x 720 video
- 24-288mm (F3.1-6.3) lens
- 159g - 100 x 60 x 27mm
- Introduced January 2014
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On this page, we will be comparing the Olympus E-PL3 and Panasonic SZ8, former is a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by companies Olympus and Panasonic. There is a large difference among the resolutions of the E-PL3 (12MP) and SZ8 (16MP) and the E-PL3 (Four Thirds) and SZ8 (1/2.3") offer different sensor size.
Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music videoThe E-PL3 was brought out 3 years before the SZ8 which is a fairly serious difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both of these cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-PL3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic SZ8 being a Compact camera.
Before going straight to a step-by-step comparison, here is a short introduction of how the E-PL3 scores vs the SZ8 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.
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The following is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus PEN E-PL3 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ8. The entire galleries are provided at Olympus E-PL3 Gallery & Panasonic SZ8 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL3 over the Panasonic SZ8
| E-PL3 | SZ8 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manually focus |  | More accurate focusing | ||
| Screen type | Tilting |  | Fixed | Tilting screen |
Reasons to pick Panasonic SZ8 over the Olympus E-PL3
| SZ8 | E-PL3 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Introduced | January 2014 |  | September 2011 | More modern by 27 months |
Common features in the Olympus E-PL3 and Panasonic SZ8
| E-PL3 | SZ8 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Screen dimensions | 3" |  | 3" | Equal screen size |
| Screen resolution | 460k |  | 460k | Identical screen resolution |
| Selfie screen |  | Neither offers selfie screen | ||
| Touch screen |  | No Touch screen |
Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic SZ8 Physical Comparison
When you are planning to carry around your camera frequently, you'll have to factor its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-PL3 offers exterior 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 SZ8 has dimensions of 100mm x 60mm x 27mm (3.9" x 2.4" x 1.1") having a weight of 159 grams (0.35 lbs).
Contrast the Olympus E-PL3 and Panasonic SZ8 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Take into account, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you are using at that time. Here is a front view overall size comparison of the E-PL3 and the SZ8.
Taking into account size and weight, the portability grade of the E-PL3 and SZ8 is 88 and 94 respectively.
Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic SZ8 Sensor Comparison
In many cases, it is very hard to picture the difference in sensor sizes purely by viewing technical specs. The pic underneath may offer you a better sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-PL3 and SZ8.
As you can tell, both of these cameras provide different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The E-PL3 due to its bigger sensor is going to make getting shallow depth of field easier and the Panasonic SZ8 will result in greater detail having its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also make it easier to crop photographs more aggressively. The more aged E-PL3 will be disadvantaged with regard to sensor technology.
Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic SZ8 Screen and ViewFinder
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Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic SZ8 Specifications
| Olympus PEN E-PL3 | Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ8 | |
|---|---|---|
| General Information | ||
| Brand Name | Olympus | Panasonic |
| Model type | Olympus PEN E-PL3 | Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ8 |
| Category | Entry-Level Mirrorless | Small Sensor Superzoom |
| Launched | 2011-09-20 | 2014-01-06 |
| Physical type | Rangefinder-style mirrorless | Compact |
| Sensor Information | ||
| Powered by | Truepic VI | Venus Engine |
| Sensor type | CMOS | CCD |
| Sensor size | Four Thirds | 1/2.3" |
| Sensor measurements | 17.3 x 13mm | 6.08 x 4.56mm |
| Sensor surface area | 224.9mm² | 27.7mm² |
| Sensor resolution | 12 megapixel | 16 megapixel |
| Anti alias filter | ||
| Aspect ratio | 4:3 | 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 |
| Full resolution | 4032 x 3024 | 4608 x 3456 |
| Max native ISO | 12800 | 1600 |
| Max boosted ISO | - | 6400 |
| Min native ISO | 200 | 100 |
| RAW data | ||
| Autofocusing | ||
| Focus manually | ||
| Autofocus touch | ||
| Continuous autofocus | ||
| Autofocus single | ||
| Autofocus tracking | ||
| Autofocus selectice | ||
| Autofocus center weighted | ||
| Autofocus multi area | ||
| Live view autofocus | ||
| Face detection focus | ||
| Contract detection focus | ||
| Phase detection focus | ||
| Total focus points | 35 | 9 |
| Lens | ||
| Lens support | Micro Four Thirds | fixed lens |
| Lens zoom range | - | 24-288mm (12.0x) |
| Maximal aperture | - | f/3.1-6.3 |
| Number of lenses | 107 | - |
| Focal length multiplier | 2.1 | 5.9 |
| Screen | ||
| Screen type | Tilting | Fixed Type |
| Screen diagonal | 3 inches | 3 inches |
| Resolution of screen | 460 thousand dots | 460 thousand dots |
| Selfie friendly | ||
| Liveview | ||
| Touch operation | ||
| Screen tech | HyperCrystal LCD AR(Anti-Reflective) coating | TFT LCD |
| Viewfinder Information | ||
| Viewfinder | Electronic (optional) | None |
| Features | ||
| Lowest shutter speed | 60 seconds | 8 seconds |
| Highest shutter speed | 1/4000 seconds | 1/2000 seconds |
| Continuous shooting rate | 6.0 frames/s | 1.0 frames/s |
| Shutter priority | ||
| Aperture priority | ||
| Expose Manually | ||
| Exposure compensation | Yes | - |
| Set white balance | ||
| Image stabilization | ||
| Inbuilt flash | ||
| Flash distance | no built-in flash | 5.20 m |
| Flash modes | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) | Auto, Auto/Red-eye Reduction, Forced On, Slow Sync./Red-eye Reduction, Forced Off |
| External flash | ||
| AEB | ||
| White balance bracketing | ||
| Highest flash synchronize | 1/160 seconds | - |
| 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) | 1280 x 720 (30p), 640 x 480 (30p), 320 x 240 (30p) |
| Max video resolution | 1920x1080 | 1280x720 |
| Video file format | AVCHD, Motion JPEG | Motion JPEG |
| 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 | 313 gr (0.69 lb) | 159 gr (0.35 lb) |
| Physical dimensions | 110 x 64 x 37mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.5") | 100 x 60 x 27mm (3.9" x 2.4" x 1.1") |
| DXO scores | ||
| DXO All around 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 images | 200 images |
| Style of battery | Battery Pack | Battery Pack |
| Battery ID | 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 |
| Card slots | Single | Single |
| Price at launch | $399 | $275 |