Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic XS1

The following is a in depth overview of the Olympus E-PL3 and Panasonic XS1, one is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by manufacturers Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a significant gap between the image resolutions of the E-PL3 (12MP) and XS1 (16MP) and the E-PL3 (Four Thirds) and XS1 (1/2.3") have totally different sensor dimensions.

Photography Glossary

The E-PL3 was revealed 15 months earlier than the XS1 which makes them a generation away from one another. Both of the cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-PL3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic XS1 being a Compact camera.

Before going straight to a step-by-step comparison, here is a concise summary of how the E-PL3 grades vs the XS1 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Following is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus PEN E-PL3 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-XS1. The full galleries are provided at Olympus E-PL3 Gallery and Panasonic XS1 Gallery.

For those who are aiming to travel with your camera often, you will want to take into account its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-PL3 has 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 XS1 has measurements of 94mm x 54mm x 14mm (3.7" x 2.1" x 0.6") along with a weight of 103 grams (0.23 lbs).

Look at the Olympus E-PL3 and Panasonic XS1 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ based on the lens you use during that time. Underneath is a front view sizing comparison of the E-PL3 vs the XS1.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-PL3 and XS1 is 88 and 97 respectively.

Sometimes, it is very hard to visualise the contrast between sensor dimensions only by reading a spec sheet. The pic here will help provide you a much better sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-PL3 and XS1.

Clearly, both of those cameras provide different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The E-PL3 using its bigger sensor will make achieving shallow DOF simpler and the Panasonic XS1 will offer more detail because of its extra 4MP. Higher resolution can also enable you to crop pictures more aggressively. The more aged E-PL3 is going to be behind when it comes to sensor tech.