Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic ZR1
88 Imaging
48 Features
52 Overall
49
94 Imaging
35 Features
17 Overall
27
Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic ZR1 Key Specs
(Full Review)
- 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
- 3" Tilting Display
- ISO 200 - 12800
- Sensor based Image Stabilization
- 1920 x 1080 video
- Micro Four Thirds Mount
- 313g - 110 x 64 x 37mm
- Introduced September 2011
- Succeeded the Olympus E-PL2
(Full Review)
- 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
- 2.7" Fixed Screen
- ISO 80 - 6400
- Optical Image Stabilization
- 1280 x 720 video
- 25-200mm (F3.3-5.9) lens
- 158g - 98 x 55 x 26mm
- Announced July 2009
- Additionally referred to as Lumix DMC-ZX1
Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic ZR1 Overview
Below, we will be contrasting the Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic ZR1, former is a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by rivals Olympus and Panasonic. The resolution of the E-PL3 (12MP) and the ZR1 (12MP) is pretty similar but the E-PL3 (Four Thirds) and ZR1 (1/2.3") come with different sensor sizes.
Apple Innovates by Creating Next-Level Optical Stabilization for iPhoneThe E-PL3 was unveiled 2 years after the ZR1 which is quite a serious difference as far as tech is concerned. Both the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-PL3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic ZR1 being a Compact camera.
Before diving straight into a thorough comparison, below is a brief summary of how the E-PL3 scores vs the ZR1 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.
Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic ZR1 Gallery
This is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus PEN E-PL3 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZR1. The full galleries are available at Olympus E-PL3 Gallery & Panasonic ZR1 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL3 over the Panasonic ZR1
E-PL3 | ZR1 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Announced | September 2011 | July 2009 | Newer by 27 months | |
Manual focus | More accurate focus | |||
Screen type | Tilting | Fixed | Tilting screen | |
Screen dimension | 3" | 2.7" | Bigger screen (+0.3") | |
Screen resolution | 460k | 230k | Crisper screen (+230k dot) |
Reasons to pick Panasonic ZR1 over the Olympus E-PL3
ZR1 | E-PL3 |
---|
Common features in the Olympus E-PL3 and Panasonic ZR1
E-PL3 | ZR1 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Selfie screen | Neither includes selfie screen | |||
Touch friendly screen | Neither includes Touch friendly screen |
Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic ZR1 Physical Comparison
For those who are intending to travel with your camera, you should consider its weight and volume. The Olympus E-PL3 features external dimensions of 110mm x 64mm x 37mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.5") with a weight of 313 grams (0.69 lbs) while the Panasonic ZR1 has sizing of 98mm x 55mm x 26mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 1.0") and a weight of 158 grams (0.35 lbs).
Take a look at the Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic ZR1 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.Remember that, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you have at the time. The following is the front view overall size comparison of the E-PL3 compared to the ZR1.
Looking at size and weight, the portability score of the E-PL3 and ZR1 is 88 and 94 respectively.
Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic ZR1 Sensor Comparison
Often, it is difficult to imagine the gap between sensor dimensions only by reviewing a spec sheet. The picture here may give you a clearer sense of the sensor sizes in the E-PL3 and ZR1.
Clearly, both of those cameras posses the exact same MP albeit different sensor dimensions. The E-PL3 offers the bigger sensor which should make obtaining shallower DOF simpler. The more modern E-PL3 provides an advantage when it comes to sensor technology.
Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic ZR1 Screen and ViewFinder
Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison
Street Comparison
Sports Comparison
Travel Comparison
Landscape Comparison
Vlogging Comparison
Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic ZR1 Specifications
Olympus PEN E-PL3 | Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZR1 | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Make | Olympus | Panasonic |
Model | Olympus PEN E-PL3 | Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZR1 |
Otherwise known as | - | Lumix DMC-ZX1 |
Type | Entry-Level Mirrorless | Small Sensor Compact |
Introduced | 2011-09-20 | 2009-07-27 |
Physical type | Rangefinder-style mirrorless | Compact |
Sensor Information | ||
Powered by | Truepic VI | Venus Engine V |
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 | 12 megapixel |
Anti aliasing filter | ||
Aspect ratio | 4:3 | 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 |
Max resolution | 4032 x 3024 | 4000 x 3000 |
Max native ISO | 12800 | 6400 |
Minimum native ISO | 200 | 80 |
RAW data | ||
Autofocusing | ||
Focus manually | ||
Autofocus touch | ||
Continuous autofocus | ||
Single autofocus | ||
Autofocus tracking | ||
Selective autofocus | ||
Autofocus center weighted | ||
Autofocus multi area | ||
Autofocus live view | ||
Face detect autofocus | ||
Contract detect autofocus | ||
Phase detect autofocus | ||
Number of focus points | 35 | 11 |
Lens | ||
Lens mounting type | Micro Four Thirds | fixed lens |
Lens focal range | - | 25-200mm (8.0x) |
Largest aperture | - | f/3.3-5.9 |
Macro focus distance | - | 3cm |
Number of lenses | 107 | - |
Crop factor | 2.1 | 5.9 |
Screen | ||
Type of display | Tilting | Fixed Type |
Display diagonal | 3 inch | 2.7 inch |
Resolution of display | 460 thousand dots | 230 thousand dots |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch friendly | ||
Display tech | HyperCrystal LCD AR(Anti-Reflective) coating | - |
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder type | Electronic (optional) | None |
Features | ||
Minimum shutter speed | 60s | 60s |
Fastest shutter speed | 1/4000s | 1/2000s |
Continuous shutter rate | 6.0fps | 2.0fps |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Manually set exposure | ||
Exposure compensation | Yes | - |
Custom white balance | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Built-in flash | ||
Flash range | no built-in flash | 5.10 m |
Flash modes | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) | Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Sync |
Hot shoe | ||
Auto exposure bracketing | ||
White balance bracketing | ||
Fastest flash synchronize | 1/160s | - |
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 (30 fps), 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps) |
Max video resolution | 1920x1080 | 1280x720 |
Video data format | AVCHD, Motion JPEG | Motion JPEG |
Microphone support | ||
Headphone support | ||
Connectivity | ||
Wireless | None | None |
Bluetooth | ||
NFC | ||
HDMI | ||
USB | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) |
GPS | None | None |
Physical | ||
Environment sealing | ||
Water proof | ||
Dust proof | ||
Shock proof | ||
Crush proof | ||
Freeze proof | ||
Weight | 313 gr (0.69 lb) | 158 gr (0.35 lb) |
Dimensions | 110 x 64 x 37mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.5") | 98 x 55 x 26mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 1.0") |
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 photos | - |
Form of battery | Battery Pack | - |
Battery model | BLS-5 | - |
Self timer | Yes (2 or 12 sec) | Yes (2 or 10 sec) |
Time lapse shooting | ||
Storage type | SD/SDHC/SDXC | SD/SDHC card, Internal |
Card slots | One | One |
Pricing at release | $399 | $280 |