Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic ZS15
88 Imaging
48 Features
52 Overall
49
92 Imaging
36 Features
37 Overall
36
Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic ZS15 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
- Revealed September 2011
- Succeeded the Olympus E-PL2
(Full Review)
- 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
- 3" Fixed Screen
- ISO 100 - 6400
- Optical Image Stabilization
- 1920 x 1080 video
- 24-384mm (F3.3-5.9) lens
- 208g - 105 x 58 x 33mm
- Introduced June 2012
- Also Known as Lumix DMC-TZ25
- New Model is Panasonic ZS20
Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic ZS15 Overview
Here is a in-depth overview of the Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic ZS15, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by companies Olympus and Panasonic. The resolution of the E-PL3 (12MP) and the ZS15 (12MP) is pretty well matched but the E-PL3 (Four Thirds) and ZS15 (1/2.3") posses totally different sensor measurements.
Photography GlossaryThe E-PL3 was revealed 9 months prior to the ZS15 so they are both of a similar age. Both cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-PL3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic ZS15 being a Compact camera.
Before we go right into a full comparison, here is a quick summary of how the E-PL3 grades vs the ZS15 for portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.
Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic ZS15 Gallery
The following is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus PEN E-PL3 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS15. The full galleries are provided at Olympus E-PL3 Gallery & Panasonic ZS15 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL3 over the Panasonic ZS15
E-PL3 | ZS15 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Manually focus | Very exact focus | |||
Screen type | Tilting | Fixed | Tilting screen |
Reasons to pick Panasonic ZS15 over the Olympus E-PL3
ZS15 | E-PL3 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Introduced | June 2012 | September 2011 | Fresher by 9 months |
Common features in the Olympus E-PL3 and Panasonic ZS15
E-PL3 | ZS15 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Screen dimensions | 3" | 3" | Equal screen measurements | |
Screen resolution | 460k | 460k | Equal screen resolution | |
Selfie screen | Absent selfie screen | |||
Touch screen | Absent Touch screen |
Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic ZS15 Physical Comparison
For those who are going to carry your camera regularly, you should factor in its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-PL3 has got external dimensions of 110mm x 64mm x 37mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.5") along with a weight of 313 grams (0.69 lbs) whilst the Panasonic ZS15 has dimensions of 105mm x 58mm x 33mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.3") with a weight of 208 grams (0.46 lbs).
Compare the Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic ZS15 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you use at that moment. Underneath is a front view physical size comparison of the E-PL3 and the ZS15.
Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-PL3 and ZS15 is 88 and 92 respectively.
Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic ZS15 Sensor Comparison
Sometimes, it is hard to visualise the gap between sensor sizing just by looking at technical specs. The visual underneath may provide you a much better sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-PL3 and ZS15.
As you have seen, the two cameras provide the same megapixel count albeit not the same sensor sizing. The E-PL3 offers the bigger sensor which should make obtaining shallower depth of field easier. The older E-PL3 is going to be behind in sensor innovation.
Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic ZS15 Screen and ViewFinder
Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison
Street Comparison
Sports Comparison
Travel Comparison
Landscape Comparison
Vlogging Comparison
Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic ZS15 Specifications
Olympus PEN E-PL3 | Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS15 | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Brand Name | Olympus | Panasonic |
Model type | Olympus PEN E-PL3 | Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS15 |
Otherwise known as | - | Lumix DMC-TZ25 |
Class | Entry-Level Mirrorless | Small Sensor Superzoom |
Revealed | 2011-09-20 | 2012-06-29 |
Body design | Rangefinder-style mirrorless | Compact |
Sensor Information | ||
Chip | Truepic VI | - |
Sensor type | CMOS | CMOS |
Sensor size | Four Thirds | 1/2.3" |
Sensor dimensions | 17.3 x 13mm | 6.17 x 4.55mm |
Sensor area | 224.9mm² | 28.1mm² |
Sensor resolution | 12 megapixel | 12 megapixel |
Anti alias filter | ||
Aspect ratio | 4:3 | 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 |
Peak resolution | 4032 x 3024 | 4000 x 3000 |
Highest native ISO | 12800 | 6400 |
Minimum native ISO | 200 | 100 |
RAW files | ||
Autofocusing | ||
Focus manually | ||
AF touch | ||
Continuous AF | ||
AF single | ||
Tracking AF | ||
Selective AF | ||
AF center weighted | ||
AF multi area | ||
AF live view | ||
Face detect focusing | ||
Contract detect focusing | ||
Phase detect focusing | ||
Total focus points | 35 | 23 |
Lens | ||
Lens support | Micro Four Thirds | fixed lens |
Lens zoom range | - | 24-384mm (16.0x) |
Max aperture | - | f/3.3-5.9 |
Macro focusing range | - | 3cm |
Amount of lenses | 107 | - |
Crop factor | 2.1 | 5.8 |
Screen | ||
Range of display | Tilting | Fixed Type |
Display diagonal | 3" | 3" |
Resolution of display | 460k dot | 460k dot |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch display | ||
Display technology | HyperCrystal LCD AR(Anti-Reflective) coating | - |
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder type | Electronic (optional) | None |
Features | ||
Minimum shutter speed | 60s | 15s |
Fastest shutter speed | 1/4000s | 1/4000s |
Continuous shutter speed | 6.0 frames/s | 2.0 frames/s |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Expose Manually | ||
Exposure compensation | Yes | Yes |
Set WB | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Built-in flash | ||
Flash distance | no built-in flash | 6.40 m |
Flash modes | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) | Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Syncro |
Hot shoe | ||
AE bracketing | ||
White balance bracketing | ||
Fastest flash sync | 1/160s | - |
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 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) |
Highest video resolution | 1920x1080 | 1920x1080 |
Video format | AVCHD, Motion JPEG | MPEG-4, AVCHD |
Mic jack | ||
Headphone jack | ||
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 seal | ||
Water proofing | ||
Dust proofing | ||
Shock proofing | ||
Crush proofing | ||
Freeze proofing | ||
Weight | 313 gr (0.69 lb) | 208 gr (0.46 lb) |
Physical dimensions | 110 x 64 x 37mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.5") | 105 x 58 x 33mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.3") |
DXO scores | ||
DXO Overall 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 pictures | 260 pictures |
Battery form | Battery Pack | Battery Pack |
Battery ID | BLS-5 | - |
Self timer | Yes (2 or 12 sec) | Yes (2 or 10 sec) |
Time lapse recording | ||
Type of storage | SD/SDHC/SDXC | SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal |
Storage slots | Single | Single |
Price at release | $399 | $279 |