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Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic ZS45

Portability
88
Imaging
48
Features
52
Overall
49
Olympus PEN E-PL3 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS45 front
Portability
91
Imaging
40
Features
55
Overall
46

Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic ZS45 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
  • Announced September 2011
  • Superseded the Olympus E-PL2
Panasonic ZS45
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 24-480mm (F3.3-6.4) lens
  • 249g - 108 x 60 x 32mm
  • Announced January 2015
  • Additionally referred to as Lumix DMC-TZ57
  • Succeeded the Panasonic ZS40
  • Renewed by Panasonic ZS50
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Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic ZS45 Overview

Its time to look closer at the Olympus E-PL3 and Panasonic ZS45, former is a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by manufacturers Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a sizable gap among the resolutions of the E-PL3 (12MP) and ZS45 (16MP) and the E-PL3 (Four Thirds) and ZS45 (1/2.3") feature different sensor dimensions.

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The E-PL3 was revealed 4 years before the ZS45 which is a fairly significant difference as far as camera technology is concerned. The two cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-PL3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic ZS45 being a Compact camera.

Before we go straight into a in depth comparison, below is a short summation of how the E-PL3 grades versus the ZS45 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL3 over the Panasonic ZS45

 E-PL3 ZS45 
Manual focus Dial accurate focus

Reasons to pick Panasonic ZS45 over the Olympus E-PL3

 ZS45 E-PL3 
AnnouncedJanuary 2015September 2011More modern by 40 months
Screen resolution1040k460kSharper screen (+580k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-PL3 and Panasonic ZS45

 E-PL3 ZS45 
Screen typeTiltingTiltingTilting screen
Screen dimension3"3"Identical screen sizing
Selfie screen Absent selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Absent Touch friendly screen

Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic ZS45 Physical Comparison

When you are going to carry around your camera regularly, you will want to factor in its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-PL3 provides external dimensions of 110mm x 64mm x 37mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.5") and a weight of 313 grams (0.69 lbs) and the Panasonic ZS45 has proportions of 108mm x 60mm x 32mm (4.3" x 2.4" x 1.3") along with a weight of 249 grams (0.55 lbs).

Examine the Olympus E-PL3 and Panasonic ZS45 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into account, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you are employing at the time. Underneath is the front view scale comparison of the E-PL3 and the ZS45.

Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic ZS45 size comparison

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-PL3 and ZS45 is 88 and 91 respectively.

Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic ZS45 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic ZS45 Sensor Comparison

More often than not, it can be difficult to imagine the difference in sensor sizes purely by researching a spec sheet. The image here might give you a much better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-PL3 and ZS45.

Clearly, both of these cameras have got different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The E-PL3 with its bigger sensor is going to make getting bokeh less difficult and the Panasonic ZS45 will provide you with more detail because of its extra 4MP. Higher resolution can also allow you to crop shots much more aggressively. The more aged E-PL3 will be behind in sensor technology.

Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic ZS45 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic ZS45 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic ZS45 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PL3 Portrait photography highlights
Panasonic ZS45 Portrait photography highlights
60
has manual focus
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
has face detection autofocus
delivers RAW files
sensor resolution low (12MP)
37
MP count decent (16 megapixels)
supports face detect autofocus
focusing manually not possible
can't use external flash
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-PL3 as a Street photography camera
Panasonic ZS45 as a Street photography camera
84
screen tilts
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW files
69
tilting screen
image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competition (249 grams)
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus E-PL3
Sports photography with Panasonic ZS45
45
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
has tracking autofocus
slow fps (6.0 frames per second)
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
bad battery life (300 per charge)
doesn't have phase detect autofocus
55
incredible zoom range (24-480mm 20.0 x zoom)
image stabilization (Optical)
MP count decent (16 megapixels)
supports tracking focus
great battery pack (350 CIPA)
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
doesn't have phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL3 Travel photography information
Panasonic ZS45 Travel photography information
44
doesn't have Time Lapse mode
bad battery life (300 CIPA)
sensor resolution low (12MP)
display isn't selfie friendly
71
great battery pack (350 per charge)
lighter than competition (249 grams)
MP count decent (16 megapixels)
has built in flash
really wide (24mm)
long zoom (480mm)
does not have Time Lapse function
does not offer selfie friendly screen
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.3)
Photography Glossary

Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus E-PL3
Landscape photography with Panasonic ZS45
61
has manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is good (3")
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW files
sensor resolution low (12MP)
bad battery life (300 per charge)
doesn't have Time Lapse mode
47
really wide (24mm)
decent sized screen (3 inches)
image stabilization (Optical)
MP count decent (16 megapixels)
great battery pack (350 CIPA)
focusing manually not possible
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.3)
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
does not have Time Lapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL3 Vlogging factors
Panasonic ZS45 Vlogging factors
34
image stabilization (Sensor based)
has face detection autofocus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
display isn't selfie friendly
doesn't have external mic socket
34
really wide (24mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
supports face detect autofocus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
lighter than competition (249 grams)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.3)
does not offer selfie friendly screen
does not have mic support
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Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic ZS45 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL3 and Panasonic ZS45
 Olympus PEN E-PL3Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS45
General Information
Company Olympus Panasonic
Model Olympus PEN E-PL3 Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS45
Also called - Lumix DMC-TZ57
Category Entry-Level Mirrorless Small Sensor Superzoom
Announced 2011-09-20 2015-01-06
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Chip Truepic VI -
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 12MP 16MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Highest Possible resolution 4032 x 3024 4608 x 3456
Maximum native ISO 12800 6400
Lowest native ISO 200 100
RAW data
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
Continuous AF
Single AF
AF tracking
AF selectice
AF center weighted
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Number of focus points 35 21
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 24-480mm (20.0x)
Largest aperture - f/3.3-6.4
Macro focus range - 3cm
Total lenses 107 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.9
Screen
Screen type Tilting Tilting
Screen size 3 inches 3 inches
Screen resolution 460k dots 1,040k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Screen technology HyperCrystal LCD AR(Anti-Reflective) coating -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic (optional) None
Features
Min shutter speed 60s 4s
Max shutter speed 1/4000s 1/2000s
Continuous shutter rate 6.0fps 10.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range no built-in flash 6.00 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
Max flash synchronize 1/160s -
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (30p), 1280 x 720 (30p), 640 x 480 (30p)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video file format AVCHD, Motion JPEG MPEG-4
Mic 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 proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 313 grams (0.69 lb) 249 grams (0.55 lb)
Dimensions 110 x 64 x 37mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.5") 108 x 60 x 32mm (4.3" x 2.4" x 1.3")
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 shots 350 shots
Style of battery 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
Card slots Single Single
Launch cost $399 $300