Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic ZS50
88 Imaging
48 Features
52 Overall
49
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90 Imaging
37 Features
57 Overall
45
Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic ZS50 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
- Older Model is Olympus E-PL2
(Full Review)
- 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
- 3" Fixed Display
- ISO 80 - 6400
- Optical Image Stabilization
- 1920 x 1080 video
- 24-720mm (F3.3-6.4) lens
- 243g - 111 x 65 x 34mm
- Announced January 2015
- Also Known as Lumix DMC-TZ70
- Older Model is Panasonic ZS45
- Replacement is Panasonic ZS60
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Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic ZS50 Overview
Lets look much closer at the Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic ZS50, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom by manufacturers Olympus and Panasonic. The resolution of the E-PL3 (12MP) and the ZS50 (12MP) is fairly well matched but the E-PL3 (Four Thirds) and ZS50 (1/2.3") provide totally different sensor sizing.
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The E-PL3 was manufactured 4 years prior to the ZS50 and that is quite a big difference as far as tech is concerned. The two cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-PL3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic ZS50 being a Compact camera.
Before going into a thorough comparison, here is a simple introduction of how the E-PL3 grades against the ZS50 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.
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Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic ZS50 Gallery
The following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus PEN E-PL3 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS50. The entire galleries are provided at Olympus E-PL3 Gallery & Panasonic ZS50 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL3 over the Panasonic ZS50
E-PL3 | ZS50 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Display type | Tilting | ![]() | Fixed | Tilting display |
Reasons to pick Panasonic ZS50 over the Olympus E-PL3
ZS50 | E-PL3 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Announced | January 2015 | ![]() | September 2011 | Fresher by 40 months |
Display resolution | 1040k | ![]() | 460k | Clearer display (+580k dot) |
Common features in the Olympus E-PL3 and Panasonic ZS50
E-PL3 | ZS50 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Manual focus | ![]() | Dial exact focusing | ||
Display dimensions | 3" | ![]() | 3" | Equal display measurement |
Selfie screen | ![]() | Missing selfie screen | ||
Touch friendly display | ![]() | Missing Touch friendly display |
Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic ZS50 Physical Comparison
For anybody who is aiming to carry your camera regularly, you will have to think about its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-PL3 offers external measurements of 110mm x 64mm x 37mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.5") having a weight of 313 grams (0.69 lbs) and the Panasonic ZS50 has proportions of 111mm x 65mm x 34mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.3") accompanied by a weight of 243 grams (0.54 lbs).
Examine the Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic ZS50 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you are employing at that moment. Following is a front view dimension comparison of the E-PL3 vs the ZS50.
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Factoring in size and weight, the portability grade of the E-PL3 and ZS50 is 88 and 90 respectively.
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Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic ZS50 Sensor Comparison
Often, it can be difficult to visualise the gap between sensor sizing only by reading through specs. The visual underneath will help provide you a much better sense of the sensor sizing in the E-PL3 and ZS50.
All in all, both of the cameras provide the same resolution but not the same sensor sizing. The E-PL3 includes the larger sensor which should make getting shallower DOF less difficult. The older E-PL3 is going to be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor tech.
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Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic ZS50 Screen and ViewFinder
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Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison
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Street Comparison
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Sports Comparison
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Travel Comparison
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Landscape Comparison
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Vlogging Comparison
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Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic ZS50 Specifications
Olympus PEN E-PL3 | Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS50 | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Manufacturer | Olympus | Panasonic |
Model type | Olympus PEN E-PL3 | Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS50 |
Also Known as | - | Lumix DMC-TZ70 |
Category | Entry-Level Mirrorless | Small Sensor Superzoom |
Revealed | 2011-09-20 | 2015-01-06 |
Body design | Rangefinder-style mirrorless | Compact |
Sensor Information | ||
Powered by | Truepic VI | - |
Sensor type | CMOS | CMOS |
Sensor size | Four Thirds | 1/2.3" |
Sensor measurements | 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 |
Min native ISO | 200 | 80 |
RAW files | ||
Autofocusing | ||
Focus manually | ||
Touch to focus | ||
AF continuous | ||
AF single | ||
AF tracking | ||
Selective AF | ||
AF center weighted | ||
Multi area AF | ||
AF live view | ||
Face detect AF | ||
Contract detect AF | ||
Phase detect AF | ||
Total focus points | 35 | 23 |
Lens | ||
Lens support | Micro Four Thirds | fixed lens |
Lens zoom range | - | 24-720mm (30.0x) |
Largest aperture | - | f/3.3-6.4 |
Macro focusing distance | - | 3cm |
Number of lenses | 107 | - |
Focal length multiplier | 2.1 | 5.8 |
Screen | ||
Display type | Tilting | Fixed Type |
Display sizing | 3 inch | 3 inch |
Resolution of display | 460 thousand dot | 1,040 thousand dot |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch friendly | ||
Display tech | HyperCrystal LCD AR(Anti-Reflective) coating | - |
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder type | Electronic (optional) | Electronic |
Viewfinder resolution | - | 1,166 thousand dot |
Viewfinder coverage | - | 100% |
Viewfinder magnification | - | 0.46x |
Features | ||
Minimum shutter speed | 60s | 4s |
Fastest shutter speed | 1/4000s | 1/2000s |
Continuous shutter speed | 6.0 frames/s | 10.0 frames/s |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Expose Manually | ||
Exposure compensation | Yes | Yes |
Change WB | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Inbuilt 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, Auto/Red-eye Reduction, Forced On, Slow Sync./Red-eye Reduction, Forced Off |
External flash | ||
AE bracketing | ||
WB bracketing | ||
Fastest flash sync | 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 (60p/60i/30p), 1280 x 720 (60p/30p), 640 x 480 (30p) |
Highest video resolution | 1920x1080 | 1920x1080 |
Video data format | AVCHD, Motion JPEG | MPEG-4, AVCHD |
Microphone input | ||
Headphone input | ||
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 seal | ||
Water proofing | ||
Dust proofing | ||
Shock proofing | ||
Crush proofing | ||
Freeze proofing | ||
Weight | 313 grams (0.69 pounds) | 243 grams (0.54 pounds) |
Physical dimensions | 110 x 64 x 37mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.5") | 111 x 65 x 34mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.3") |
DXO scores | ||
DXO Overall rating | 52 | 44 |
DXO Color Depth rating | 20.9 | 20.0 |
DXO Dynamic range rating | 10.3 | 11.2 |
DXO Low light rating | 499 | 138 |
Other | ||
Battery life | 300 images | 300 images |
Type of battery | 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 |
Retail pricing | $399 | $350 |