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Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic ZS50

Portability
88
Imaging
48
Features
52
Overall
49
Olympus PEN E-PL3 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS50 front
Portability
90
Imaging
37
Features
57
Overall
45

Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic ZS50 Key Specs

Olympus E-PL3
(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
Panasonic ZS50
(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
Photography Glossary

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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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL3 over the Panasonic ZS50

 E-PL3 ZS50 
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display

Reasons to pick Panasonic ZS50 over the Olympus E-PL3

 ZS50 E-PL3 
AnnouncedJanuary 2015September 2011Fresher by 40 months
Display resolution1040k460kClearer display (+580k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-PL3 and Panasonic ZS50

 E-PL3 ZS50 
Manual focus Dial exact focusing
Display dimensions3"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. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

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.

Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic ZS50 size comparison

Factoring in size and weight, the portability grade of the E-PL3 and ZS50 is 88 and 90 respectively.

Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic ZS50 top view buttons comparison

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.

Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic ZS50 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic ZS50 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic ZS50 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PL3 Portrait photography information
Panasonic ZS50 Portrait photography information
60
you can focus manually
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
features face detection focus
saves RAW formats
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
42
has manual focus
has face detection autofocus
delivers RAW formats
external flash not possible
sensor resolution low (12MP)
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-PL3 Street photography details
Panasonic ZS50 Street photography details
84
has a tilting screen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
68
has image stabilization (Optical)
delivers RAW formats
lighter than others in class (243g)
screen is fixed
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PL3 Sports photography information
Panasonic ZS50 Sports photography information
45
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
features tracking autofocus
slow continuous shooting (6.0 frames/s)
sensor resolution low (12MP)
not so great battery (300 per charge)
lack of phase detect auto focus
43
excellent zoom range (24-720mm 30.0 x zoom)
has image stabilization (Optical)
has tracking autofocus
sensor resolution low (12MP)
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
doesn't have phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL3 Travel photography highlights
Panasonic ZS50 Travel photography highlights
44
doesn't have Timelapse mode
not so great battery (300 CIPA)
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
screen is not selfie friendly
66
lighter than others in class (243 grams)
built-in flash
quite wide (24mm)
very long reach (720mm)
sensor resolution low (12MP)
does not have selfie friendly display
slow max aperture (f3.3)
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus E-PL3
Landscape photography with Panasonic ZS50
61
you can focus manually
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
decent sized screen (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
not so great battery (300 per charge)
doesn't have Timelapse mode
51
has manual focus
quite wide (24mm)
screen size is good (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Optical)
delivers RAW formats
can't switch lens (fixed lens mount)
slow max aperture (f3.3)
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL3 Vlogging details
Panasonic ZS50 Vlogging details
34
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
features face detection focus
high res video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
screen is not selfie friendly
doesn't have external microphone port
34
quite wide (24mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
has face detection autofocus
great video quality (1920 x 1080 pxls)
lighter than others in class (243 grams)
slow max aperture (f3.3)
does not have selfie friendly display
doesn't have external microphone jack
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Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic ZS50 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL3 and Panasonic ZS50
 Olympus PEN E-PL3Panasonic 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