Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic ZS7
Portability
88 Imaging
48 Features
52 Overall
49
88 Imaging
48 Features
52 Overall
49
Portability
91 Imaging
36 Features
33 Overall
34
91 Imaging
36 Features
33 Overall
34
Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic ZS7 Key Specs
Olympus E-PL3
(Full Review)
(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
Panasonic ZS7
(Full Review)
(Full Review)
- 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
- 3" Fixed Display
- ISO 80 - 6400
- Optical Image Stabilization
- 1280 x 720 video
- 25-300mm (F3.3-4.9) lens
- 218g - 103 x 60 x 33mm
- Launched July 2011
- Additionally referred to as Lumix DMC-TZ10
- Refreshed by Panasonic ZS8
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In this article, we are matching up the Olympus E-PL3 versus Panasonic ZS7, former is a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom by competitors Olympus and Panasonic. The image resolution of the E-PL3 (12MP) and the ZS7 (12MP) is fairly comparable but the E-PL3 (Four Thirds) and ZS7 (1/2.3") enjoy different sensor measurements.
Photography GlossaryThe E-PL3 was revealed 3 months after the ZS7 which means that they are of a similar age. Both the cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-PL3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic ZS7 being a Compact camera.
Before going through a detailed comparison, below is a brief synopsis of how the E-PL3 scores vs the ZS7 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.
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This is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus PEN E-PL3 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS7. The full galleries are available at Olympus E-PL3 Gallery & Panasonic ZS7 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL3 over the Panasonic ZS7
| E-PL3 | ZS7 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manually focus |  | More accurate focus | ||
| Display type | Tilting |  | Fixed | Tilting display |
Reasons to pick Panasonic ZS7 over the Olympus E-PL3
| ZS7 | E-PL3 |
|---|
Common features in the Olympus E-PL3 and Panasonic ZS7
| E-PL3 | ZS7 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Launched | September 2011 |  | July 2011 | Same age |
| Display sizing | 3" |  | 3" | Equivalent display measurements |
| Display resolution | 460k |  | 460k | The same display resolution |
| Selfie screen |  | Neither offers selfie screen | ||
| Touch friendly display |  | Lacking Touch friendly display |
Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic ZS7 Physical Comparison
If you're intending to carry around your camera frequently, you are going to need to factor in its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-PL3 offers physical dimensions of 110mm x 64mm x 37mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.5") and a weight of 313 grams (0.69 lbs) while the Panasonic ZS7 has proportions of 103mm x 60mm x 33mm (4.1" x 2.4" x 1.3") with a weight of 218 grams (0.48 lbs).
Check the Olympus E-PL3 versus Panasonic ZS7 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you choose at the time. Here is the front view sizing comparison of the E-PL3 vs the ZS7.
Using size and weight, the portability rating of the E-PL3 and ZS7 is 88 and 91 respectively.
Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic ZS7 Sensor Comparison
Usually, it is hard to picture the difference in sensor sizes simply by seeing specs. The picture below should give you a better sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-PL3 and ZS7.
All in all, the two cameras enjoy the same exact MP but different sensor sizes. The E-PL3 contains the larger sensor which will make getting bokeh simpler.
Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic ZS7 Screen and ViewFinder
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Portrait Comparison
Portrait photography with Olympus E-PL3
Portrait photography with Panasonic ZS7
has manual focus
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
has face detection focus
exports RAW formats
MP count low (12MP)
lack of manual focus
cannot use external flash
low MP (12 megapixels)
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW files
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Olympus E-PL3 Street photography factors
Panasonic ZS7 Street photography factors
tilting screen
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
has image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competition in class (218 grams)
screen does not articulate
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW files
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Sports photography with Olympus E-PL3
Sports photography with Panasonic ZS7
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
has tracking autofocus
low fps (6.0 frames/s)
MP count low (12 megapixels)
terrible battery power (300 per charge)
doesn't have phase detect auto focus
has image stabilization (Optical)
slow continuous shooting (2.0 fps)
low MP (12MP)
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
doesn't have phase detect autofocus
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Olympus E-PL3 Travel photography advice
Panasonic ZS7 Travel photography advice
lack of Time Lapse recording
terrible battery power (300 CIPA)
MP count low (12 megapixels)
doesn't have a selfie friendly screen
lighter than competition in class (218 grams)
flash built-in
quite wide (25mm)
long reach (300mm)
does not have Time Lapse mode
low MP (12 megapixels)
display is not selfie friendly
slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
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Landscape photography with Olympus E-PL3
Landscape photography with Panasonic ZS7
has manual focus
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is good (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
MP count low (12MP)
terrible battery power (300 per charge)
lack of Time Lapse recording
quite wide (25mm)
screen is a good size (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Optical)
lack of manual focus
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
low MP (12 megapixels)
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW files
does not have Time Lapse mode
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Olympus E-PL3 Vlogging factors
Panasonic ZS7 Vlogging factors
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
has face detection focus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
doesn't have a selfie friendly screen
lack of external mic support
quite wide (25mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competition in class (218g)
slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
display is not selfie friendly
low quality video (1280 x 720 pixels)
does not have mic jack
Body cameras now worn by bakery staff to deter stealing
Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic ZS7 Specifications
| Olympus PEN E-PL3 | Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS7 | |
|---|---|---|
| General Information | ||
| Manufacturer | Olympus | Panasonic |
| Model type | Olympus PEN E-PL3 | Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS7 |
| Otherwise known as | - | Lumix DMC-TZ10 |
| Type | Entry-Level Mirrorless | Small Sensor Superzoom |
| Revealed | 2011-09-20 | 2011-07-19 |
| Body design | Rangefinder-style mirrorless | Compact |
| Sensor Information | ||
| Processor Chip | Truepic VI | Venus Engine HD II |
| Sensor type | CMOS | CCD |
| Sensor size | Four Thirds | 1/2.3" |
| Sensor dimensions | 17.3 x 13mm | 6.08 x 4.56mm |
| Sensor area | 224.9mm² | 27.7mm² |
| Sensor resolution | 12MP | 12MP |
| Anti alias filter | ||
| Aspect ratio | 4:3 | 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 |
| Highest resolution | 4032 x 3024 | 4000 x 3000 |
| Highest native ISO | 12800 | 6400 |
| Min native ISO | 200 | 80 |
| RAW support | ||
| Autofocusing | ||
| Focus manually | ||
| AF touch | ||
| Continuous AF | ||
| Single AF | ||
| AF tracking | ||
| Selective AF | ||
| AF center weighted | ||
| AF multi area | ||
| AF live view | ||
| Face detect focusing | ||
| Contract detect focusing | ||
| Phase detect focusing | ||
| Total focus points | 35 | 11 |
| Lens | ||
| Lens mount type | Micro Four Thirds | fixed lens |
| Lens zoom range | - | 25-300mm (12.0x) |
| Maximum aperture | - | f/3.3-4.9 |
| Macro focusing range | - | 3cm |
| Total lenses | 107 | - |
| Focal length multiplier | 2.1 | 5.9 |
| Screen | ||
| Range of display | Tilting | Fixed Type |
| Display size | 3" | 3" |
| Resolution of display | 460 thousand dot | 460 thousand dot |
| Selfie friendly | ||
| Liveview | ||
| Touch functionality | ||
| Display technology | HyperCrystal LCD AR(Anti-Reflective) coating | - |
| Viewfinder Information | ||
| Viewfinder type | Electronic (optional) | None |
| Features | ||
| Slowest shutter speed | 60 seconds | 60 seconds |
| Maximum shutter speed | 1/4000 seconds | 1/2000 seconds |
| Continuous shooting speed | 6.0 frames/s | 2.0 frames/s |
| Shutter priority | ||
| Aperture priority | ||
| Manually set exposure | ||
| Exposure compensation | Yes | Yes |
| Set WB | ||
| Image stabilization | ||
| Inbuilt flash | ||
| Flash distance | no built-in flash | 5.30 m |
| Flash modes | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) | Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Syncro |
| Hot shoe | ||
| AEB | ||
| White balance bracketing | ||
| Maximum flash sync | 1/160 seconds | - |
| 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) | 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps) |
| Highest video resolution | 1920x1080 | 1280x720 |
| Video file format | AVCHD, Motion JPEG | AVCHD Lite |
| Mic input | ||
| Headphone input | ||
| Connectivity | ||
| Wireless | None | None |
| Bluetooth | ||
| NFC | ||
| HDMI | ||
| USB | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) |
| GPS | None | BuiltIn |
| Physical | ||
| Environmental seal | ||
| Water proofing | ||
| Dust proofing | ||
| Shock proofing | ||
| Crush proofing | ||
| Freeze proofing | ||
| Weight | 313 gr (0.69 lb) | 218 gr (0.48 lb) |
| Dimensions | 110 x 64 x 37mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.5") | 103 x 60 x 33mm (4.1" x 2.4" x 1.3") |
| DXO scores | ||
| DXO All around 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 photos | - |
| Battery format | Battery Pack | - |
| Battery ID | BLS-5 | - |
| Self timer | Yes (2 or 12 sec) | Yes (2 or 10 sec) |
| Time lapse shooting | ||
| Type of storage | SD/SDHC/SDXC | SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal |
| Storage slots | 1 | 1 |
| Retail price | $399 | $350 |
