Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic ZS7
88 Imaging
48 Features
52 Overall
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91 Imaging
35 Features
33 Overall
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Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic ZS7 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 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
Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic ZS7 Overview
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.
Meta to Introduce 'AI-Generated' Labels for Media starting next monthThe 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.
Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic ZS7 Gallery
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
Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison
Street Comparison
Sports Comparison
Travel Comparison
Landscape Comparison
Vlogging Comparison
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 |