Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic ZS8
88 Imaging
48 Features
52 Overall
49
92 Imaging
37 Features
39 Overall
37
Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic ZS8 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)
- 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
- 3" Fixed Screen
- ISO 100 - 6400
- Optical Image Stabilization
- 1280 x 720 video
- 24-384mm (F3.3-5.9) lens
- 210g - 105 x 58 x 33mm
- Announced July 2011
- Other Name is Lumix DMC-TZ18
- Earlier Model is Panasonic ZS7
Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic ZS8 Overview
Lets look a bit more closely at the Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic ZS8, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by rivals Olympus and Panasonic. The image resolution of the E-PL3 (12MP) and the ZS8 (14MP) is relatively similar but the E-PL3 (Four Thirds) and ZS8 (1/2.3") enjoy totally different sensor dimensions.
Samsung Releases Faster Versions of EVO MicroSD CardsThe E-PL3 was manufactured 3 months later than the ZS8 so they are both of a similar age. The two cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-PL3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic ZS8 being a Compact camera.
Before diving straight into a comprehensive comparison, below is a simple summation of how the E-PL3 scores vs the ZS8 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.
Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic ZS8 Gallery
Below is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus PEN E-PL3 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS8. The entire galleries are provided at Olympus E-PL3 Gallery & Panasonic ZS8 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL3 over the Panasonic ZS8
E-PL3 | ZS8 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Manually focus | Very precise focusing | |||
Screen type | Tilting | Fixed | Tilting screen | |
Screen resolution | 460k | 230k | Sharper screen (+230k dot) |
Reasons to pick Panasonic ZS8 over the Olympus E-PL3
ZS8 | E-PL3 |
---|
Common features in the Olympus E-PL3 and Panasonic ZS8
E-PL3 | ZS8 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Announced | September 2011 | July 2011 | Similar age | |
Screen sizing | 3" | 3" | Equivalent screen sizing | |
Selfie screen | No selfie screen | |||
Touch screen | No Touch screen |
Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic ZS8 Physical Comparison
For those who are intending to lug around your camera frequently, you need to factor its weight and size. The Olympus E-PL3 provides exterior dimensions of 110mm x 64mm x 37mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.5") and a weight of 313 grams (0.69 lbs) whilst the Panasonic ZS8 has specifications of 105mm x 58mm x 33mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.3") along with a weight of 210 grams (0.46 lbs).
Check the Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic ZS8 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.Take into account, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you choose during that time. Here is the front view proportions comparison of the E-PL3 and the ZS8.
Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability grade of the E-PL3 and ZS8 is 88 and 92 respectively.
Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic ZS8 Sensor Comparison
Generally, it can be difficult to envision the contrast between sensor measurements purely by reading specifications. The visual below should provide you a far better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-PL3 and ZS8.
Plainly, both cameras offer different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The E-PL3 featuring a bigger sensor will make getting shallow depth of field simpler and the Panasonic ZS8 will deliver more detail due to its extra 2 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also enable you to crop shots a little more aggressively.
Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic ZS8 Screen and ViewFinder
Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison
Street Comparison
Sports Comparison
Travel Comparison
Landscape Comparison
Vlogging Comparison
Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic ZS8 Specifications
Olympus PEN E-PL3 | Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS8 | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Brand | Olympus | Panasonic |
Model | Olympus PEN E-PL3 | Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS8 |
Alternative name | - | Lumix DMC-TZ18 |
Class | Entry-Level Mirrorless | Small Sensor Superzoom |
Revealed | 2011-09-20 | 2011-07-19 |
Physical type | Rangefinder-style mirrorless | Compact |
Sensor Information | ||
Powered by | Truepic VI | Venus Engine FHD |
Sensor type | CMOS | CCD |
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 | 14MP |
Anti aliasing filter | ||
Aspect ratio | 4:3 | 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 |
Highest Possible resolution | 4032 x 3024 | 4320 x 3240 |
Maximum native ISO | 12800 | 6400 |
Min native ISO | 200 | 100 |
RAW support | ||
Autofocusing | ||
Focus manually | ||
Autofocus touch | ||
Autofocus continuous | ||
Autofocus single | ||
Autofocus tracking | ||
Selective autofocus | ||
Autofocus center weighted | ||
Multi area autofocus | ||
Autofocus live view | ||
Face detect focus | ||
Contract detect focus | ||
Phase detect focus | ||
Number of focus points | 35 | 11 |
Lens | ||
Lens mount | Micro Four Thirds | fixed lens |
Lens focal range | - | 24-384mm (16.0x) |
Maximum aperture | - | f/3.3-5.9 |
Macro focus range | - | 3cm |
Number of lenses | 107 | - |
Focal length multiplier | 2.1 | 5.9 |
Screen | ||
Display type | Tilting | Fixed Type |
Display diagonal | 3" | 3" |
Resolution of display | 460k dots | 230k dots |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch screen | ||
Display technology | HyperCrystal LCD AR(Anti-Reflective) coating | TFT LCD |
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder type | Electronic (optional) | None |
Features | ||
Min shutter speed | 60s | 60s |
Max shutter speed | 1/4000s | 1/4000s |
Continuous shutter rate | 6.0fps | 2.0fps |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Manually set exposure | ||
Exposure compensation | Yes | Yes |
Change white balance | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Built-in flash | ||
Flash range | no built-in flash | 5.00 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 | ||
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) | 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps) |
Maximum video resolution | 1920x1080 | 1280x720 |
Video data format | AVCHD, Motion JPEG | MPEG-4 |
Mic support | ||
Headphone support | ||
Connectivity | ||
Wireless | None | None |
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 lbs) | 210 grams (0.46 lbs) |
Dimensions | 110 x 64 x 37mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.5") | 105 x 58 x 33mm (4.1" x 2.3" 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 | 340 shots |
Type 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 |
Cost at release | $399 | $275 |