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Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic 3D1

Portability
88
Imaging
52
Features
72
Overall
60
Olympus PEN E-PL5 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-3D1 front
Portability
93
Imaging
36
Features
36
Overall
36

Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic 3D1 Key Specs

Olympus E-PL5
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 325g - 111 x 64 x 38mm
  • Launched September 2012
Panasonic 3D1
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3.5" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 25-100mm (F3.9-5.7) lens
  • 193g - 108 x 58 x 24mm
  • Announced November 2011
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Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic 3D1 Overview

Below, we will be contrasting the Olympus E-PL5 and Panasonic 3D1, former is a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by competitors Olympus and Panasonic. There is a large difference between the image resolutions of the E-PL5 (16MP) and 3D1 (12MP) and the E-PL5 (Four Thirds) and 3D1 (1/2.3") enjoy different sensor measurements.

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The E-PL5 was unveiled 11 months after the 3D1 and they are of a similar age. Both the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-PL5 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic 3D1 being a Compact camera.

Before delving in to a comprehensive comparison, below is a short summation of how the E-PL5 grades vs the 3D1 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL5 over the Panasonic 3D1

 E-PL5 3D1 
AnnouncedSeptember 2012November 2011Newer by 11 months
Manual focus Very accurate focus
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Selfie screen Easy selfies

Reasons to pick Panasonic 3D1 over the Olympus E-PL5

 3D1 E-PL5 
Screen dimension3.5"3"Bigger screen (+0.5")

Common features in the Olympus E-PL5 and Panasonic 3D1

 E-PL5 3D1 
Screen resolution460k460kThe same screen resolution
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic 3D1 Physical Comparison

For anyone who is aiming to travel with your camera frequently, you will need to consider its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-PL5 provides external dimensions of 111mm x 64mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.5") with a weight of 325 grams (0.72 lbs) whilst the Panasonic 3D1 has dimensions of 108mm x 58mm x 24mm (4.3" x 2.3" x 0.9") accompanied by a weight of 193 grams (0.43 lbs).

See the Olympus E-PL5 and Panasonic 3D1 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into account, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you are utilising during that time. Below is the front view measurements comparison of the E-PL5 against the 3D1.

Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic 3D1 size comparison

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability score of the E-PL5 and 3D1 is 88 and 93 respectively.

Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic 3D1 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic 3D1 Sensor Comparison

Generally, it is difficult to imagine the contrast between sensor dimensions purely by reading through technical specs. The picture below might give you a much better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-PL5 and 3D1.

As you have seen, each of the cameras posses different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The E-PL5 with its bigger sensor is going to make achieving bokeh easier and the Olympus E-PL5 will resolve more detail having an extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also help you crop shots somewhat more aggressively. The younger E-PL5 should have a benefit when it comes to sensor technology.

Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic 3D1 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic 3D1 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic 3D1 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus E-PL5
Portrait photography with Panasonic 3D1
71
you can focus manually
good megapixels (16MP)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
has face detection focusing
saves RAW files
27
supports face detection autofocus
lack of manual focus
no manual control
cannot use external flash
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
small sensor size (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus E-PL5
Street photography with Panasonic 3D1
85
tilting screen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
comes with focus by touch
above average ISO range (25,600)
61
built in image stabilization (Optical)
includes focus via touch
no moving screen
small sensor size (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 Sports photography advice
Panasonic 3D1 Sports photography advice
66
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
good megapixels (16MP)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
has tracking autofocus
has no phase detect AF
30
built in image stabilization (Optical)
supports tracking autofocus
maximum shutter speed is a little low (1/1,300s)
no shutter priority
sensor resolution low (12MP)
small sensor size (1/2.3")
bad battery (200 CIPA)
has no phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 Travel photography highlights
Panasonic 3D1 Travel photography highlights
75
comes with focus by touch
good megapixels (16 megapixels)
selfie friendly display
does not have Time Lapse mode
59
includes focus via touch
flash built-in
rather wide (25mm)
lack of Timelapse recording
bad battery (200 CIPA)
sensor resolution low (12MP)
doesn't contain selfie friendly screen
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.9)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 as a Landscape photography camera
Panasonic 3D1 as a Landscape photography camera
74
you can focus manually
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen is a good size (3")
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
good megapixels (16MP)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
above average ISO range (25,600)
saves RAW files
does not have Time Lapse mode
36
rather wide (25mm)
lovely big screen (3.5")
built in image stabilization (Optical)
lack of manual focus
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.9)
no manual control
sensor resolution low (12MP)
small sensor size (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
bad battery (200 shots)
lack of Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus E-PL5
Vlogging with Panasonic 3D1
78
selfie friendly display
touchscreen enabled
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
has face detection focusing
good video quality (1920 x 1080 pxls)
does not have external mic socket
34
rather wide (25mm)
touchscreen functionality
built in image stabilization (Optical)
supports face detection autofocus
high video quality (1920 x 1080 pixels)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.9)
doesn't contain selfie friendly screen
lack of external microphone jack
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Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic 3D1 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL5 and Panasonic 3D1
 Olympus PEN E-PL5Panasonic Lumix DMC-3D1
General Information
Brand Olympus Panasonic
Model Olympus PEN E-PL5 Panasonic Lumix DMC-3D1
Class Entry-Level Mirrorless Small Sensor Compact
Launched 2012-09-17 2011-11-07
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
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 16MP 12MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Highest resolution 4608 x 3456 4000 x 3000
Highest native ISO 25600 6400
Minimum native ISO 200 100
RAW files
Autofocusing
Manual focus
AF touch
AF continuous
AF single
Tracking AF
Selective AF
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Number of focus points 35 23
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 25-100mm (4.0x)
Maximum aperture - f/3.9-5.7
Macro focus range - 5cm
Number of lenses 107 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.8
Screen
Screen type Tilting Fixed Type
Screen sizing 3 inches 3.5 inches
Resolution of screen 460 thousand dot 460 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Screen tech - TFT Full Touch Screen with AR coating
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic (optional) None
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60 seconds 60 seconds
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/1300 seconds
Continuous shooting speed 8.0fps -
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Change WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 7.00 m (bundled FL-LM1) 3.50 m
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction, Slow Sync
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Maximum flash sync 1/250 seconds -
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60, 30 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video format MPEG-4, H.264, Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD, Motion JPEG
Microphone input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless Eye-Fi Connected None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 325 grams (0.72 lbs) 193 grams (0.43 lbs)
Dimensions 111 x 64 x 38mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.5") 108 x 58 x 24mm (4.3" x 2.3" x 0.9")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 72 not tested
DXO Color Depth score 22.8 not tested
DXO Dynamic range score 12.3 not tested
DXO Low light score 889 not tested
Other
Battery life 360 photos 200 photos
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 shooting
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Storage slots Single Single
Price at launch $400 $670