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Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic FP3

Portability
88
Imaging
52
Features
72
Overall
60
Olympus PEN E-PL5 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FP3 front
Portability
95
Imaging
37
Features
25
Overall
32

Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic FP3 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
  • Announced September 2012
Panasonic FP3
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 35-140mm (F3.5-5.9) lens
  • 155g - 99 x 59 x 19mm
  • Introduced January 2010
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Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic FP3 Overview

In this article, we will be reviewing the Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic FP3, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Ultracompact by rivals Olympus and Panasonic. The image resolution of the E-PL5 (16MP) and the FP3 (14MP) is relatively comparable but the E-PL5 (Four Thirds) and FP3 (1/2.3") come with different sensor measurements.

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The E-PL5 was manufactured 2 years later than the FP3 and that is a fairly serious difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-PL5 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic FP3 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before we go straight into a complete comparison, below is a short summary of how the E-PL5 matches up vs the FP3 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL5 over the Panasonic FP3

 E-PL5 FP3 
IntroducedSeptember 2012January 2010More recent by 33 months
Focus manually Very exact focusing
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen resolution460k230kCrisper screen (+230k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies

Reasons to pick Panasonic FP3 over the Olympus E-PL5

 FP3 E-PL5 

Common features in the Olympus E-PL5 and Panasonic FP3

 E-PL5 FP3 
Screen sizing3"3"Equivalent screen measurements
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic FP3 Physical Comparison

If you are intending to lug around your camera, you will want to factor its weight and volume. The Olympus E-PL5 offers physical dimensions of 111mm x 64mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.5") and a weight of 325 grams (0.72 lbs) and the Panasonic FP3 has sizing of 99mm x 59mm x 19mm (3.9" x 2.3" x 0.7") along with a weight of 155 grams (0.34 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic FP3 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you are utilising during that time. Below is the front view over all size comparison of the E-PL5 versus the FP3.

Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic FP3 size comparison

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-PL5 and FP3 is 88 and 95 respectively.

Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic FP3 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic FP3 Sensor Comparison

Normally, its hard to picture the contrast in sensor measurements simply by seeing specs. The photograph underneath may provide you a greater sense of the sensor sizes in the E-PL5 and FP3.

As you can plainly see, both of these cameras enjoy different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The E-PL5 due to its bigger sensor is going to make shooting shallow DOF easier and the Olympus E-PL5 will show more detail due to its extra 2MP. Higher resolution will also help you crop photographs far more aggressively. The younger E-PL5 should have an advantage with regard to sensor technology.

Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic FP3 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic FP3 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic FP3 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 Portrait photography advice
Panasonic FP3 Portrait photography advice
71
has manual focus
good MP (16MP)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
offers face detection focusing
saves RAW files
28
decent sensor resolution (14MP)
no manual focus
lack of manual mode
can't use external flash
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 Street photography information
Panasonic FP3 Street photography information
85
has a tilting screen
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
supports touch focus
very good ISO range (25,600)
60
built in image stabilization (Optical)
supports focus by touch
screen is fixed
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
more heavy than average in class (155g)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 Sports photography information
Panasonic FP3 Sports photography information
66
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good MP (16MP)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
offers tracking autofocus
lacks phase detect AF
35
built in image stabilization (Optical)
decent sensor resolution (14 megapixels)
slow frames per second (5.0 frames per second)
no shutter priority mode
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
has no phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 Travel photography information
Panasonic FP3 Travel photography information
75
supports touch focus
good MP (16MP)
selfie friendly screen
does not have Timelapse recording
60
supports focus by touch
decent sensor resolution (14 megapixels)
has built in flash
lack of Timelapse function
more heavy than average in class (155 grams)
does not have a selfie friendly screen
wide angle not the best (35mm)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.5)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 Landscape photography information
Panasonic FP3 Landscape photography information
74
has manual focus
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen is a good size (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good MP (16MP)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
very good ISO range (25,600)
saves RAW files
does not have Timelapse recording
37
nice screen size (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
decent sensor resolution (14 megapixels)
no manual focus
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not the best (35mm)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.5)
lack of manual mode
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
lack of Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 Vlogging features
Panasonic FP3 Vlogging features
78
selfie friendly screen
has touchscreen
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
offers face detection focusing
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
does not have external microphone port
27
built-in touchscreen
built in image stabilization (Optical)
wide angle not the best (35mm)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.5)
does not have a selfie friendly screen
video quality not great (1280 x 720 pixels)
lack of microphone socket
more heavy than average in class (155 grams)
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Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic FP3 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL5 and Panasonic FP3
 Olympus PEN E-PL5Panasonic Lumix DMC-FP3
General Information
Brand Olympus Panasonic
Model type Olympus PEN E-PL5 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FP3
Type Entry-Level Mirrorless Ultracompact
Announced 2012-09-17 2010-01-06
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless Ultracompact
Sensor Information
Processor Chip - Venus Engine IV
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixel 14 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Max resolution 4608 x 3456 4320 x 3240
Max native ISO 25600 6400
Minimum native ISO 200 80
RAW images
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch to focus
Continuous AF
Single AF
AF tracking
Selective AF
AF center weighted
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Total focus points 35 9
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 35-140mm (4.0x)
Maximal aperture - f/3.5-5.9
Macro focusing range - 10cm
Total lenses 107 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.9
Screen
Screen type Tilting Fixed Type
Screen diagonal 3 inches 3 inches
Screen resolution 460k dots 230k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic (optional) None
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60 seconds 60 seconds
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/1600 seconds
Continuous shutter rate 8.0 frames/s 5.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Change WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 7.00 m (bundled FL-LM1) 4.90 m
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Syncro
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Fastest flash synchronize 1/250 seconds -
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Max video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video data format MPEG-4, H.264, Motion JPEG Motion JPEG
Microphone port
Headphone port
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
Environmental sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 325 grams (0.72 pounds) 155 grams (0.34 pounds)
Dimensions 111 x 64 x 38mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.5") 99 x 59 x 19mm (3.9" x 2.3" x 0.7")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 72 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 22.8 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 12.3 not tested
DXO Low light rating 889 not tested
Other
Battery life 360 photographs -
Battery type Battery Pack -
Battery ID BLS-5 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Card slots Single Single
Launch pricing $400 $182