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Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic S3

Portability
88
Imaging
52
Features
72
Overall
60
Olympus PEN E-PL5 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-S3 front
Portability
96
Imaging
37
Features
24
Overall
31

Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic S3 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 S3
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-112mm (F3.1-5.6) lens
  • 117g - 99 x 59 x 21mm
  • Introduced January 2011
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Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic S3 Overview

Its time to look closer at the Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic S3, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by manufacturers Olympus and Panasonic. The sensor resolution of the E-PL5 (16MP) and the S3 (14MP) is relatively well matched but the E-PL5 (Four Thirds) and S3 (1/2.3") boast different sensor sizes.

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The E-PL5 was unveiled 21 months later than the S3 which makes them a generation apart from one another. Both of these cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-PL5 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic S3 being a Compact camera.

Before delving straight to a complete comparison, here is a brief highlight of how the E-PL5 grades versus the S3 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL5 over the Panasonic S3

 E-PL5 S3 
IntroducedSeptember 2012January 2011Fresher by 21 months
Manual focus Dial precise focus
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen size3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution460k230kSharper screen (+230k dot)
Selfie screen Take selfies
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Panasonic S3 over the Olympus E-PL5

 S3 E-PL5 

Common features in the Olympus E-PL5 and Panasonic S3

 E-PL5 S3 

Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic S3 Physical Comparison

If you are looking to carry your camera, you will need to consider its weight and volume. The Olympus E-PL5 enjoys outside dimensions of 111mm x 64mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.5") accompanied by a weight of 325 grams (0.72 lbs) while the Panasonic S3 has sizing of 99mm x 59mm x 21mm (3.9" x 2.3" x 0.8") along with a weight of 117 grams (0.26 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic S3 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ based on the lens you are using at that time. Below is a front view dimensions comparison of the E-PL5 vs the S3.

Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic S3 size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-PL5 and S3 is 88 and 96 respectively.

Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic S3 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic S3 Sensor Comparison

Normally, it's tough to picture the contrast between sensor sizing just by looking at a spec sheet. The photograph below will help provide you a stronger sense of the sensor sizes in the E-PL5 and S3.

As you can see, both of these cameras feature different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The E-PL5 having a bigger sensor is going to make shooting shallower DOF easier and the Olympus E-PL5 will give you greater detail having an extra 2MP. Higher resolution will help you crop photographs way more aggressively. The more modern E-PL5 should have an advantage when it comes to sensor technology.

Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic S3 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic S3 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic S3 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 Portrait photography info
Panasonic S3 Portrait photography info
71
focusing manually
MP count good (16MP)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports face detect focus
delivers RAW formats
28
decent sensor resolution (14MP)
no manual focus
no manual control
no external flash support
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
does not have RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 Street photography features
Panasonic S3 Street photography features
85
screen tilts
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
provides focus via touch
great high ISO (25,600)
63
built in image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than others (117g)
screen is fixed
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
does not have RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 as a Sports photography camera
Panasonic S3 as a Sports photography camera
66
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
MP count good (16MP)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports tracking focus
no phase detect auto focus
35
built in image stabilization (Optical)
decent sensor resolution (14 megapixels)
max frames per second very slow (2.0 fps)
lack of shutter priority mode
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
does not have phase detect auto focus
Photography Glossary

Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 as a Travel photography camera
Panasonic S3 as a Travel photography camera
75
provides focus via touch
MP count good (16MP)
selfie friendly screen
does not have Timelapse mode
68
lighter than others (117 grams)
decent sensor resolution (14MP)
built-in flash
reasonably wide (28mm)
does not have Time Lapse function
does not offer selfie friendly screen
sluggish max aperture (f3.1)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 Landscape photography factors
Panasonic S3 Landscape photography factors
74
focusing manually
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is good (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
MP count good (16 megapixels)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
great high ISO (25,600)
delivers RAW formats
does not have Timelapse mode
38
reasonably wide (28mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
decent sensor resolution (14 megapixels)
no manual focus
cannot swap lenses (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f3.1)
tiny screen (2.7")
no manual control
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
does not have RAW files
does not have Time Lapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 Vlogging factors
Panasonic S3 Vlogging factors
78
selfie friendly screen
has touchscreen
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
supports face detect focus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
does not have microphone support
31
reasonably wide (28mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than others (117g)
sluggish max aperture (f3.1)
does not offer selfie friendly screen
video res low (1280 x 720 resolution)
does not have external mic support
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Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic S3 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL5 and Panasonic S3
 Olympus PEN E-PL5Panasonic Lumix DMC-S3
General Information
Company Olympus Panasonic
Model Olympus PEN E-PL5 Panasonic Lumix DMC-S3
Category Entry-Level Mirrorless Small Sensor Compact
Announced 2012-09-17 2011-01-05
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Chip - Venus Engine IV
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 16 megapixels 14 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 4608 x 3456 4320 x 3240
Highest native ISO 25600 6400
Min native ISO 200 100
RAW format
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Tracking autofocus
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Number of focus points 35 11
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 28-112mm (4.0x)
Highest aperture - f/3.1-5.6
Macro focus range - 5cm
Amount of lenses 107 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.9
Screen
Screen type Tilting Fixed Type
Screen size 3 inch 2.7 inch
Screen resolution 460 thousand dots 230 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Screen technology - TFT LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic (optional) None
Features
Min shutter speed 60 seconds 8 seconds
Max shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/1600 seconds
Continuous shutter rate 8.0 frames/s 2.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes -
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 7.00 m (bundled FL-LM1) 3.30 m
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Max flash synchronize 1/250 seconds -
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1280 x 720 (30fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video data format MPEG-4, H.264, Motion JPEG MPEG-4
Mic support
Headphone support
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 proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 325g (0.72 lbs) 117g (0.26 lbs)
Physical dimensions 111 x 64 x 38mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.5") 99 x 59 x 21mm (3.9" x 2.3" x 0.8")
DXO scores
DXO Overall 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 photographs 250 photographs
Form of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model BLS-5 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Card slots 1 1
Launch cost $400 $110