Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic TS3

Here is a detailed assessment of the Olympus E-PL5 versus Panasonic TS3, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the latter is a Waterproof by companies Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a significant gap between the resolutions of the E-PL5 (16MP) and TS3 (12MP) and the E-PL5 (Four Thirds) and TS3 (1/2.3") possess different sensor sizing.

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The E-PL5 was unveiled 14 months later than the TS3 which makes the cameras a generation apart from one another. Both of these cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-PL5 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic TS3 being a Compact camera.

Before delving through a in-depth comparison, below is a concise introduction of how the E-PL5 scores vs the TS3 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

The following is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus PEN E-PL5 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS3. The full galleries are available at Olympus E-PL5 Gallery and Panasonic TS3 Gallery.

In case you're intending to carry your camera regularly, you're going to have to think about its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-PL5 enjoys physical 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) and the Panasonic TS3 has measurements of 103mm x 64mm x 27mm (4.1" x 2.5" x 1.1") accompanied by a weight of 197 grams (0.43 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-PL5 versus Panasonic TS3 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you have chosen at that time. Following is the front view scale comparison of the E-PL5 against the TS3.

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-PL5 and TS3 is 88 and 92 respectively.

More often than not, it's tough to visualize the difference between sensor sizing purely by checking technical specs. The graphic underneath will help give you a clearer sense of the sensor sizes in the E-PL5 and TS3.

As you can tell, both of these cameras posses different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The E-PL5 having a bigger sensor is going to make shooting shallow depth of field simpler and the Olympus E-PL5 will resolve extra detail having an extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution will enable you to crop shots somewhat more aggressively. The more recent E-PL5 provides an edge when it comes to sensor tech.