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Olympus E-PL6 vs Panasonic S3

Portability
88
Imaging
53
Features
77
Overall
62
Olympus PEN E-PL6 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-S3 front
Portability
96
Imaging
37
Features
24
Overall
31

Olympus E-PL6 vs Panasonic S3 Key Specs

Olympus E-PL6
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 325g - 111 x 64 x 38mm
  • Launched August 2014
  • Successor is Olympus E-PL7
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
  • Revealed January 2011
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Olympus E-PL6 vs Panasonic S3 Overview

Below, we will be looking at the Olympus E-PL6 vs Panasonic S3, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by companies Olympus and Panasonic. The resolution of the E-PL6 (16MP) and the S3 (14MP) is relatively close but the E-PL6 (Four Thirds) and S3 (1/2.3") possess totally different sensor sizes.

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The E-PL6 was revealed 3 years later than the S3 and that is a fairly big difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-PL6 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic S3 being a Compact camera.

Before delving through a comprehensive comparison, below is a simple overview of how the E-PL6 scores against the S3 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL6 over the Panasonic S3

 E-PL6 S3 
RevealedAugust 2014January 2011More recent by 44 months
Focus manually Dial precise focus
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen dimension3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution460k230kCrisper screen (+230k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Panasonic S3 over the Olympus E-PL6

 S3 E-PL6 

Common features in the Olympus E-PL6 and Panasonic S3

 E-PL6 S3 

Olympus E-PL6 vs Panasonic S3 Physical Comparison

If you are intending to lug around your camera, you are going to need to factor its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-PL6 has physical measurements of 111mm x 64mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.5") and a weight of 325 grams (0.72 lbs) while the Panasonic S3 has proportions of 99mm x 59mm x 21mm (3.9" x 2.3" x 0.8") along with a weight of 117 grams (0.26 lbs).

Check out the Olympus E-PL6 vs Panasonic S3 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you use at that time. Below is the front view over all size comparison of the E-PL6 vs the S3.

Olympus E-PL6 vs Panasonic S3 size comparison

Looking at size and weight, the portability rating of the E-PL6 and S3 is 88 and 96 respectively.

Olympus E-PL6 vs Panasonic S3 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL6 vs Panasonic S3 Sensor Comparison

Often, it is very hard to visualise the gap in sensor measurements purely by looking through a spec sheet. The photograph here should offer you a better sense of the sensor measurements in the E-PL6 and S3.

Clearly, both cameras have got different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The E-PL6 with its bigger sensor will make getting shallow DOF easier and the Olympus E-PL6 will result in extra detail because of its extra 2MP. Higher resolution will also make it easier to crop photographs much more aggressively. The newer E-PL6 will have an edge with regard to sensor technology.

Olympus E-PL6 vs Panasonic S3 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL6 vs Panasonic S3 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL6 vs Panasonic S3 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus E-PL6
Portrait photography with Panasonic S3
71
manual focus
decent sensor resolution (16 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
features face detect focusing
supports RAW files
28
decent MP (14MP)
no manual focus
manual exposure not possible
external flash not possible
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
Photography Glossary

Street Comparison

Olympus E-PL6 Street photography information
Panasonic S3 Street photography information
85
has a tilting screen
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
provides touch focus
very good high ISO (25,600)
63
has image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than average (117g)
fixed screen
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus E-PL6
Sports photography with Panasonic S3
66
image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
features tracking focus
lacks phase detect AF
35
has image stabilization (Optical)
decent MP (14 megapixels)
max frames per second low (2.0 fps)
no shutter priority mode
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
lacks phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL6 Travel photography factors
Panasonic S3 Travel photography factors
85
provides touch focus
decent sensor resolution (16 megapixels)
selfie friendly screen
68
lighter than average (117g)
decent MP (14MP)
flash built-in
reasonably wide (28mm)
doesn't have Time Lapse recording
does not have selfie friendly screen
slow max aperture (f3.1)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PL6 Landscape photography info
Panasonic S3 Landscape photography info
80
manual focus
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is good (3 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor resolution (16 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
very good high ISO (25,600)
supports RAW files
38
reasonably wide (28mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
decent MP (14 megapixels)
no manual focus
can't switch lenses (fixed lens mount)
slow max aperture (f3.1)
screen is somewhat small (2.7 inch)
manual exposure not possible
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
doesn't have Time Lapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL6 Vlogging information
Panasonic S3 Vlogging information
79
selfie friendly screen
touch screen
image stabilization (Sensor based)
features face detect focusing
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
no microphone port
31
reasonably wide (28mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than average (117 grams)
slow max aperture (f3.1)
does not have selfie friendly screen
video res low (1280 x 720 pxls)
doesn't have mic port
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Olympus E-PL6 vs Panasonic S3 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL6 and Panasonic S3
 Olympus PEN E-PL6Panasonic Lumix DMC-S3
General Information
Company Olympus Panasonic
Model type Olympus PEN E-PL6 Panasonic Lumix DMC-S3
Category Entry-Level Mirrorless Small Sensor Compact
Launched 2014-08-01 2011-01-05
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Processor TruePic VI 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 area 224.9mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixel 14 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Highest Possible resolution 4608 x 3456 4320 x 3240
Maximum native ISO 25600 6400
Minimum native ISO 100 100
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch focus
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Total focus points 35 11
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 28-112mm (4.0x)
Max aperture - f/3.1-5.6
Macro focusing distance - 5cm
Available lenses 107 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.9
Screen
Range of screen Tilting Fixed Type
Screen diagonal 3 inches 2.7 inches
Screen resolution 460k dot 230k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Screen technology - TFT LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic (optional) None
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60 secs 8 secs
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/1600 secs
Continuous shutter speed 8.0fps 2.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 7.00 m (bundled FL-LM1) 3.30 m
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
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)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video format MPEG-4, Motion JPEG MPEG-4
Mic jack
Headphone jack
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 proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 325g (0.72 pounds) 117g (0.26 pounds)
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 rating not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth rating not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested not tested
DXO Low light rating not tested not tested
Other
Battery life 360 shots 250 shots
Style of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLS-5 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Storage slots 1 1
Launch pricing $300 $110