Olympus E-PL6 vs Panasonic S3

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.

Here is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus PEN E-PL6 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-S3. The full galleries are available at Olympus E-PL6 Gallery & Panasonic S3 Gallery.

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.

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.

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

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.