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Olympus E-PL8 vs Panasonic FH3

Portability
86
Imaging
54
Features
76
Overall
62
Olympus PEN E-PL8 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH3 front
Portability
94
Imaging
36
Features
21
Overall
30

Olympus E-PL8 vs Panasonic FH3 Key Specs

Olympus E-PL8
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 357g - 115 x 67 x 38mm
  • Launched September 2016
  • Superseded the Olympus E-PL7
  • Updated by Olympus E-PL9
Panasonic FH3
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-140mm (F2.8-6.9) lens
  • 165g - 98 x 55 x 24mm
  • Launched January 2010
  • Alternate Name is Lumix DMC-FS11
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Olympus E-PL8 vs Panasonic FH3 Overview

Below, we will be analyzing the Olympus E-PL8 vs Panasonic FH3, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by rivals Olympus and Panasonic. The resolution of the E-PL8 (16MP) and the FH3 (14MP) is relatively comparable but the E-PL8 (Four Thirds) and FH3 (1/2.3") feature totally different sensor size.

Photography Glossary

The E-PL8 was manufactured 6 years later than the FH3 and that is a fairly big gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of these cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-PL8 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic FH3 being a Compact camera.

Before diving straight into a more detailed comparison, below is a simple summary of how the E-PL8 matches up versus the FH3 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL8 over the Panasonic FH3

 E-PL8 FH3 
LaunchedSeptember 2016January 2010Fresher by 82 months
Manually focus Dial exact focusing
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen dimension3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution1037k230kClearer screen (+807k dot)
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Panasonic FH3 over the Olympus E-PL8

 FH3 E-PL8 

Common features in the Olympus E-PL8 and Panasonic FH3

 E-PL8 FH3 
Selfie screen Neither comes with selfie screen

Olympus E-PL8 vs Panasonic FH3 Physical Comparison

When you are going to carry your camera regularly, you are going to need to factor in its weight and volume. The Olympus E-PL8 comes with physical dimensions of 115mm x 67mm x 38mm (4.5" x 2.6" x 1.5") along with a weight of 357 grams (0.79 lbs) while the Panasonic FH3 has sizing of 98mm x 55mm x 24mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 0.9") having a weight of 165 grams (0.36 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-PL8 vs Panasonic FH3 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Do not forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary dependant on the lens you use at that time. The following is the front view measurement comparison of the E-PL8 and the FH3.

Olympus E-PL8 vs Panasonic FH3 size comparison

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-PL8 and FH3 is 86 and 94 respectively.

Olympus E-PL8 vs Panasonic FH3 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL8 vs Panasonic FH3 Sensor Comparison

Quite often, it can be difficult to visualise the contrast in sensor sizing merely by checking out technical specs. The photograph underneath will give you a greater sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-PL8 and FH3.

As you have seen, both of the cameras have got different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The E-PL8 due to its bigger sensor will make getting shallower depth of field easier and the Olympus E-PL8 will show more detail due to its extra 2MP. Higher resolution will also allow you to crop photographs much more aggressively. The younger E-PL8 will have an edge when it comes to sensor innovation.

Olympus E-PL8 vs Panasonic FH3 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL8 vs Panasonic FH3 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL8 vs Panasonic FH3 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PL8 as a Portrait photography camera
Panasonic FH3 as a Portrait photography camera
72
focusing manually
MP count decent (16MP)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
has face detection focus
exports RAW formats
28
MP count good (14MP)
focusing manually not possible
no manual control
no external flash support
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-PL8 Street photography info
Panasonic FH3 Street photography info
84
tilting screen
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
boasts focus by touch
good ISO range (25,600)
56
has image stabilization (Optical)
screen is fixed
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PL8 Sports photography highlights
Panasonic FH3 Sports photography highlights
67
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
MP count decent (16 megapixels)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
has tracking autofocus
doesn't have phase detect auto focus
34
has image stabilization (Optical)
MP count good (14MP)
low fps (6.0 fps)
lack of shutter priority mode
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
lack of phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL8 Travel photography details
Panasonic FH3 Travel photography details
71
boasts focus by touch
MP count decent (16MP)
doesn't contain selfie friendly screen
64
MP count good (14 megapixels)
flash built-in
fairly wide (28mm)
doesn't have Time Lapse recording
doesn't offer selfie friendly display
slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PL8 Landscape photography features
Panasonic FH3 Landscape photography features
80
focusing manually
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is good (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
MP count decent (16 megapixels)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
good ISO range (25,600)
exports RAW formats
37
fairly wide (28mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
MP count good (14MP)
focusing manually not possible
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
screen is somewhat small (2.7 inches)
no manual control
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
doesn't have Time Lapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL8 Vlogging advice
Panasonic FH3 Vlogging advice
35
touchscreen enabled
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
has face detection focus
high video quality (1920 x 1080 pixels)
doesn't contain selfie friendly screen
doesn't have external mic jack
29
fairly wide (28mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
doesn't offer selfie friendly display
video quality not great (1280 x 720 pixels)
doesn't have external mic socket
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Olympus E-PL8 vs Panasonic FH3 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL8 and Panasonic FH3
 Olympus PEN E-PL8Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH3
General Information
Company Olympus Panasonic
Model Olympus PEN E-PL8 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH3
Also called - Lumix DMC-FS11
Class Entry-Level Mirrorless Small Sensor Compact
Launched 2016-09-19 2010-01-06
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Chip TruePic VII -
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 megapixels 14 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Highest resolution 4608 x 3456 4320 x 3240
Highest native ISO 25600 6400
Lowest native ISO 200 80
RAW support
Lowest boosted ISO 100 -
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch to focus
Continuous AF
AF single
Tracking AF
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Number of focus points 81 9
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 28-140mm (5.0x)
Maximum aperture - f/2.8-6.9
Macro focus range - 5cm
Amount of lenses 107 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.9
Screen
Display type Tilting Fixed Type
Display sizing 3 inch 2.7 inch
Display resolution 1,037k dots 230k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic (optional) None
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60 secs 60 secs
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/1600 secs
Continuous shooting rate 8.0fps 6.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes -
Change WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range no built-in flash 6.80 m
Flash options no built-in flash Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Syncro
External flash
AEB
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30p), 1280 x 720 (30p), 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)
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video format H.264, Motion JPEG Motion JPEG
Mic port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 357 gr (0.79 lb) 165 gr (0.36 lb)
Dimensions 115 x 67 x 38mm (4.5" x 2.6" x 1.5") 98 x 55 x 24mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 0.9")
DXO scores
DXO All around score not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth score not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range score not tested not tested
DXO Low light score not tested not tested
Other
Battery life 350 shots -
Battery type Battery Pack -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec, custom) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC card SD/SDHC/SDXC card, Internal
Card slots Single Single
Price at launch $500 $160