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Olympus E-PL8 vs Panasonic TS3

Portability
86
Imaging
54
Features
76
Overall
62
Olympus PEN E-PL8 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS3 front
Portability
92
Imaging
35
Features
31
Overall
33

Olympus E-PL8 vs Panasonic TS3 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
  • Revealed September 2016
  • Earlier Model is Olympus E-PL7
  • Newer Model is Olympus E-PL9
Panasonic TS3
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 28-128mm (F3.3-5.9) lens
  • 197g - 103 x 64 x 27mm
  • Released August 2011
  • Alternative Name is Lumix DMC-FT3
  • Old Model is Panasonic TS2
  • Newer Model is Panasonic TS4
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Olympus E-PL8 vs Panasonic TS3 Overview

In this write-up, we are evaluating the Olympus E-PL8 vs Panasonic TS3, one is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the other is a Waterproof by manufacturers Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a huge gap between the resolutions of the E-PL8 (16MP) and TS3 (12MP) and the E-PL8 (Four Thirds) and TS3 (1/2.3") come with different sensor dimensions.

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The E-PL8 was launched 5 years after the TS3 which is quite a significant gap as far as technology is concerned. Each of these cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-PL8 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic TS3 being a Compact camera.

Before going in to a complete comparison, below is a concise summary of how the E-PL8 scores against the TS3 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Photography Glossary
	
	

Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL8 over the Panasonic TS3

 E-PL8 TS3 
ReleasedSeptember 2016August 2011More modern by 63 months
Focus manually More exact focusing
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display sizing3"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")
Display resolution1037k230kSharper display (+807k dot)
Touch display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Panasonic TS3 over the Olympus E-PL8

 TS3 E-PL8 

Common features in the Olympus E-PL8 and Panasonic TS3

 E-PL8 TS3 
Selfie screen Lack of selfie screen

Olympus E-PL8 vs Panasonic TS3 Physical Comparison

For anyone who is looking to carry around your camera regularly, you'll have to think about its weight and volume. The Olympus E-PL8 offers outside 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) whilst the Panasonic TS3 has sizing of 103mm x 64mm x 27mm (4.1" x 2.5" x 1.1") with a weight of 197 grams (0.43 lbs).

Compare the Olympus E-PL8 vs Panasonic TS3 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary dependant on the lens you have at that time. Underneath is the front view dimension comparison of the E-PL8 and the TS3.

Olympus E-PL8 vs Panasonic TS3 size comparison

Using dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-PL8 and TS3 is 86 and 92 respectively.

Olympus E-PL8 vs Panasonic TS3 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL8 vs Panasonic TS3 Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, it is very hard to imagine the difference between sensor sizes merely by looking at technical specs. The picture here should give you a better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-PL8 and TS3.

As you have seen, each of these cameras offer different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The E-PL8 featuring a larger sensor is going to make shooting shallower depth of field less difficult and the Olympus E-PL8 will give more detail utilizing its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution will make it easier to crop photos a little more aggressively. The fresher E-PL8 should have an advantage in sensor tech.

Olympus E-PL8 vs Panasonic TS3 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL8 vs Panasonic TS3 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL8 vs Panasonic TS3 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PL8 Portrait photography information
Panasonic TS3 Portrait photography information
72
manual focus
megapixel count decent (16MP)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
has face detection focus
delivers RAW formats
21
focusing manually not possible
manual mode not available
can't use external flash
MP count low (12 megapixels)
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus E-PL8
Street photography with Panasonic TS3
84
screen tilts
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
includes focus via touch
above average ISO range (25,600)
61
has image stabilization (Optical)
weather proofing
no moving screen
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PL8 as a Sports photography camera
Panasonic TS3 as a Sports photography camera
67
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
has tracking autofocus
doesn't have phase detect auto focus
37
has image stabilization (Optical)
offers tracking focus
weather proofing
great battery pack (310 per charge)
low maximum shutter speed (1/1,300s)
very slow continuous shooting (4.0 frames/s)
lack of shutter priority mode
MP count low (12 megapixels)
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
has no phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL8 as a Travel photography camera
Panasonic TS3 as a Travel photography camera
71
includes focus via touch
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
screen is not selfie friendly
63
great battery pack (310 CIPA)
weather proofing
has built in flash
decently wide (28mm)
does not have Timelapse function
MP count low (12 megapixels)
does not posses selfie friendly display
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.3)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PL8 Landscape photography factors
Panasonic TS3 Landscape photography factors
80
manual focus
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
nice screen size (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
above average ISO range (25,600)
delivers RAW formats
38
decently wide (28mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
weather proofing
great battery pack (310 shots)
focusing manually not possible
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.3)
screen is somewhat small (2.7 inches)
manual mode not available
MP count low (12 megapixels)
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
does not have Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL8 Vlogging highlights
Panasonic TS3 Vlogging highlights
35
touchscreen functionality
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
has face detection focus
video res high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
screen is not selfie friendly
missing external microphone socket
31
decently wide (28mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.3)
does not posses selfie friendly display
does not have microphone socket
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Olympus E-PL8 vs Panasonic TS3 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL8 and Panasonic TS3
 Olympus PEN E-PL8Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS3
General Information
Make Olympus Panasonic
Model type Olympus PEN E-PL8 Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS3
Otherwise known as - Lumix DMC-FT3
Class Entry-Level Mirrorless Waterproof
Revealed 2016-09-19 2011-08-16
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Processor TruePic VII Venus Engine FHD
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 16MP 12MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Max resolution 4608 x 3456 4000 x 3000
Max native ISO 25600 6400
Lowest native ISO 200 100
RAW support
Lowest enhanced ISO 100 -
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
Continuous AF
Single AF
Tracking AF
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Total focus points 81 11
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 28-128mm (4.6x)
Highest aperture - f/3.3-5.9
Macro focusing range - 5cm
Available lenses 107 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.9
Screen
Display type Tilting Fixed Type
Display diagonal 3" 2.7"
Display resolution 1,037 thousand dots 230 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Display tech - TFT LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic (optional) None
Features
Min shutter speed 60 secs 60 secs
Max shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/1300 secs
Continuous shutter rate 8.0 frames/s 4.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes -
Change WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance no built-in flash 5.60 m
Flash modes no built-in flash Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Syncro
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
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) 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Max video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video file format H.264, Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD
Microphone 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 BuiltIn
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 357 grams (0.79 lb) 197 grams (0.43 lb)
Dimensions 115 x 67 x 38mm (4.5" x 2.6" x 1.5") 103 x 64 x 27mm (4.1" x 2.5" x 1.1")
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 350 photographs 310 photographs
Battery type Battery Pack Battery Pack
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec, custom) Yes
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC card SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Card slots 1 1
Price at release $500 $380