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Olympus PEN-F vs Panasonic FZ300

Portability
84
Imaging
59
Features
79
Overall
67
Olympus PEN-F front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ300 front
Portability
59
Imaging
37
Features
73
Overall
51

Olympus PEN-F vs Panasonic FZ300 Key Specs

Olympus PEN-F
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Display
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 427g - 125 x 72 x 37mm
  • Announced January 2016
Panasonic FZ300
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1/16000s Maximum Shutter
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • 25-600mm (F2.8) lens
  • 691g - 132 x 92 x 117mm
  • Released July 2015
  • Old Model is Panasonic FZ200
Photography Glossary

Olympus PEN-F vs Panasonic FZ300 Overview

Here, we will be looking at the Olympus PEN-F and Panasonic FZ300, former is a Advanced Mirrorless while the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by rivals Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a substantial gap among the sensor resolutions of the PEN-F (20MP) and FZ300 (12MP) and the PEN-F (Four Thirds) and FZ300 (1/2.3") posses totally different sensor sizing.

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The PEN-F was announced 7 months after the FZ300 and they are of a similar age. Both of these cameras feature different body design with the Olympus PEN-F being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic FZ300 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera.

Before we go straight to a full comparison, here is a simple introduction of how the PEN-F grades against the FZ300 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus PEN-F over the Panasonic FZ300

 PEN-F FZ300 
ReleasedJanuary 2016July 2015More modern by 7 months

Reasons to pick Panasonic FZ300 over the Olympus PEN-F

 FZ300 PEN-F 
Screen resolution1040k1037kClearer screen (+3k dot)

Common features in the Olympus PEN-F and Panasonic FZ300

 PEN-F FZ300 
Manually focus More precise focus
Screen typeFully ArticulatedFully ArticulatedFully Articulated screen
Screen size3"3"Same screen measurement
Selfie screen Both are selfie friendly
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Olympus PEN-F vs Panasonic FZ300 Physical Comparison

In case you're planning to carry around your camera, you will need to factor its weight and proportions. The Olympus PEN-F has external dimensions of 125mm x 72mm x 37mm (4.9" x 2.8" x 1.5") accompanied by a weight of 427 grams (0.94 lbs) and the Panasonic FZ300 has measurements of 132mm x 92mm x 117mm (5.2" x 3.6" x 4.6") having a weight of 691 grams (1.52 lbs).

See the Olympus PEN-F and Panasonic FZ300 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you select at that moment. Below is a front view overall size comparison of the PEN-F versus the FZ300.

Olympus PEN-F vs Panasonic FZ300 size comparison

Using dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the PEN-F and FZ300 is 84 and 59 respectively.

Olympus PEN-F vs Panasonic FZ300 top view buttons comparison

Olympus PEN-F vs Panasonic FZ300 Sensor Comparison

Normally, it can be tough to see the contrast in sensor sizes only by checking out technical specs. The image here might provide you a stronger sense of the sensor sizes in the PEN-F and FZ300.

As you can tell, each of these cameras feature different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The PEN-F having a bigger sensor will make getting shallow DOF less difficult and the Olympus PEN-F will provide greater detail with its extra 8MP. Higher resolution will also let you crop photographs way more aggressively. The more recent PEN-F is going to have a benefit in sensor tech.

Olympus PEN-F vs Panasonic FZ300 sensor size comparison

Olympus PEN-F vs Panasonic FZ300 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus PEN-F vs Panasonic FZ300 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus PEN-F Portrait photography information
Panasonic FZ300 Portrait photography information
75
manual focus
good MP (20MP)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
includes face detection autofocus
supports RAW files
46
has manual focus
supports face detect autofocus
exports RAW formats
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
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Street Comparison

Olympus PEN-F Street photography highlights
Panasonic FZ300 Street photography highlights
84
screen articulates
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
features touch to focus
great ISO range (25,600)
59
screen articulates fully
built in image stabilization (Optical)
exports RAW formats
provides touch focus
weather proof
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
heavier than average (691 grams)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus PEN-F as a Sports photography camera
Panasonic FZ300 as a Sports photography camera
67
great max shutter speed (1/8,000s)
quiet mode (1/16,000s)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good MP (20MP)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
includes tracking autofocus
not so great battery pack (330 per charge)
lacks phase detect autofocus
51
great zoom range (25-600mm 24.0 x zoom)
max shutter speed is good (1/16,000 seconds)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
supports tracking focus
weather proof
great battery power (380 CIPA)
low megapixels (12MP)
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
has no phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus PEN-F Travel photography details
Panasonic FZ300 Travel photography details
75
features touch to focus
good MP (20 megapixels)
selfie friendly screen
not so great battery pack (330 per charge)
59
great battery power (380 per charge)
weather proof
provides touch focus
flash built-in
screen is selfie friendly
quite wide (25mm)
very long reach (600mm)
heavier than average (691 grams)
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus PEN-F Landscape photography details
Panasonic FZ300 Landscape photography details
76
manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
nice screen size (3")
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good MP (20MP)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
great ISO range (25,600)
supports RAW files
not so great battery pack (330 per charge)
52
has manual focus
quite wide (25mm)
pretty good screen size (3")
built in image stabilization (Optical)
exports RAW formats
weather proof
great battery power (380 CIPA)
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus PEN-F Vlogging features
Panasonic FZ300 Vlogging features
78
selfie friendly screen
touch screen
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
includes face detection autofocus
great video quality (1920 x 1080 pxls)
does not have external mic support
62
quite wide (25mm)
screen is selfie friendly
built-in touchscreen
built in image stabilization (Optical)
supports face detect autofocus
high quality video (3840 x 2160 pixels)
does have mic port
slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
heavier than average (691g)
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Olympus PEN-F vs Panasonic FZ300 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus PEN-F and Panasonic FZ300
 Olympus PEN-FPanasonic Lumix DMC-FZ300
General Information
Make Olympus Panasonic
Model type Olympus PEN-F Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ300
Category Advanced Mirrorless Small Sensor Superzoom
Announced 2016-01-27 2015-07-16
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless SLR-like (bridge)
Sensor Information
Processor TruePic VII Venus Engine
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 20 megapixel 12 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 5184 x 3888 4000 x 3000
Maximum native ISO 25600 6400
Min native ISO 200 100
RAW files
Min boosted ISO 80 -
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch focus
Continuous AF
Single AF
Tracking AF
Selective AF
AF center weighted
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Total focus points 81 49
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 25-600mm (24.0x)
Maximum aperture - f/2.8
Macro focusing distance - 1cm
Available lenses 107 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.8
Screen
Display type Fully Articulated Fully Articulated
Display diagonal 3" 3"
Resolution of display 1,037k dot 1,040k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic Electronic
Viewfinder resolution 2,360k dot 1,440k dot
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification 0.62x -
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 seconds 60 seconds
Highest shutter speed 1/8000 seconds 1/16000 seconds
Highest quiet shutter speed 1/16000 seconds -
Continuous shooting speed 10.0fps 12.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance no built-in flash 8.80 m (at Auto ISO)
Flash modes Flash Auto, Redeye, Fill-in, Flash Off, Red-eye Slow sync (1st curtain), Slow sync (1st curtain), Slow sync (2nd curtain) Auto, auto w/redeye reduction, forced on, forced on w/redeye reduction, slow sync, slow sync w/redeye reduction, forced off
Hot shoe
AEB
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60p, 50p, 30p, 25p, 24p), 1280 x 720 (60p, 50p, 30p, 25p, 24p) 3840 x 2160 (30p, 24p), 1920 x 1080 (60p, 60i, 30p, 24p), 1280 x 720 (30p), 640 x 480 (30p)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 3840x2160
Video file format MPEG-4, H.264, Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD
Mic jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In Built-In
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 427 grams (0.94 pounds) 691 grams (1.52 pounds)
Physical dimensions 125 x 72 x 37mm (4.9" x 2.8" x 1.5") 132 x 92 x 117mm (5.2" x 3.6" x 4.6")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 74 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 23.1 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 12.4 not tested
DXO Low light rating 894 not tested
Other
Battery life 330 images 380 images
Style of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLN-1 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 seconds, custom) Yes
Time lapse shooting
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC card
Storage slots Single Single
Retail price $1,000 $598