Canon PowerShot
G10
 vs
Olympus PEN Lite
E-PL3

Canon PowerShot G10

51

Reasons to buy the Canon PowerShot G10

Image stabilization
 Image stabilization
Lens
True resolution
 High true resolution
14.6 MP
Macro focus
 Great macro
1 cm
Viewfinder
 Great viewfinder
Tunnel
Built-in flash
 Built-in flash
Usually standard
Olympus PEN Lite E-PL3

37

Reasons to buy the Olympus PEN Lite E-PL3

Movie format
 Full HD
1080p @ 30fps
Image stabilization
 Image stabilization
Sensor shift
Screen flips out
 Flip-out screen
Great for movies
Interchangeable lenses
 Interchangeable lenses
Many lenses to choose from
Longest exposure
 Long exposures
60 seconds

differences

Advantages of the Canon G10
True resolution Higher true resolution 14.6 MP vs 12.2 MP
Help
 Capture around 20% more detail in your photos
Image stabilization Better image stabilization Lens vs Sensor shift
Help
 Less risk of blur
Built-in flash Built-in flash Yes vs No
Help
 A built-in flash is useful for taking indoor shots where there is little light
Viewfinder Has a viewfinder Tunnel vs None
Help
 A viewfinder can help save battery life by keeping the screen turned off
Canon PowerShot G10 Learn more about
the Canon G10

Advantages of the Olympus E-PL3
Movie format Higher resolution movies 1080p @ 30fps vs 480p @ 30fps
Help
 Shoots high resolution Full HD (1080p) video
Screen flips out Has a flip-out screen Yes vs No
Help
 Flip-out screens can be helpful when composing tricky shots or taking movies
Overall image quality Better image quality 52.0 vs 37.0
Help
 More than 40% better image quality
Interchangeable lenses Has interchangeable lenses Yes vs No
Help
 Can take advantage of a variety of lenses
Sensor size Larger sensor Four thirds 17.3x13.0mm vs 1/1.7" 7.6x5.7mm
Help
 More than 5x larger sensor
Color depth Better color depth 20.9 bits vs 19 bits
Help
 Distinguishes 1.9 more bits of color
Continuous shooting Shoots faster 5.5 fps vs 0.7 fps
Help
 Around 8x faster continuous shooting
Size Smaller 109x63x37 mm vs 109x78x46 mm
Help
 More than 30% smaller
Low light performance Lower noise at high ISO 499 ISO vs 156 ISO
Help
 The E-PL3 has excellent image quality 1.7 f-stops higher ISO than the G10
Sensor type Has a CMOS-family sensor CMOS vs CCD
Help
 CMOS-family sensors often produce better quality images
Longest exposure Much longer exposures 60s vs 15s
Help
 4x longer exposures
Light sensitivity (boost) Has boost ISO 12,800 ISO vs None
Help
 Allows taking photos in darker situations, often at the cost of additional noise in the image
Weight Lighter 313 g vs 390 g
Help
 Around 20% lighter
Dynamic range More dynamic range 10.3 EV vs 10 EV
Help
 0.3 f-stops more dynamic range
Thickness Thinner 1.5" vs 1.8"
Help
 Around 20% thinner
Olympus PEN Lite E-PL3 Learn more about
the Olympus E-PL3
vs

recommendations

Relative to the best recent digital cameras, and ignoring price

Canon PowerShot G10 Canon PowerShot G10
51 vs 37
Explain scores
Olympus PEN Lite E-PL3 Olympus PEN Lite E-PL3
Green arrow Snapsort recommends the Canon PowerShot G10. This recommendation, however, should be taken with a grain of salt since it doesn't always make sense to compare a pro digicam with a mirrorless interchangeable-lens.

advice

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similarities

Compared to recent digital cameras

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
Supports RAW RAW support Help
Better editing
External flash Support external flash Help
Better lighting
Fastest shutter speed Fast max shutter speeds Help
1/4000 of a second
Dynamic range Poor dynamic range Help
G10:10 EV
E-PL3:10.3 EV
Color depth Poor color depth Help
G10:19 bits
E-PL3:20.9 bits
Panorama Neither camera stitches together panoramas Help
You could stitch photos in post
HDR Neither has in-camera HDR Help
You could do HDR manually
3D Neither camera can take 3D photos Help
No 3d support
Light sensitivity Poor maximum light sensitivity Help
1,600 ISO
Overall image quality Low image quality Help
G10:37.0
E-PL3:52.0

dxomark

DXOMark

competitors

Shared Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Canon PowerShot G12

Canon PowerShot G12

Pro digicam

$390 - $496
Supports 24p Records movies in 24p
Dynamic range Has slightly wider dynamic range
True resolution Takes slightly lower resolution photos
Screen size Has a slightly smaller screen
Compare the PowerShot G12 vs the PowerShot G10
Compare the PowerShot G12 vs the PEN Lite E-PL3
Canon PowerShot G1X

Canon PowerShot G1X

Boutique

$799 - $800
Overall image quality Has slightly better image quality
Screen resolution Has a significantly higher resolution screen
Thickness Is thicker
Macro focus Much worse macro focusing
Compare the PowerShot G1X vs the PowerShot G10
Compare the PowerShot G1X vs the PEN Lite E-PL3
Canon Powershot S100

Canon Powershot S100

Pro digicam

$356 - $430
Aperture Has a significantly wider aperture
Wide angle Has a significantly wider wide angle lens
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
External flash Doesn't support an external flash
Compare the Powershot S100 vs the PowerShot G10
Compare the Powershot S100 vs the PEN Lite E-PL3
Fujifilm Finepix X10

Fujifilm Finepix X10

Pro digicam

$599
Aperture Has a significantly wider aperture
Continuous shooting Shoots faster continuously
Thickness Is thicker
Screen size Has a slightly smaller screen
Compare the Finepix X10 vs the PowerShot G10
Compare the Finepix X10 vs the PEN Lite E-PL3
Nikon 1 V1

Nikon 1 V1

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$797 - $947 with 10-30mm lens
Screen resolution Has a significantly higher resolution screen
High-speed framerate Records high-speed movies
True resolution Takes slightly lower resolution photos
Image stabilization Doesn't have image stabilization
Compare the 1 V1 vs the PowerShot G10
Compare the 1 V1 vs the PEN Lite E-PL3
Nikon D3100

Nikon D3100

Entry-level DSLR

$500 - $547 with 18-55mm lens
Overall image quality Has slightly better image quality
Supports 24p Records movies in 24p
Thickness Is thicker
Weight Is slightly heavier
Compare the D3100 vs the PowerShot G10
Compare the D3100 vs the PEN Lite E-PL3
Olympus XZ-1

Olympus XZ-1

Pro digicam

$499 - $500
Aperture Has a much wider aperture
Screen resolution Has a slightly higher resolution screen
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
True resolution Takes slightly lower resolution photos
Compare the XZ-1 vs the PowerShot G10
Compare the XZ-1 vs the PEN Lite E-PL3

Canon PowerShot G10 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Canon PowerShot G11

Canon PowerShot G11

Pro digicam

$672
Screen flips out Has a flip-out screen
Overall image quality Better image quality
Screen size Smaller screen
True resolution Significantly lower true resolution
Compare the PowerShot G11 vs the PowerShot G10
Canon PowerShot G9

Canon PowerShot G9

Pro digicam
Movie format Higher resolution movies
Size Slightly smaller
Wide angle Much worse wide angle
Screen resolution Lower resolution screen
Compare the PowerShot G9 vs the PowerShot G10
Nikon Coolpix P7000

Nikon Coolpix P7000

Pro digicam

$249
External mic jack Has an external mic jack
Screen resolution Significantly higher resolution screen
True resolution Significantly lower true resolution
Macro focus Worse macro capability
Compare the Coolpix P7000 vs the PowerShot G10

Olympus PEN Lite E-PL3 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Sony NEX-5N

Sony NEX-5N

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$598 - $600 body only

$698 - $700 with 18-55mm lens
Overall image quality Significantly better image quality
Light sensitivity Better maximum light sensitivity
Image stabilization No image stabilization
Focus points Fewer focus points
Compare the NEX-5N vs the PEN Lite E-PL3
Olympus PEN E-P3

Olympus PEN E-P3

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$849 - $900 with 17mm lens
Screen type Has an OLED screen
Touch screen Has a touch screen
Screen flips out Screen does not flip out
Continuous shooting Shoots slower
Compare the PEN E-P3 vs the PEN Lite E-PL3
Olympus PEN E-PM1

Olympus PEN E-PM1

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$500 with 14-42mm lens
3D Takes 3D photos
Light sensitivity Better maximum light sensitivity
Screen flips out Screen does not flip out
Compare the PEN E-PM1 vs the PEN Lite E-PL3
Olympus PEN E-PL2

Olympus PEN E-PL2

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$485 with 14-42mm lens
Light sensitivity Better maximum light sensitivity
Built-in flash Built-in flash
Movie format Lower resolution movies
Screen flips out Screen does not flip out
Compare the PEN E-PL2 vs the PEN Lite E-PL3
Nikon 1 J1

Nikon 1 J1

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$547 with 10-30mm lens
High-speed framerate Records high-speed movies
Continuous shooting Shoots much faster
Image stabilization No image stabilization
Screen flips out Screen does not flip out
Compare the 1 J1 vs the PEN Lite E-PL3

appearance

Canon PowerShot G10 Olympus PEN Lite E-PL3
Canon PowerShot G10 Olympus PEN Lite E-PL3
Canon PowerShot G10 Olympus PEN Lite E-PL3

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