Updated (May, 2013): Compare the Olympus Pen E-P5 vs Olympus PEN E-PL2

Olympus PEN E-P3

48

vs
Olympus PEN E-PL1

38

Olympus PEN E-PL1
Runner-up
 
 
 
 

Reasons to buy the Olympus PEN E-P3

Touch screen
 Touch screen
Less buttons
Startup delay
 Almost no delay when powering up
900 ms startup delay
Screen type
 OLED Screen
Bright and vivid
Panorama
 In-camera panoramas
Stitches together multiple photos into a panorama
 

Reasons to buy the Olympus PEN E-PL1

External mic jack
 External mic jack
Record higher quality audio with a microphone
Built-in flash
 Built-in flash
External flash not needed
 
Differences | Recommendations | Similarities | Competitors | Appearance | Discussion

differences

Advantages of the Olympus E-P3
Screen size Significantly larger screen 3.0" vs 2.7"
Help
 More than 10% larger screen
Screen resolution Significantly higher resolution screen 614k dots vs 230k dots
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 More than 2.5x higher resolution screen
Screen type Has an OLED screen OLED vs LCD
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 OLED screens are often brighter and more vibrant than typical LCD screens
Touch screen Has a touch screen Yes vs No
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 Fewer buttons to worry about and direct interaction with camera menus
Panorama Can create panoramas in-camera Yes vs No
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 Stitches together multiple photos for a wide perspective
3D Takes 3D photos Yes vs No
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 Combines multiple photos into a 3D image
Movie continuous focus Continuous video focus Yes vs No
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 Record movies without worrying about focus
Startup delay Significantly less startup delay 900 ms vs 2200 ms
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 2.4x less delay when turning on
Shutter lag Less shutter lag 222 ms vs 820 ms
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 3.7x less delay when taking photos
Light sensitivity (boost) Has boost ISO 12,800 ISO vs None
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 Allows taking photos in darker situations, often at the cost of additional noise in the image
Movie format Higher resolution movies 1080p @ 30fps vs 720p @ 30fps
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 Shoots higher resolution Full HD (1080p) video
Focus points More focus points 35 vs 11
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 Set focus accurately within the frame
Battery life Longer battery life 330 shots vs 290 shots
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 More than 10% more shots per battery charge
Low light performance Slightly lower noise at high ISO 536 ISO vs 487 ISO
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 The E-P3 has a slight edge (0.1 f-stops) in low noise, high ISO performance
Fastest shutter speed Much faster max shutter speed 1/4000s vs 1/2000s
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 2x faster max shutter speed
Size Smaller 122x69x34 mm vs 115x72x42 mm
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 Around 20% smaller
Thickness Thinner 1.3" vs 1.7"
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 Around 20% thinner
Olympus PEN E-P3 Learn more about
the Olympus E-P3

Advantages of the Olympus PEN E-PL1
External mic jack Has an external mic jack Yes vs No
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 Record high quality audio with an external microphone
Color depth Better color depth 21.5 bits vs 20.8 bits
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 Distinguishes 0.7 more bits of color
Overall image quality Slightly better image quality 54.0 vs 51.0
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 Around 10% better image quality
Light sensitivity Better maximum light sensitivity 3,200 ISO vs 1,600 ISO
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 The PEN E-PL1's maximum light sensitivity is 1 f-stop better
Weight Slightly lighter 334 g vs 369 g
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 Around 10% lighter
Olympus PEN E-PL1 Learn more about
the Olympus PEN E-PL1
vs

recommendations

Relative to the best recent mirrorless cameras, and ignoring price

Olympus PEN E-P3 Olympus PEN E-P3
48 vs 38
Explain scores
Olympus PEN E-PL1 Olympus PEN E-PL1
Green arrow Snapsort recommends the Olympus PEN E-P3.

similarities

Compared to recent mirrorless cameras

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
Image stabilization Good image stabilization Help
Sensor shift
External flash Each supports an external flash Help
Better lighting
Built-in flash Each has a built-in flash Help
External flash not needed
Light sensitivity (boost) One has boost ISO Help
E-P3:12,800 ISO
PEN E-PL1:None
Light sensitivity Poor maximum light sensitivity Help
E-P3:1,600 ISO
PEN E-PL1:3,200 ISO
Dynamic range Poor dynamic range Help
10.1 EV
HDR Neither has in-camera HDR Help
You could do HDR manually
True resolution Capture low resolution images Help
12.2 MP
Screen flips out No flip-out screens Help
Less flexible
Supports 24p No support for 24p Help
Missing that film look
Continuous shooting Slow continuous shooting Help
3 fps
Viewfinder No viewfinders Help
Can only preview photos on the screen
Overall image quality Low image quality Help
E-P3:51.0
PEN E-PL1:54.0
Low light performance Above average noise at high ISO Help
E-P3:536 ISO
PEN E-PL1:487 ISO

dxomark

DXOMark

competitors

Shared Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Olympus PEN E-PL5

Olympus PEN E-PL5

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$768 with 14-42mm lens
Low light performance Is slightly less noisy at high ISO
Overall image quality Has significantly better image quality
Built-in flash Doesn't have a built-in flash
Compare the PEN E-PL5 vs the PEN E-P3
Compare the PEN E-PL5 vs the PEN E-PL1
Olympus PEN Lite E-PL3

Olympus PEN Lite E-PL3

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$329 with 14-42mm lens
Screen flips out Has a screen which flips out
Built-in flash Doesn't have a built-in flash
Startup delay Has significantly more startup delay
Compare the PEN Lite E-PL3 vs the PEN E-P3
Compare the PEN Lite E-PL3 vs the PEN E-PL1
Olympus PEN E-PM1

Olympus PEN E-PM1

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$279 - $299 with 14-42mm lens
Light sensitivity Slightly higher maximum light sensitivity
Weight Is slightly lighter
Built-in flash Doesn't have a built-in flash
Startup delay Has slightly more startup delay
Compare the PEN E-PM1 vs the PEN E-P3
Compare the PEN E-PM1 vs the PEN E-PL1
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX1

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX1

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$234 - $235 body only

$388 with 14-42mm lens
True resolution Takes slightly higher resolution photos
Light sensitivity Slightly higher maximum light sensitivity
Startup delay Has slightly more startup delay
Image stabilization Doesn't have image stabilization
Compare the Lumix DMC-GX1 vs the PEN E-P3
Compare the Lumix DMC-GX1 vs the PEN E-PL1
Olympus PEN E-PM2

Olympus PEN E-PM2

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$627 with 14-42mm lens
Low light performance Is slightly less noisy at high ISO
Overall image quality Has significantly better image quality
Built-in flash Doesn't have a built-in flash
Sensor cleaning Lacks a self cleaning sensor
Compare the PEN E-PM2 vs the PEN E-P3
Compare the PEN E-PM2 vs the PEN E-PL1
Olympus PEN E-PL2

Olympus PEN E-PL2

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the PEN E-PL2 vs the PEN E-P3
Compare the PEN E-PL2 vs the PEN E-PL1
Sony NEX-5N

Sony NEX-5N

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$650 with 18-55mm lens
Low light performance Is significantly less noisy at high ISO
Overall image quality Has significantly better image quality
Longest exposure Slightly shorter exposures
Built-in flash Doesn't have a built-in flash
Compare the NEX-5N vs the PEN E-P3
Compare the NEX-5N vs the PEN E-PL1

Olympus PEN E-P3 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Fujifilm FinePix X100

Fujifilm FinePix X100

Boutique

$1,565
Low light performance Significantly lower noise at high ISO
Overall image quality Significantly better image quality
Startup delay Much more startup delay
Image stabilization No image stabilization
Compare the FinePix X100 vs the PEN E-P3

Olympus PEN E-PL1 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF3

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF3

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$514 with 14-42mm lens
Screen size Significantly larger screen
Touch screen Has a touch screen
Image stabilization No image stabilization
External mic jack Lacks an external mic jack
Compare the Lumix DMC-GF3 vs the PEN E-PL1

appearance

Olympus PEN E-P3 Olympus PEN E-PL1
Olympus PEN E-P3 Olympus PEN E-PL1
Olympus PEN E-P3 Olympus PEN E-PL1

discussion

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