Olympus
PEN E-P1
 vs
Panasonic Lumix
DMC-LX3

Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3

63

Reasons to buy the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3

Wide angle
 Wide angle lens
24 mm
Supports 24p
 24p movies
For that film look
Built-in flash
 Built-in flash
Usually standard
Longest exposure
 Long exposures
60 seconds
Olympus PEN E-P1

34
Runner-up

Olympus PEN E-P1

Reasons to buy the Olympus PEN E-P1

Color depth
 Great color depth
21.4 bits
Low light performance
 Low noise at high ISO
536 ISO
Interchangeable lenses
 Interchangeable lenses
Many lenses to choose from
Sensor type
 CMOS Sensor
Better in low light
Fastest shutter speed
 Fast shutter speed
1/4000 of a second
Longest exposure
 Long exposures
60 seconds

differences

Advantages of the Olympus PEN E-P1
Overall image quality Better image quality 55.0 vs 39.0
Help
 More than 40% better image quality
Low light performance Significantly lower noise at high ISO 536 ISO vs 94 ISO
Help
 The PEN E-P1 has excellent image quality 2.5 f-stops higher ISO than the DMC-LX3
Interchangeable lenses Has interchangeable lenses Yes vs No
Help
 Can take advantage of a variety of lenses
Color depth Better color depth 21.4 bits vs 19.6 bits
Help
 Distinguishes 1.8 more bits of color
True resolution Higher true resolution 12.2 MP vs 10 MP
Help
 Capture more than 20% more detail in your photos
Sensor type Has a CMOS-family sensor NMOS vs CCD
Help
 CMOS-family sensors often produce better quality images
Fastest shutter speed Significantly faster max shutter speed 1/4000s vs 1/2000s
Help
 2x faster max shutter speed
Lowest price Cheaper $279.00 vs $706.87
Help
 The best price we've seen is $428 cheaper (2.5x less)
Olympus PEN E-P1 Learn more about
the Olympus PEN E-P1

Advantages of the Panasonic DMC-LX3
Supports 24p Supports 24p Yes vs No
Help
 Get that real film feel
Screen resolution Higher resolution screen 460k dots vs 230k dots
Help
 2x higher resolution screen
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
Image stabilization Better image stabilization Lens vs Sensor shift
Help
 Less risk of blur
Size Smaller 109x60x27 mm vs 121x70x36 mm
Help
 More than 40% smaller
Dynamic range More dynamic range 10.8 EV vs 10.4 EV
Help
 0.4 f-stops more dynamic range
Weight Lighter 265 g vs 355 g
Help
 Around 30% lighter
Thickness Thinner 1.1" vs 1.4"
Help
 Around 30% thinner
Light sensitivity (boost) Has boost ISO 6,400 ISO vs None
Help
 Allows taking photos in darker situations, often at the cost of additional noise in the image
Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3 Learn more about
the Panasonic DMC-LX3
vs

recommendations

Relative to the best recent digital cameras, and ignoring price

Olympus PEN E-P1 Olympus PEN E-P1
34 vs 63
Explain scores
Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3 Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3
Green arrow Snapsort recommends the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3. This recommendation, however, should be taken with a grain of salt since it doesn't always make sense to compare a mirrorless interchangeable-lens with a pro digicam.

performance Which camera has better performance? Cast your vote!

OlympusPEN E-P1
 Olympus PEN E-P1 vs Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3
PanasonicLumix DMC-LX3
Uses Travel score Travel
On holiday or vacation
0
1
Vote Vote
Sports score Sports
Fast action, sometimes indoors
1
0
Vote Vote
Features Color accuracy Color accuracy
White balance in varied lighting
1
0
Vote Vote
Autofocus peformance Still image focusing
Speed and accuracy
1
0
Vote Vote
Autofocus performance Video focusing
Speed and accuracy
1
0
Vote Vote
Manual controls Manual settings
How quickly and easily you can change settings
1
0
Vote Vote
Performance Image stabilization
Ability to reduce blur from hand shake
1
0
Vote Vote
Green arrow Join in the discussion below!

similarities

Compared to recent digital cameras

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
Supports RAW Supports RAW Help
Better editing
External flash Support external flash Help
Better lighting
Longest exposure Very long exposure times Help
60 seconds
Dynamic range Poor dynamic range Help
PEN E-P1:10.4 EV
DMC-LX3:10.8 EV
Movie format HD (720p) video Help
PEN E-P1:720p @ 30fps
DMC-LX3:720p @ 24fps

dxomark

DXOMark

competitors

Shared Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5

Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5

Pro digicam

$320 - $468
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the Lumix DMC-LX5 vs the PEN E-P1
Compare the Lumix DMC-LX5 vs the Lumix DMC-LX3
Canon PowerShot S95

Canon PowerShot S95

Pro digicam

$369
Dynamic range Has slightly wider dynamic range
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Longest exposure Much shorter exposures
Compare the PowerShot S95 vs the PEN E-P1
Compare the PowerShot S95 vs the Lumix DMC-LX3
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF2

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF2

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$329 - $379 with 14-42mm lens
Movie format Records higher quality movies
Light sensitivity Slightly higher maximum light sensitivity
Image stabilization Doesn't have image stabilization
Compare the Lumix DMC-GF2 vs the PEN E-P1
Compare the Lumix DMC-GF2 vs the Lumix DMC-LX3
Fujifilm Finepix X10

Fujifilm Finepix X10

Pro digicam

$583 - $600
Movie format Records higher quality movies
Continuous shooting Shoots faster continuously
Longest exposure Significantly shorter exposures
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the Finepix X10 vs the PEN E-P1
Compare the Finepix X10 vs the Lumix DMC-LX3
Canon PowerShot G12

Canon PowerShot G12

Pro digicam

$389 - $500
Screen flips out Has a screen which flips out
Viewfinder Has a viewfinder
Longest exposure Much shorter exposures
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the PowerShot G12 vs the PEN E-P1
Compare the PowerShot G12 vs the Lumix DMC-LX3
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX1

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX1

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$754 body only

$916 - $964 with 14-42mm lens
Movie format Records higher quality movies
True resolution Takes significantly higher resolution photos
Lowest price Is slightly more expensive
Image stabilization Doesn't have image stabilization
Compare the Lumix DMC-GX1 vs the PEN E-P1
Compare the Lumix DMC-GX1 vs the Lumix DMC-LX3
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF3

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF3

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$700 body only

$439 with 14-42mm lens
Movie format Records higher quality movies
Light sensitivity Slightly higher maximum light sensitivity
External flash Doesn't support an external flash
Image stabilization Doesn't have image stabilization
Compare the Lumix DMC-GF3 vs the PEN E-P1
Compare the Lumix DMC-GF3 vs the Lumix DMC-LX3

Olympus PEN E-P1 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Olympus PEN E-PL1

Olympus PEN E-PL1

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$280 - $299 with 14-42mm lens
Built-in flash Built-in flash
Color depth Better color depth
Screen size Significantly smaller screen
Size Slightly larger
Compare the PEN E-PL1 vs the PEN E-P1
Olympus PEN E-P2

Olympus PEN E-P2

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$450 with 17mm lens
Color depth Better color depth
Lowest price Slightly more expensive
Compare the PEN E-P2 vs the PEN E-P1
Olympus PEN E-P3

Olympus PEN E-P3

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$899 - $900 with 17mm lens
Screen type Has an OLED screen
Movie format Higher resolution movies
Overall image quality Slightly worse image quality
Color depth Worse color depth
Compare the PEN E-P3 vs the PEN E-P1
Olympus PEN E-PL2

Olympus PEN E-PL2

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$449 with 14-42mm lens
Screen resolution Higher resolution screen
Built-in flash Built-in flash
Size Slightly larger
Dynamic range Less dynamic range
Compare the PEN E-PL2 vs the PEN E-P1
Sony Alpha NEX-5

Sony Alpha NEX-5

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$569 with 18-55mm lens
Movie format Higher resolution movies
Screen resolution Significantly higher resolution screen
Image stabilization No image stabilization
Lens availability Fewer lenses available
Compare the Alpha NEX-5 vs the PEN E-P1

Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Canon Powershot S100

Canon Powershot S100

Pro digicam

$414 - $430
Movie format Higher resolution movies
Overall image quality Better image quality
Macro focus Worse macro capability
External flash No external flash support
Compare the Powershot S100 vs the Lumix DMC-LX3
Nikon Coolpix P300

Nikon Coolpix P300

Pro digicam

$277
Movie format Higher resolution movies
Screen resolution Significantly higher resolution screen
Supports 24p No 24p support
Supports RAW No RAW support
Compare the Coolpix P300 vs the Lumix DMC-LX3
Olympus XZ-1

Olympus XZ-1

Pro digicam

$499 - $500
Screen type Has an OLED screen
Aperture Wider aperture
Supports 24p No 24p support
Wide angle Significantly worse wide angle
Compare the XZ-1 vs the Lumix DMC-LX3
Canon PowerShot S90

Canon PowerShot S90

Pro digicam

$536
Overall image quality Better image quality
Low light performance Slightly lower noise at high ISO
Supports 24p No 24p support
Wide angle Significantly worse wide angle
Compare the PowerShot S90 vs the Lumix DMC-LX3

appearance

Olympus PEN E-P1 Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3
Olympus PEN E-P1 Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3
Olympus PEN E-P1 Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3

Find similar cameras

Here are some links to help you find other cameras with similar features to both of these:

discussion Which do you think is better?

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