Panasonic Lumix DMC-L10 vs Olympus PEN E-PL3

      Panasonic Lumix DMC-L10

      Olympus PEN E-PL3
      53
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      63
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      Disclosure: We earn money from the affiliate links to products associated with content in this article.

      Overview

      In this comparison, we will evaluate the Panasonic Lumix DMC-L10 and the Olympus PEN E-PL3, highlighting the advantages of each over the other, discussing their pros and cons, shared strengths and weaknesses, and providing a rating based on their available features and specifications to assist you in choosing the one that best suits your needs.

      Panasonic Lumix DMC-L10 was introduced in December 2007 and Olympus PEN E-PL3 was introduced in September 2011. Let us first list highlights of the models.

      Panasonic Lumix DMC-L10 Highlights

      • 10.0 MP Micro Four Thirds CMOS Sensor
      • 100 - 1,600 Native ISO
      • 3 Focus Points
      • 2.5" 207k dot Fixed Screen
      • Optical (pentamirror) Viewfinder
      • 3.0 fps Continuous Shooting
      • Built-in Flash

      Olympus PEN E-PL3 Highlights

      • 12.3 MP Micro Four Thirds CMOS Sensor
      • 200 - 12,800 Native ISO
      • 35 Focus Points (35 Cross-type)
      • Image Stabilization
      • 3.0" 460k dot Tilting Screen
      • 5.5 fps Continuous Shooting
      • 1920 x 1080 Video Shooting
      • 30 min Video Recording Limit
      Table of Contents
      1. Overview
      2. Pros and Cons
      3. Advantage of Panasonic Lumix DMC-L10
      4. Advantage of Olympus PEN E-PL3
      5. Common Strengths and Weaknesses
      6. Screen and Viewfinder
      7. Sensor
      8. Photography Features
      9. Connectivity, Battery and Storage
      10. Other Features
      11. Physical Parameters
      12. For Different Types of Photography
      13. Evaluations
      14. Specifications  

      Now that we've looked at the most essential specifications and gained a basic understanding of these cameras, we can delve into more details and see the differences between them.

      Pros and Cons

      In this section we present pros and cons of Panasonic Lumix DMC-L10 and Olympus PEN E-PL3.

      PROS

      Panasonic Lumix DMC-L10

      Olympus PEN E-PL3

      •   Built-in Flash
      •   Orientation Sensor
      •   Video Capture
      •   Face Detection
      •   Live View Autofocus
      •   Image Stabilization
      •   HDMI Output
      •   Light - 313 g (0.69 lb / 11.04 oz)

      CONS

      Panasonic Lumix DMC-L10

      Olympus PEN E-PL3

      •   No Video Capture
      •   Small Sensor
      •   Low Resolution Sensor - 10.0 Megapixel
      •   1,600 Highest Native ISO
      •   Timelapse Recording
      •   3 Focus Points
      •   No Face Detection
      •   No Image Stabilization
      •   Fixed Screen
      •   Low Resolution Screen - 207k dot
      •   Low Max Continuous Shooting - 3.0 fps
      •   Low DxO Overall Score - 55
      •   No HDMI Output
      •   No Built-in Microphone
      •   No Microphone Input
      •   No Headphone Output
      •   No Built-in GPS
      •   No Built-In Wi-Fi
      •   No Built-In Bluetooth
      •   No Environmental Sealing
      •   Small Sensor
      •   Low Resolution Sensor - 12.3 Megapixel
      •   200 Lowest Native ISO
      •   Timelapse Recording
      •   0 Cross-type Focus Points
      •   Low Resolution Screen - 460k dot
      •   Low DxO Overall Score - 52
      •   Low Video Resolution - 1920 x 1080
      •   Low Video Recording Limit
      •   No Microphone Input
      •   No Headphone Output
      •   No Built-in GPS
      •   No Built-In Wi-Fi
      •   No Built-In Bluetooth
      •   No Environmental Sealing
      •   Short Battery Life - 300 shots


      And here are some specifications which fall into average criteria and are neither in PROs nor in CONs category:

      AVERAGE

      Panasonic Lumix DMC-L10

      Olympus PEN E-PL3

      •   100 Lowest Native ISO
      •   Screen Size - 2.5"
      •   Max Shutter Speed (Mechanical or 1st Curtain) - 1/4000 sec
      •   Weight - 556 g (1.23 lb / 19.61 oz)
      •   12,800 Highest Native ISO
      •   35 Focus Points
      •   Tilting Screen
      •   Screen Size - 3.0"
      •   Max Shutter Speed (Mechanical or 1st Curtain) - 1/4000 sec
      •   Max Continuous Shooting - 5.5 fps
      •   Max Flash Sync Speed - 1/160 sec

      Advantage of Panasonic Lumix DMC-L10

      Panasonic L10
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      This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Panasonic Lumix DMC-L10 over Olympus PEN E-PL3.

      Panasonic Lumix DMC-L10 vs Olympus PEN E-PL3
      Lower Native ISO 100 vs 200
      Phase Detection for Autofocus vs
      Built-in Flash vs
      Higher DxO Color Depth 21.3 vs 20.9
      Higher DxO Dynamic Range 10.8 vs 10.3
      Higher DxO Overall Score 55 vs 52
      Orientation Sensor vs

      Check out other cameras which are frequently compared to Panasonic Lumix DMC-L10.

      Leica SL Typ 601
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      Full Frame

      24 MP

      Olympus E-620
      Image cannot be found

      Micro Four Thirds

      12.3 MP

      OM System OM-5
      Image cannot be found

      Micro Four Thirds

      20.4 MP

      Olympus OM-D E-M5 III
      Image cannot be found

      Micro Four Thirds

      20.4 MP

      Sigma sd Quattro H
      Image cannot be found

      APS-H

      44.8 MP

      OM System OM-1
      Image cannot be found

      Micro Four Thirds

      20.4 MP

      Samsung GX-1L
      Image cannot be found

      APS-C

      6 MP

      Samsung NX1000
      Image cannot be found

      APS-C

      20.3 MP

      Panasonic G10
      Image cannot be found

      Micro Four Thirds

      12 MP

      Samsung NX mini
      Image cannot be found

      1-inch

      20.5 MP

      Sony SLT-A57
      Image cannot be found

      APS-C

      16.1 MP

      Sigma sd Quattro
      Image cannot be found

      APS-C

      29 MP

      Advantage of Olympus PEN E-PL3

      Olympus PEN E-PL3
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      This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Olympus PEN E-PL3 over Panasonic Lumix DMC-L10.

      Panasonic Lumix DMC-L10 vs Olympus PEN E-PL3
      Video Capture vs
      Higher Sensor Resolution 10.0 Megapixel vs 12.3 Megapixel
      Higher Native ISO 1,600 vs 12,800
      Max Image Resolution 3648 x 2736 vs 4032 x 3024
      More Focus Points 3 vs 35
      Tracking Autofocus vs
      Face Detection vs
      Live View Autofocus vs
      Contrast Detection for Autofocus vs
      Image Stabilization vs Sensor Shift
      Screen Type Fixed vs Tilting
      Larger Screen 2.5" vs 3.0"
      Higher Resolution Screen 207k dot vs 460k dot
      Higher Max Continuous Shooting 3.0 fps vs 5.5 fps
      Multi-Segment Metering vs
      Center Weighted Metering vs
      Spot Metering vs
      Higher DxO Low Light ISO 429 vs 499
      HDMI Output vs Mini type C
      Built-in Microphone vs Stereo
      Lighter 556 g (1.23 lb / 19.61 oz) vs 313 g (0.69 lb / 11.04 oz)

      Check out other cameras which are frequently compared to Olympus PEN E-PL3.

      Olympus PEN E-PL6
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      Micro Four Thirds

      16 MP

      Olympus PEN E-PL8
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      Micro Four Thirds

      16.1 MP

      Olympus PEN-F
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      Micro Four Thirds

      20 MP

      Olympus PEN E-PL9
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      Micro Four Thirds

      16.1 MP

      Olympus PEN E-PL5
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      Micro Four Thirds

      16.1 MP

      Olympus PEN E-PM1
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      Micro Four Thirds

      12.3 MP

      Olympus PEN E-P7
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      Micro Four Thirds

      20 MP

      Olympus PEN E-PL2
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      Micro Four Thirds

      12 MP

      Olympus PEN E-PM2
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      Micro Four Thirds

      16.1 MP

      Olympus PEN E-P3
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      Micro Four Thirds

      12.3 MP

      Olympus PEN E-P5
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      Micro Four Thirds

      16.1 MP

      Olympus PEN E-P1
      Image cannot be found

      Micro Four Thirds

      12 MP

      Common Strengths and Weaknesses

      We already listed pros and cons of each model. However, you may also find useful to look at their common strengths and weaknesses shown side-by-side.

      WEAKNESSES Panasonic Lumix DMC-L10 Olympus PEN E-PL3
        Small SensorMicro Four ThirdsMicro Four Thirds
        Low Resolution Sensor10.0 Megapixel12.3 Megapixel
        Timelapse Recording
        Low Resolution Screen207k dot460k dot
        Low DxO Overall Score5552
        No Microphone Input
        No Headphone Output
        No Built-in GPS
        No Built-In Wi-Fi
        No Built-In Bluetooth
        No Environmental Sealing

      Screen and Viewfinder

      Screen

      Panasonic Lumix DMC-L10 has a 2.5" Fixed screen with 207k dot resolution and Olympus PEN E-PL3 has a 3.0" Tilting screen with 460k dot resolution. Tilting screen makes Olympus PEN E-PL3 very useful for photography purposes but not so useful for video shooting.

      Image cannot be displayed

      Panasonic Lumix DMC-L10 with Fixed screen


      Viewfinder

      Panasonic Lumix DMC-L10 has a built-in Optical (pentamirror) viewfinder. It has a 95% coverage and 0.93x (0.47x 35mm equivalent) magnification.Olympus PEN E-PL3 does not have a built-in viewfinder but an optional electronic viewfinder can be attached.

      Sensor

      Panasonic Lumix DMC-L10 features a 10.0 megapixel Micro Four Thirds CMOS sensor with dimensions of 17.3 x 13 mm and a total area of 224.9 mm2. Its native ISO range is 100 - 1,600. Olympus PEN E-PL3 features a 12.3 megapixel Micro Four Thirds CMOS sensor with dimensions of 17.3 x 13 mm and a total area of 169 mm2. Its native ISO range is 200 - 12,800.


      Here is a sensor size comparison chart where you can see how different sensors compare with each other:

      Sensor size chart
      Sensor Dimensions Area Aspect Ratio Crop Factor
      Image cannot be displayedMedium Format44 x 33 mm1452 mm24:30.79x
      Image cannot be displayedFull Frame36 x 24 mm864 mm23:21x
      Image cannot be displayedAPS-H27 x 18 mm486 mm23:21.3x
      Image cannot be displayedAPS-C23.6 x 15.6 mm368.2 mm23:21.5x
      Image cannot be displayedAPS-C (Canon)22.3 x 14.9 mm332.3 mm23:21.6x
      Image cannot be displayedMicro Four Thirds17.4 x 13 mm226.2 mm24:32x
      Image cannot be displayed1-inch13.2 x 8.8 mm116.2 mm23:22.7x
      Image cannot be displayed1/1.7-inch7.44 x 5.58 mm41.5 mm24:34.7x
      Image cannot be displayed1/2.3-inch6.17 x 4.55 mm28.1 mm24:35.6x

      Photography Features

      Panasonic Lumix DMC-L10 can take pictures up to 3648 x 2736 resolution. It can also take pictures with lower resolution like 2816 x 2112, 2048 x 1536 with 4:3, 3:2, 16:9 aspect ratios. Olympus PEN E-PL3 is equipped with Truepic VI processor and can take pictures up to 4032 x 3024 resolution. It can also take pictures with lower resolution like 3200 x 2400, 2560 x 1920, 1600 x 1200, 1280 x 960, 1024 x 768, 640 x 480 with 4:3, 16:9 aspect ratios.


      Lens Mount

      Panasonic Lumix DMC-L10 has Four Thirds lens mount and Olympus PEN E-PL3 has Micro Four Thirds lens mount. Due to their Micro Four Thirds sensor their crop factor (also called lens multiplier) is equal to 2x. This means that a 35mm equivalent focal length of the mounted lens will be equal to its actual focal length times 2.


      In-Body Image Stabilization on Olympus PEN E-PL3

      Olympus PEN E-PL3 has a built-in Sensor Shift in-body image stabilization (IBIS). This means that you are still getting vibration reduction when camera is paired with non-image stabilizied lenses. It also works with lenses with optical image stabilization and in combination can achieve even better compensation.

      Connectivity, Battery and Storage

      USB Inputs and HDMI Outputs

      Both models have USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) inputs for data transfer. connector for video signal output.


      Battery

      Olympus PEN E-PL3 comes with BLS-5 battery pack with battery life of 300 shots.


      External Storage Slots

      Panasonic Lumix DMC-L10 has a single SD/SDHC/MMC card slot. Olympus PEN E-PL3 has a single SD/SDHC/SDXC card slot.

      Other Features

      Shutter

      Panasonic Lumix DMC-L10 has Focal-plane shutter. Shutter speed can go up to 1/4000 sec on Panasonic Lumix DMC-L10, and up to 1/4000 sec on Olympus PEN E-PL3. Panasonic Lumix DMC-L10 can shoot continuously up to 3.0 fps. Olympus PEN E-PL3 can shoot continuously up to 5.5 fps.


      Flash

      Panasonic Lumix DMC-L10 has a built-in flash with maximum range of 11.00 m and also accepts external flash which can be connected via Hot Shoe. Olympus PEN E-PL3 has no built-in flash but an external flash may be connected via Hot Shoe. The fastest flash synchronization speed is 1/160 sec on Olympus PEN E-PL3.

      Physical Parameters

      Panasonic Lumix DMC-L10 body has dimensions of 135 x 96 x 78 mm (5.31 x 3.78 x 3.07") and Olympus PEN E-PL3 body has dimensions of 110 x 64 x 37 mm (4.33 x 2.52 x 1.46"). Panasonic Lumix DMC-L10 weighs 556 g (1.23 lb / 19.61 oz) and Olympus PEN E-PL3 weighs 313 g (0.69 lb / 11.04 oz).

      Panasonic Lumix DMC-L10

      Olympus PEN E-PL3

      135 mm

      96 mm

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      110 mm

      64 mm

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      96 mm

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      64 mm

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      78 mm

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      37 mm

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      Size comparisons of Panasonic Lumix DMC-L10 and Olympus PEN E-PL3

      Panasonic Lumix DMC-L10 and Olympus PEN E-PL3 for Different Types of Photography

      We give scores to the cameras for six types of photography based on their features and specifications. Let us see how suitable they are for each type of photography.

      Landscape Photography

      Panasonic Lumix DMC-L10

      Olympus PEN E-PL3

      AVERAGE
      64
      •   Small Sensor
      •   Low Resolution Screen - 207k dot
      •   No Built-in GPS
      •   No Environmental Sealing
      AVERAGE
      64
      •   Small Sensor
      •   Low Resolution Screen - 460k dot
      •   No Built-in GPS
      •   No Environmental Sealing

      Sports Photography

      Panasonic Lumix DMC-L10

      Olympus PEN E-PL3

      AVERAGE
      55
      •   1,600 Highest Native ISO
      •   3 Focus Points
      •   No Face Detection
      •   No Image Stabilization
      •   Low Resolution Screen - 207k dot
      •   Low Max Continuous Shooting - 3.0 fps
      •   Orientation Sensor
      AVERAGE
      69
      •   12,800 Highest Native ISO
      •   35 Focus Points
      •   0 Cross-type Focus Points
      •   Face Detection
      •   Image Stabilization
      •   Low Resolution Screen - 460k dot
      •   Max Continuous Shooting - 5.5 fps
      •   Short Battery Life - 300 shots

      Wildlife Photography

      Panasonic Lumix DMC-L10

      Olympus PEN E-PL3

      POOR
      54
      •   1,600 Highest Native ISO
      •   3 Focus Points
      •   No Image Stabilization
      •   Low Resolution Screen - 207k dot
      •   Low Max Continuous Shooting - 3.0 fps
      •   No Environmental Sealing
      •   Orientation Sensor
      AVERAGE
      61
      •   12,800 Highest Native ISO
      •   35 Focus Points
      •   0 Cross-type Focus Points
      •   Image Stabilization
      •   Low Resolution Screen - 460k dot
      •   Max Continuous Shooting - 5.5 fps
      •   No Environmental Sealing
      •   Short Battery Life - 300 shots

      Portrait Photography

      Panasonic Lumix DMC-L10

      Olympus PEN E-PL3

      GOOD
      72
      •   Small Sensor
      •   3 Focus Points
      •   No Face Detection
      •   No Image Stabilization
      •   Screen Size - 2.5"
      •   Low Resolution Screen - 207k dot
      •   Orientation Sensor
      GOOD
      78
      •   Small Sensor
      •   35 Focus Points
      •   0 Cross-type Focus Points
      •   Face Detection
      •   Image Stabilization
      •   Screen Size - 3.0"
      •   Low Resolution Screen - 460k dot
      •   Max Flash Sync Speed - 1/160 sec

      Street Photography

      Panasonic Lumix DMC-L10

      Olympus PEN E-PL3

      GOOD
      77
      •   Small Sensor
      •   3 Focus Points
      •   No Image Stabilization
      •   Fixed Screen
      •   Low Resolution Screen - 207k dot
      •   No Built-in GPS
      •   No Environmental Sealing
      •   Weight - 556 g (1.23 lb / 19.61 oz)
      GOOD
      84
      •   Small Sensor
      •   35 Focus Points
      •   0 Cross-type Focus Points
      •   Image Stabilization
      •   Tilting Screen
      •   Low Resolution Screen - 460k dot
      •   No Built-in GPS
      •   No Environmental Sealing
      •   Light - 313 g (0.69 lb / 11.04 oz)

      Travel Photography

      Panasonic Lumix DMC-L10

      Olympus PEN E-PL3

      GOOD
      79
      •   No Image Stabilization
      •   Fixed Screen
      •   Low Resolution Screen - 207k dot
      •   No Built-in GPS
      •   No Environmental Sealing
      •   Weight - 556 g (1.23 lb / 19.61 oz)
      GOOD
      84
      •   Image Stabilization
      •   Tilting Screen
      •   Low Resolution Screen - 460k dot
      •   Low Video Resolution - 1920 x 1080
      •   Low Video Recording Limit
      •   No Built-in GPS
      •   No Environmental Sealing
      •   Light - 313 g (0.69 lb / 11.04 oz)
      •   Short Battery Life - 300 shots

      Evaluations

      We evaluate Panasonic Lumix DMC-L10 and Olympus PEN E-PL3 and give them scores of 53 and 63 out of 100 recpectively. We also give separate scores for 7 different categories according to the available features and specifications some of which are listed below. These evaluations are relative and may change each time a new camera is added to the database.


      Panasonic Lumix DMC-L10

      Olympus PEN E-PL3

      OVERALL
      53
      OVERALL
      63

      Sensor

      Panasonic Lumix DMC-L10

      Olympus PEN E-PL3

      AVERAGE
      65
      •   Small Sensor
      •   Low Resolution Sensor - 10.0 Megapixel
      •   100 Lowest Native ISO
      •   1,600 Highest Native ISO
      •   Low DxO Overall Score - 55
      AVERAGE
      64
      •   Small Sensor
      •   Low Resolution Sensor - 12.3 Megapixel
      •   200 Lowest Native ISO
      •   12,800 Highest Native ISO
      •   Low DxO Overall Score - 52

      Photo

      Panasonic Lumix DMC-L10

      Olympus PEN E-PL3

      POOR
      54
      •   Timelapse Recording
      •   No Image Stabilization
      •   Max Shutter Speed (Mechanical or 1st Curtain) - 1/4000 sec
      •   Low Max Continuous Shooting - 3.0 fps
      GOOD
      70
      •   Timelapse Recording
      •   Image Stabilization
      •   Max Shutter Speed (Mechanical or 1st Curtain) - 1/4000 sec
      •   Max Continuous Shooting - 5.5 fps
      •   Max Flash Sync Speed - 1/160 sec

      Video

      Panasonic Lumix DMC-L10

      Olympus PEN E-PL3

      BAD
      0
      •   No Image Stabilization
      POOR
      45
      •   Image Stabilization
      •   Low Video Resolution - 1920 x 1080
      •   Low Video Recording Limit

      Focusing

      Panasonic Lumix DMC-L10

      Olympus PEN E-PL3

      AVERAGE
      69
      •   3 Focus Points
      •   No Face Detection
      AVERAGE
      66
      •   35 Focus Points
      •   0 Cross-type Focus Points
      •   Face Detection
      •   Live View Autofocus

      Screen and Viewfinder

      Panasonic Lumix DMC-L10

      Olympus PEN E-PL3

      AVERAGE
      63
      •   Fixed Screen
      •   Screen Size - 2.5"
      •   Low Resolution Screen - 207k dot
      GOOD
      72
      •   Tilting Screen
      •   Screen Size - 3.0"
      •   Low Resolution Screen - 460k dot

      Connectivity

      Panasonic Lumix DMC-L10

      Olympus PEN E-PL3

      POOR
      40
      •   No HDMI Output
      •   No Built-in Microphone
      •   No Microphone Input
      •   No Headphone Output
      •   No Built-in GPS
      •   No Built-In Wi-Fi
      •   No Built-In Bluetooth
      AVERAGE
      65
      •   HDMI Output
      •   No Microphone Input
      •   No Headphone Output
      •   No Built-in GPS
      •   No Built-In Wi-Fi
      •   No Built-In Bluetooth

      Battery, Storage and Physical

      Panasonic Lumix DMC-L10

      Olympus PEN E-PL3

      POOR
      43
      •   No Environmental Sealing
      •   Weight - 556 g (1.23 lb / 19.61 oz)
      POOR
      42
      •   No Environmental Sealing
      •   Light - 313 g (0.69 lb / 11.04 oz)
      •   Short Battery Life - 300 shots


      For a full specification list please go to the specifications page:

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