Olympus XZ-1 vs Olympus E-PL3

Olympus E-PL3 advantages over Olympus XZ-1

• Larger sensor
  4/3 vs 1/1.63 inch
  More sensor area. Bigger is (generally) better.
• Bigger pixels
  ~ 4.29 vs 2.15 microns
  Better low-light and dynamic range (all else equal)
• Tiltable Screen
  Tiltable vs Fixed
  Tilt the screen for shooting flexbility
• Better color depth

  Better color depth

  Color depth refers to the number of unique colors that a sensor can faithfully capture. Cameras with better color depth will demonstrate smoother transitions from one color to the next, and avoid "banding" in areas with subtle shading. (Blue skies are an example of where you might see color banding.)

  More color depth is generally better, but you'll struggle to notice a difference between two cameras with less than 1 bit of difference. Color depth above 22 bits is considered excellent.

  Want to learn more? Head over to our full glossary entry on color depth

  Color depth test data courtesy of DxO Mark.

  E-PL3 test data on DxO Mark XZ-1 test data on DxO Mark
  20.9 vs 18.8 bits
  Capture richer, more accurate colors
• Higher effective ISO

  Higher effective ISO

  Maximum effective ISO is an estimate of the highest sensitivity at which a camera can capture excellent quality photos.

  Cameras with higher effective ISO will be better choices for indoor photography, night shooting, and indoor sports photography, especially if you intend to make large prints.

  You can learn more at our glossary entry.

  Maximum effective ISO test data courtesy of DxO Mark.

  E-PL3 test data on DxO Mark XZ-1 test data on DxO Mark
  499 vs 117 iso
  Take photos in low light with less noise
• Less shutter lag
  0.24 vs 0.52 sec
  Focus and take a photo quickly (wide angle)
• More pixels
  12.3 vs 10.0 megapixels
  Higher resolution photos
• Shoots 60p video
  Yes vs No
  A faster framerate can give you more editing options
• Faster JPEG shooting
  5.3 fps vs 2.0 fps
  Faster JPEG shooting (burst mode)
• Faster shutter
  1/4000 vs 1/2000 sec
  Shoot wide open in bright light
• Higher extended ISO
  12800 vs 6400 ISO
  Higher extended ISO can give more low-light flexibility