LCD and Viewfinder
Olympus E-PL3 has a Tilting 3″ LCD screen with a resolution of 460k dots. Both the screen size and the screen resolution is up to the standards of this class.
E-PL3 doesn't have a built-in viewfinder but an optional external viewfinder is available. Lack of a viewfinder can be problematic especially under strong light where visibility of LCD screens goes down dramatically. If you need a Mirrorless camera with a built-in viewfinder in a similar price range, consider Olympus OM-D E-M10 II (Compare) or Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX85 (Lumix DMC-GX80 / Lumix DMC-GX7 Mark II) (Compare). If the price is not an issue, take a look at our Top Rated Cameras with Viewfinders.
Max Shutter speed
Olympus E-PL3 can shoot continuously at max speed of 6 fps and has max shutter speed of 1/4000 sec.
Flash
Unfortunately E-PL3 doesn't have a built-in flash but it has a flash shoe for mounting external flashes and Olympus also includes a small external flash with the E-PL3 that you can mount on when you need.
Focusing
Olympus E-PL3 features a Contrast Detection autofocusing system. The AF system has 35 points to choose from.
Olympus E-PL3 also features
Face detection AF where it intelligently detects the faces in the frame and locks the focus automatically.
Video Features
With Olympus E-PL3, you can record your videos at a highest resolution of 1920 x 1080 at 60 fps and save in AVCHD and Motion JPEG formats. Full HD resolution of Olympus E-PL3 will be adequate in most of the situations. But if you are after the highest resolution videos available, see our list of Top Cameras with 4K (Ultra-HD) Video.
E-PL3 has a built-in Stereo microphone and a None speaker.
Olympus E-PL3 doesn't have any connections for external microphones and headphones. If you need a Mirrorless camera with external microphone connectivity, consider Canon EOS M50 or Canon EOS M5 in a similar price range.
Connectivity and Storage
You can connect E-PL3 to compatible devices via its HDMI port or USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) port.
Battery Olympus E-PL3 is powered by battery which provides a shooting life of 300 according to CIPA standards.
Considering that the average battery life of Mirrorless type cameras is 359 shots, Olympus E-PL3 has a short battery life for its class so we strongly recommend E-PL3 owners to buy some extra batteries.
Battery Life Comparison in Entry-Level Mirrorless Cameras
Samsung NX mini with its 650shots is the model with longest battery life among Entry-Level Mirrorless cameras. Check the comparison of Olympus E-PL3 vs Samsung NX mini or take a look at Longest Battery Life Mirrorless cameras list.
Olympus E-PL3 Features Compared to Main Competitors