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Olympus E-3 vs Olympus E-M5

Portability
56
Imaging
44
Features
56
Overall
48
Olympus E-3 front
 
Olympus OM-D E-M5 front
Portability
81
Imaging
52
Features
70
Overall
59

Olympus E-3 vs Olympus E-M5 Key Specs

Olympus E-3
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 2.5" Fully Articulated Display
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • No Video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 890g - 142 x 116 x 75mm
  • Revealed February 2008
  • Succeeded the Olympus E-1
  • Successor is Olympus E-5
Olympus E-M5
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 425g - 122 x 89 x 43mm
  • Launched April 2012
  • Renewed by Olympus E-M5 II
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Olympus E-3 vs Olympus E-M5 Overview

Lets look more closely at the Olympus E-3 versus Olympus E-M5, one is a Advanced DSLR and the other is a Advanced Mirrorless and both are produced by Olympus. There exists a crucial gap between the sensor resolutions of the E-3 (10MP) and E-M5 (16MP) but both cameras have the same sensor sizing (Four Thirds).

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The E-3 was manufactured 5 years earlier than the E-M5 which is quite a serious gap as far as technology is concerned. Both of these cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-3 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Olympus E-M5 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before diving into a comprehensive comparison, here is a quick introduction of how the E-3 scores vs the E-M5 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-3 over the Olympus E-M5

 E-3 E-M5 
Display typeFully ArticulatedTiltingFully Articulating display
Selfie screen Take selfies

Reasons to pick Olympus E-M5 over the Olympus E-3

 E-M5 E-3 
LaunchedApril 2012February 2008Newer by 51 months
Display dimensions3"2.5"Larger display (+0.5")
Display resolution610k230kCrisper display (+380k dot)
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Common features in the Olympus E-3 and Olympus E-M5

 E-3 E-M5 
Focus manually Dial accurate focusing

Olympus E-3 vs Olympus E-M5 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is planning to travel with your camera often, you have to take into account its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-3 offers exterior dimensions of 142mm x 116mm x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0") accompanied by a weight of 890 grams (1.96 lbs) while the Olympus E-M5 has dimensions of 122mm x 89mm x 43mm (4.8" x 3.5" x 1.7") along with a weight of 425 grams (0.94 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-3 versus Olympus E-M5 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Keep in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary depending on the lens you are utilising at the time. Underneath is a front view size comparison of the E-3 versus the E-M5.

Olympus E-3 vs Olympus E-M5 size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-3 and E-M5 is 56 and 81 respectively.

Olympus E-3 vs Olympus E-M5 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-3 vs Olympus E-M5 Sensor Comparison

More often than not, it's hard to see the gap between sensor dimensions only by reading through a spec sheet. The picture here may offer you a more clear sense of the sensor sizes in the E-3 and E-M5.

Clearly, each of the cameras have the same sensor dimensions but not the same MP. You should expect to see the Olympus E-M5 to give you greater detail due to its extra 6MP. Greater resolution will also allow you to crop images a bit more aggressively. The more aged E-3 is going to be behind in sensor innovation.

Olympus E-3 vs Olympus E-M5 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-3 vs Olympus E-M5 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-3 vs Olympus E-M5 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-3 as a Portrait photography camera
Olympus E-M5 as a Portrait photography camera
56
has manual focus
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
low resolution (10 megapixels)
71
you can focus manually
MP count good (16MP)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
features face detect focus
saves RAW files
Photography Glossary

Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus E-3
Street photography with Olympus E-M5
69
screen articulates
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
environment proof
82
screen tilts up and down
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
features touch to focus
weather sealing
great ISO range (25,600)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-3 Sports photography factors
Olympus E-M5 Sports photography factors
57
high shutter speed (1/8,000 seconds)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
environment proof
has phase detect AF
max fps very slow (5.0 frames per second)
low resolution (10MP)
67
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
MP count good (16 megapixels)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
features tracking focus
weather sealing
has no phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-3 Travel photography features
Olympus E-M5 Travel photography features
55
environment proof
has built in flash
screen is selfie friendly
missing Timelapse function
low resolution (10MP)
66
weather sealing
features touch to focus
MP count good (16 megapixels)
no Timelapse function
display isn't selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-3 Landscape photography features
Olympus E-M5 Landscape photography features
56
has manual focus
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
environment proof
screen is somewhat small (2.5 inch)
low resolution (10 megapixels)
missing Timelapse function
73
you can focus manually
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is good (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
MP count good (16 megapixels)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
great ISO range (25,600)
saves RAW files
weather sealing
no Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-3 Vlogging info
Olympus E-M5 Vlogging info
18
lack of video recording
34
screen is touchscreen
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
features face detect focus
great video quality (1920 x 1080 resolution)
display isn't selfie friendly
no microphone support
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Olympus E-3 vs Olympus E-M5 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-3 and Olympus E-M5
 Olympus E-3Olympus OM-D E-M5
General Information
Company Olympus Olympus
Model Olympus E-3 Olympus OM-D E-M5
Class Advanced DSLR Advanced Mirrorless
Revealed 2008-02-20 2012-04-30
Physical type Mid-size SLR SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Processor Chip TruePic III TruePic VI
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds Four Thirds
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 17.3 x 13mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 224.9mm²
Sensor resolution 10MP 16MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Highest resolution 3648 x 2736 4608 x 3456
Highest native ISO 3200 25600
Minimum native ISO 100 200
RAW format
Minimum boosted ISO - 100
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Continuous AF
Single AF
Tracking AF
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Number of focus points 11 35
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds Micro Four Thirds
Total lenses 45 107
Crop factor 2.1 2.1
Screen
Type of display Fully Articulated Tilting
Display diagonal 2.5" 3"
Display resolution 230 thousand dots 610 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Display tech - Touch control in electrostatic capacitance type OLED monitor
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentaprism) Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 1,440 thousand dots
Viewfinder coverage 100% 100%
Viewfinder magnification 0.58x 0.58x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60s 60s
Maximum shutter speed 1/8000s 1/4000s
Continuous shooting rate 5.0 frames per sec 9.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 13.00 m no built-in flash
Flash options Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync (2), Manual (3 levels)
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Maximum flash synchronize 1/250s 1/250s
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions - 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution None 1920x1080
Video file format - H.264, Motion JPEG
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 890g (1.96 lb) 425g (0.94 lb)
Physical dimensions 142 x 116 x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0") 122 x 89 x 43mm (4.8" x 3.5" x 1.7")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 56 71
DXO Color Depth score 21.6 22.8
DXO Dynamic range score 10.5 12.3
DXO Low light score 571 826
Other
Battery life - 360 photos
Form of battery - Battery Pack
Battery model - BLN-1
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 12 sec)
Time lapse recording
Storage type Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card SD/SDHC/SDXC
Card slots Single Single
Price at launch $670 $799