Olympus E-3 vs Olympus E-P5

Here is a extended assessment of the Olympus E-3 and Olympus E-P5, former being a Advanced DSLR while the latter is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and both of them are offered by Olympus. There exists a sizable gap among the image resolutions of the E-3 (10MP) and E-P5 (16MP) but both cameras posses the same sensor dimensions (Four Thirds).

Photography Glossary

The E-3 was launched 6 years before the E-P5 and that is a fairly significant difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both the cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-3 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Olympus E-P5 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before diving right into a detailed comparison, here is a simple introduction of how the E-3 scores vs the E-P5 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

This is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus E-3 & Olympus PEN E-P5. The complete galleries are provided at Olympus E-3 Gallery & Olympus E-P5 Gallery.

For anybody who is aiming to carry your camera often, you'll have to take into account its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-3 provides outer dimensions of 142mm x 116mm x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0") having a weight of 890 grams (1.96 lbs) and the Olympus E-P5 has proportions of 122mm x 69mm x 37mm (4.8" x 2.7" x 1.5") and a weight of 420 grams (0.93 lbs).

See the Olympus E-3 and Olympus E-P5 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you have attached during that time. Underneath is a front view dimension comparison of the E-3 and the E-P5.

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-3 and E-P5 is 56 and 85 respectively.

Normally, it is hard to see the contrast in sensor sizing simply by viewing technical specs. The visual here might offer you a stronger sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-3 and E-P5.

As you can tell, both of these cameras have the same sensor dimensions albeit not the same resolution. You can expect the Olympus E-P5 to render greater detail utilizing its extra 6 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also let you crop shots a bit more aggressively. The older E-3 will be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor tech.