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Olympus E-3 vs Olympus E-PM2

Portability
56
Imaging
44
Features
56
Overall
48
Olympus E-3 front
 
Olympus PEN E-PM2 front
Portability
89
Imaging
52
Features
63
Overall
56

Olympus E-3 vs Olympus E-PM2 Key Specs

Olympus E-3
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 2.5" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • No Video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 890g - 142 x 116 x 75mm
  • Released February 2008
  • Replaced the Olympus E-1
  • Successor is Olympus E-5
Olympus E-PM2
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 269g - 110 x 64 x 34mm
  • Released May 2013
  • Older Model is Olympus E-PM1
Photography Glossary

Olympus E-3 vs Olympus E-PM2 Overview

Here is a in-depth review of the Olympus E-3 and Olympus E-PM2, former being a Advanced DSLR while the other is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and both of them are sold by Olympus. There exists a considerable gap between the image resolutions of the E-3 (10MP) and E-PM2 (16MP) but they enjoy the exact same sensor sizes (Four Thirds).

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The E-3 was unveiled 6 years earlier than the E-PM2 and that is quite a large difference as far as technology is concerned. The two cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-3 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Olympus E-PM2 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before getting through a full comparison, below is a quick highlight of how the E-3 scores versus the E-PM2 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-3 over the Olympus E-PM2

 E-3 E-PM2 
Display typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating display
Selfie screen Easy selfies

Reasons to pick Olympus E-PM2 over the Olympus E-3

 E-PM2 E-3 
ReleasedMay 2013February 2008Fresher by 63 months
Display dimension3"2.5"Larger display (+0.5")
Display resolution460k230kCrisper display (+230k dot)
Touch display Easily navigate

Common features in the Olympus E-3 and Olympus E-PM2

 E-3 E-PM2 
Manually focus Very precise focus

Olympus E-3 vs Olympus E-PM2 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is intending to carry your camera frequently, you will want to factor in its weight and volume. The Olympus E-3 enjoys outside 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-PM2 has sizing of 110mm x 64mm x 34mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.3") accompanied by a weight of 269 grams (0.59 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus E-3 and Olympus E-PM2 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you are utilising at that moment. Following is the front view dimension comparison of the E-3 against the E-PM2.

Olympus E-3 vs Olympus E-PM2 size comparison

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-3 and E-PM2 is 56 and 89 respectively.

Olympus E-3 vs Olympus E-PM2 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-3 vs Olympus E-PM2 Sensor Comparison

Normally, its difficult to visualise the contrast between sensor sizing simply by reading through specifications. The graphic below should provide you a far better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-3 and E-PM2.

To sum up, both cameras posses the exact same sensor measurements but not the same megapixels. You can anticipate the Olympus E-PM2 to resolve more detail having an extra 6MP. Greater resolution will also enable you to crop photos somewhat more aggressively. The older E-3 is going to be behind when it comes to sensor innovation.

Olympus E-3 vs Olympus E-PM2 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-3 vs Olympus E-PM2 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-3 vs Olympus E-PM2 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-3 Portrait photography features
Olympus E-PM2 Portrait photography features
56
has manual focus
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
resolution not great (10MP)
71
focusing manually
decent MP (16MP)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
provides face detect autofocus
supports RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-3 as a Street photography camera
Olympus E-PM2 as a Street photography camera
69
screen articulates
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
weather sealing
79
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
includes focus by touch
good ISO range (25,600)
no moving screen
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-3 as a Sports photography camera
Olympus E-PM2 as a Sports photography camera
57
great max shutter speed (1/8,000s)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
weather sealing
comes with phase detect AF
very slow continuous shooting (5.0 fps)
resolution not great (10 megapixels)
66
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent MP (16MP)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
provides tracking focus
lack of phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-3 as a Travel photography camera
Olympus E-PM2 as a Travel photography camera
55
weather sealing
has built in flash
selfie friendly display
doesn't have Time Lapse mode
resolution not great (10MP)
66
includes focus by touch
decent MP (16 megapixels)
missing Timelapse recording
does not contain selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-3 Landscape photography info
Olympus E-PM2 Landscape photography info
56
has manual focus
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
weather sealing
screen is somewhat small (2.5 inches)
resolution not great (10 megapixels)
doesn't have Time Lapse mode
74
focusing manually
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
decent sized screen (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent MP (16 megapixels)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
good ISO range (25,600)
supports RAW files
missing Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-3 Vlogging information
Olympus E-PM2 Vlogging information
18
no video recording
36
touchscreen functionality
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
provides face detect autofocus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
does not contain selfie friendly screen
missing microphone jack
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Olympus E-3 vs Olympus E-PM2 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-3 and Olympus E-PM2
 Olympus E-3Olympus PEN E-PM2
General Information
Brand Olympus Olympus
Model Olympus E-3 Olympus PEN E-PM2
Type Advanced DSLR Entry-Level Mirrorless
Released 2008-02-20 2013-05-21
Body design Mid-size SLR Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Processor Chip TruePic III -
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 4:3
Highest Possible resolution 3648 x 2736 4608 x 3456
Maximum native ISO 3200 25600
Min native ISO 100 200
RAW images
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
AF continuous
Single AF
Tracking AF
AF selectice
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection 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
Screen type Fully Articulated Fixed Type
Screen sizing 2.5" 3"
Screen resolution 230 thousand dot 460 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentaprism) Electronic (optional)
Viewfinder coverage 100% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.58x -
Features
Min shutter speed 60 secs 60 secs
Max shutter speed 1/8000 secs 1/4000 secs
Continuous shutter speed 5.0 frames per second 8.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range 13.00 m 7.00 m (bundled FL-LM1)
Flash settings Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels)
External flash
AEB
WB bracketing
Max flash sync 1/250 secs 1/250 secs
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions - 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution None 1920x1080
Video file format - MPEG-4, H.264, Motion JPEG
Microphone input
Headphone input
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 seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 890 grams (1.96 lbs) 269 grams (0.59 lbs)
Dimensions 142 x 116 x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0") 110 x 64 x 34mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.3")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score 56 72
DXO Color Depth score 21.6 22.7
DXO Dynamic range score 10.5 12.2
DXO Low light score 571 932
Other
Battery life - 360 shots
Type of battery - Battery Pack
Battery model - BLS-5
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 12 sec)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card SD/SDHC/SDXC
Storage slots One One
Pricing at release $670 $448