Olympus E-3 vs Olympus E-PM2
56 Imaging
44 Features
56 Overall
48


89 Imaging
52 Features
63 Overall
56
Olympus E-3 vs Olympus E-PM2 Key Specs
(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
(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

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).

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.

Olympus E-3 vs Olympus E-PM2 Gallery
Following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus E-3 & Olympus PEN E-PM2. The full galleries are viewable at Olympus E-3 Gallery & Olympus E-PM2 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus E-3 over the Olympus E-PM2
E-3 | E-PM2 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Display type | Fully Articulated | ![]() | Fixed | Fully Articulating display |
Selfie screen | ![]() | Easy selfies |
Reasons to pick Olympus E-PM2 over the Olympus E-3
E-PM2 | E-3 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Released | May 2013 | ![]() | February 2008 | Fresher by 63 months |
Display dimension | 3" | ![]() | 2.5" | Larger display (+0.5") |
Display resolution | 460k | ![]() | 230k | Crisper 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.
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.

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 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 Screen and ViewFinder


Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison

Street Comparison

Sports Comparison

Travel Comparison

Landscape Comparison

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-3 vs Olympus E-PM2 Specifications
Olympus E-3 | Olympus 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 |