Olympus E-3 vs Olympus E-PM2

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).

Photography Glossary

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.

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.

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.

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.