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Olympus E-3 vs Panasonic GF2

Portability
56
Imaging
44
Features
56
Overall
48
Olympus E-3 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF2 front
Portability
88
Imaging
48
Features
50
Overall
48

Olympus E-3 vs Panasonic GF2 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 Maximum Shutter
  • No Video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 890g - 142 x 116 x 75mm
  • Revealed February 2008
  • Previous Model is Olympus E-1
  • Replacement is Olympus E-5
Panasonic GF2
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 310g - 113 x 68 x 33mm
  • Released February 2011
  • Old Model is Panasonic GF1
  • Replacement is Panasonic GF3
Photography Glossary

Olympus E-3 vs Panasonic GF2 Overview

Following is a in-depth analysis of the Olympus E-3 versus Panasonic GF2, former is a Advanced DSLR while the latter is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by competitors Olympus and Panasonic. The sensor resolution of the E-3 (10MP) and the GF2 (12MP) is pretty close and they use the exact same sensor measurements (Four Thirds).

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The E-3 was announced 4 years before the GF2 which is a fairly significant difference as far as camera technology is concerned. The two cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-3 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Panasonic GF2 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before going through a full comparison, below is a concise summation of how the E-3 matches up vs the GF2 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-3 over the Panasonic GF2

 E-3 GF2 
Screen typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating screen
Selfie screen Easy selfies

Reasons to pick Panasonic GF2 over the Olympus E-3

 GF2 E-3 
ReleasedFebruary 2011February 2008More modern by 36 months
Screen dimension3"2.5"Bigger screen (+0.5")
Screen resolution460k230kSharper screen (+230k dot)
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Common features in the Olympus E-3 and Panasonic GF2

 E-3 GF2 
Manual focus Very accurate focus

Olympus E-3 vs Panasonic GF2 Physical Comparison

When you are planning to carry around your camera, you have to think about its weight and volume. The Olympus E-3 has got physical measurements of 142mm x 116mm x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0") having a weight of 890 grams (1.96 lbs) whilst the Panasonic GF2 has sizing of 113mm x 68mm x 33mm (4.4" x 2.7" x 1.3") along with a weight of 310 grams (0.68 lbs).

Look at the Olympus E-3 versus Panasonic GF2 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you are using at that time. Following is the front view physical size comparison of the E-3 compared to the GF2.

Olympus E-3 vs Panasonic GF2 size comparison

Using dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-3 and GF2 is 56 and 88 respectively.

Olympus E-3 vs Panasonic GF2 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-3 vs Panasonic GF2 Sensor Comparison

Typically, it can be hard to see the difference in sensor sizes just by researching specifications. The image below might provide you a more clear sense of the sensor measurements in the E-3 and GF2.

Plainly, each of these cameras have got the exact same sensor measurements albeit not the same MP. You can expect the Panasonic GF2 to provide you with more detail with its extra 2 Megapixels. Higher resolution will make it easier to crop photographs much more aggressively. The more aged E-3 will be disadvantaged in sensor innovation.

Olympus E-3 vs Panasonic GF2 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-3 vs Panasonic GF2 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-3 vs Panasonic GF2 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-3 Portrait photography features
Panasonic GF2 Portrait photography features
56
focusing manually
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
low resolution (10 megapixels)
60
focusing manually
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
has face detection autofocus
saves RAW files
sensor resolution low (12MP)
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-3 as a Street photography camera
Panasonic GF2 as a Street photography camera
69
screen articulates fully
image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
environment proofing
65
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
fixed screen
no image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-3 Sports photography info
Panasonic GF2 Sports photography info
57
high shutter speed (1/8,000s)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
environment proofing
supports phase detect auto focus
max frames per second low (5.0 fps)
low resolution (10 megapixels)
38
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
has tracking autofocus
max fps low (3.0 frames/s)
no image stabilization
sensor resolution low (12MP)
bad battery (300 per charge)
does not have phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-3 Travel photography details
Panasonic GF2 Travel photography details
55
environment proofing
flash built-in
selfie friendly screen
missing Time Lapse function
low resolution (10 megapixels)
52
has built in flash
missing Time Lapse recording
bad battery (300 per charge)
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
doesn't have a selfie friendly display
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-3 Landscape photography details
Panasonic GF2 Landscape photography details
56
focusing manually
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
environment proofing
screen is somewhat small (2.5")
low resolution (10 megapixels)
missing Time Lapse function
55
focusing manually
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
good sized screen (3 inches)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
no image stabilization
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
bad battery (300 shots)
missing Time Lapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-3 Vlogging highlights
Panasonic GF2 Vlogging highlights
18
no video shooting
32
touch screen
has face detection autofocus
video res high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
doesn't have a selfie friendly display
no image stabilization
missing external mic socket
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Olympus E-3 vs Panasonic GF2 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-3 and Panasonic GF2
 Olympus E-3Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF2
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Panasonic
Model Olympus E-3 Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF2
Category Advanced DSLR Entry-Level Mirrorless
Revealed 2008-02-20 2011-02-24
Physical type Mid-size SLR Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Chip TruePic III Venus Engine FHD
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds Four Thirds
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 17.3 x 13mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 224.9mm²
Sensor resolution 10 megapixel 12 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 3648 x 2736 4000 x 3000
Maximum native ISO 3200 6400
Min native ISO 100 100
RAW images
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch focus
Continuous autofocus
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detect autofocus
Contract detect autofocus
Phase detect autofocus
Number of focus points 11 23
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds Micro Four Thirds
Amount of lenses 45 107
Crop factor 2.1 2.1
Screen
Type of display Fully Articulated Fixed Type
Display size 2.5 inch 3 inch
Resolution of display 230 thousand dots 460 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Display technology - TFT Color LCD with wide-viewing angle
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentaprism) None
Viewfinder coverage 100% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.58x -
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60s 60s
Maximum shutter speed 1/8000s 1/4000s
Continuous shooting rate 5.0 frames/s 3.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 13.00 m 6.00 m
Flash modes Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Maximum flash synchronize 1/250s 1/160s
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions - 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1280 x 720p (60, 30 fps), 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution None 1920x1080
Video file format - AVCHD, Motion JPEG
Mic port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless None None
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 890 grams (1.96 lb) 310 grams (0.68 lb)
Dimensions 142 x 116 x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0") 113 x 68 x 33mm (4.4" x 2.7" x 1.3")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 56 54
DXO Color Depth score 21.6 21.2
DXO Dynamic range score 10.5 10.3
DXO Low light score 571 506
Other
Battery life - 300 pictures
Battery type - Battery Pack
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10 sec (3 images))
Time lapse feature
Storage type Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card SD/SDHC/SDXC
Card slots Single Single
Pricing at launch $670 $330