Olympus E-3 vs Panasonic GX1

Its time to look closer at the Olympus E-3 and Panasonic GX1, former being a Advanced DSLR while the other is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by companies Olympus and Panasonic. There is a noticeable difference among the resolutions of the E-3 (10MP) and GX1 (16MP) but both cameras have the same sensor dimensions (Four Thirds).

Photography Glossary

The E-3 was manufactured 5 years prior to the GX1 and that is a fairly sizable difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both of these cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-3 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Panasonic GX1 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before diving into a detailed comparison, here is a concise overview of how the E-3 grades versus the GX1 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Following is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus E-3 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX1. The entire galleries are viewable at Olympus E-3 Gallery & Panasonic GX1 Gallery.

When you are planning to carry your camera often, you are going to need to think about its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-3 features exterior dimensions of 142mm x 116mm x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0") accompanied by a weight of 890 grams (1.96 lbs) and the Panasonic GX1 has dimensions of 116mm x 68mm x 39mm (4.6" x 2.7" x 1.5") accompanied by a weight of 318 grams (0.70 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus E-3 and Panasonic GX1 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you are working with at that moment. Underneath is a front view physical size comparison of the E-3 against the GX1.

Factoring in size and weight, the portability score of the E-3 and GX1 is 56 and 87 respectively.

Usually, it can be hard to visualise the contrast in sensor sizing merely by checking out specs. The visual below should offer you a better sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-3 and GX1.

As you can plainly see, both of these cameras have the same sensor dimensions but not the same MP. You can expect to see the Panasonic GX1 to produce greater detail due to its extra 6 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also enable you to crop photos a bit more aggressively. The older E-3 will be behind in sensor innovation.