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Olympus E-5 vs Olympus E-P3

Portability
58
Imaging
48
Features
76
Overall
59
Olympus E-5 front
 
Olympus PEN E-P3 front
Portability
86
Imaging
48
Features
60
Overall
52

Olympus E-5 vs Olympus E-P3 Key Specs

Olympus E-5
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Display
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 800g - 143 x 117 x 75mm
  • Announced February 2011
  • Replaced the Olympus E-3
Olympus E-P3
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 12800
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 369g - 122 x 69 x 34mm
  • Introduced August 2011
  • Earlier Model is Olympus E-P2
  • Renewed by Olympus E-P5
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Olympus E-5 vs Olympus E-P3 Overview

Let's look a little more in depth at the Olympus E-5 and Olympus E-P3, former being a Advanced DSLR while the other is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and they are both designed by Olympus. The resolution of the E-5 (12MP) and the E-P3 (12MP) is fairly close and both cameras have the same sensor dimensions (Four Thirds).

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The E-5 was announced 6 months before the E-P3 so they are both of a similar age. Both cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-5 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Olympus E-P3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before delving into a more detailed comparison, here is a simple introduction of how the E-5 scores against the E-P3 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-5 over the Olympus E-P3

 E-5 E-P3 
Display typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating display
Display resolution920k614kClearer display (+306k dot)
Selfie screen Take selfies

Reasons to pick Olympus E-P3 over the Olympus E-5

 E-P3 E-5 
Touch display Easily navigate

Common features in the Olympus E-5 and Olympus E-P3

 E-5 E-P3 
IntroducedFebruary 2011August 2011Same age
Manually focus More exact focus
Display dimensions3"3"Equal display sizing

Olympus E-5 vs Olympus E-P3 Physical Comparison

If you're aiming to lug around your camera regularly, you are going to need to factor in its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-5 comes with outer measurements of 143mm x 117mm x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0") and a weight of 800 grams (1.76 lbs) and the Olympus E-P3 has dimensions of 122mm x 69mm x 34mm (4.8" x 2.7" x 1.3") with a weight of 369 grams (0.81 lbs).

Check out the Olympus E-5 and Olympus E-P3 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Always remember, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you have chosen during that time. Below is a front view overall size comparison of the E-5 vs the E-P3.

Olympus E-5 vs Olympus E-P3 size comparison

Taking into account size and weight, the portability score of the E-5 and E-P3 is 58 and 86 respectively.

Olympus E-5 vs Olympus E-P3 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-5 vs Olympus E-P3 Sensor Comparison

Oftentimes, its hard to visualise the gap in sensor measurements merely by looking through technical specs. The visual underneath will help offer you a more clear sense of the sensor measurements in the E-5 and E-P3.

As you can tell, each of these cameras have the same sensor dimensions and the exact same MP so you can expect comparable quality of photos but you will need to factor the launch date of the cameras into account.

Olympus E-5 vs Olympus E-P3 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-5 vs Olympus E-P3 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-5 vs Olympus E-P3 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus E-5
Portrait photography with Olympus E-P3
60
manual focus
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
comes with face detection focusing
supports RAW files
low megapixels (12MP)
60
focusing manually
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
provides face detect focus
supports RAW formats
MP count low (12MP)
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-5 Street photography features
Olympus E-P3 Street photography features
71
screen articulates fully
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
weather proofing
76
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
features touch focus
fixed screen
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus E-5
Sports photography with Olympus E-P3
59
high shutter speed (1/8,000 seconds)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
weather proofing
sensor has phase detect AF
low frames per second (5.0 fps)
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
49
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
provides tracking focus
max frames per second low (3.0 frames per second)
MP count low (12 megapixels)
lack of phase detect auto focus
Photography Glossary

Travel Comparison

Olympus E-5 Travel photography info
Olympus E-P3 Travel photography info
56
weather proofing
built-in flash
display is selfie friendly
no Timelapse function
low megapixels (12MP)
60
features touch focus
has built in flash
no Time Lapse function
MP count low (12MP)
does not feature selfie friendly display
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus E-5
Landscape photography with Olympus E-P3
65
manual focus
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen is a decent size (3 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
weather proofing
has double storage slots
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
no Timelapse function
65
focusing manually
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
nice screen size (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
MP count low (12MP)
no Time Lapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-5 Vlogging features
Olympus E-P3 Vlogging features
64
display is selfie friendly
image stabilization (Sensor based)
comes with face detection focusing
includes external microphone port
video quality not great (1280 x 720 pxls)
35
has touchscreen
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
provides face detect focus
high res video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
does not feature selfie friendly display
no mic jack
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Olympus E-5 vs Olympus E-P3 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-5 and Olympus E-P3
 Olympus E-5Olympus PEN E-P3
General Information
Brand Olympus Olympus
Model type Olympus E-5 Olympus PEN E-P3
Category Advanced DSLR Entry-Level Mirrorless
Announced 2011-02-03 2011-08-17
Body design Mid-size SLR Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Processor TruePic V+ TruePic VI
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds Four Thirds
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 17.3 x 13mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 224.9mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixels 12 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 and 16:9 4:3
Peak resolution 4032 x 3024 4032 x 3024
Highest native ISO 6400 12800
Lowest native ISO 100 100
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
Continuous AF
Single AF
Tracking AF
AF selectice
AF center weighted
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Total focus points 11 35
Cross type focus points 11 -
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds Micro Four Thirds
Available lenses 45 107
Crop factor 2.1 2.1
Screen
Range of display Fully Articulated Fixed Type
Display diagonal 3" 3"
Resolution of display 920 thousand dot 614 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Display technology HyperCrystal transmissive LCD 3:2 OLED with Anti-Fingerprint Coating
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentaprism) Electronic (optional)
Viewfinder coverage 100% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.58x -
Features
Min shutter speed 60s 60s
Max shutter speed 1/8000s 1/4000s
Continuous shutter speed 5.0 frames/s 3.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 18.00 m (at ISO 200) 10.00 m (@ ISO 200)
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Fill-in Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Wireless, Manual (3 levels)
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Max flash sync 1/250s 1/180s
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video data format Motion JPEG AVCHD, Motion JPEG
Mic input
Headphone input
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 seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 800 gr (1.76 pounds) 369 gr (0.81 pounds)
Physical dimensions 143 x 117 x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0") 122 x 69 x 34mm (4.8" x 2.7" x 1.3")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 56 51
DXO Color Depth rating 21.6 20.8
DXO Dynamic range rating 10.5 10.1
DXO Low light rating 519 536
Other
Battery life 870 images 330 images
Battery format Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLM-5 BLS-5
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 12 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage Compact Flash (Type I or II)/SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC card
Storage slots Dual One
Pricing at release $1,700 $0