Olympus E-M1 II vs Panasonic LX3

Let's look more closely at the Olympus E-M1 II vs Panasonic LX3, one being a Pro Mirrorless and the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by rivals Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a crucial gap between the sensor resolutions of the E-M1 II (20MP) and LX3 (10MP) and the E-M1 II (Four Thirds) and LX3 (1/1.63") provide different sensor sizing.

Photography Glossary

The E-M1 II was announced 7 years later than the LX3 and that is quite a serious gap as far as technology is concerned. Each of these cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-M1 II being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic LX3 being a Compact camera.

Before diving straight to a in depth comparison, here is a quick summation of how the E-M1 II scores vs the LX3 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Below is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II and Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3. The whole galleries are available at Olympus E-M1 II Gallery and Panasonic LX3 Gallery.

If you're intending to carry your camera regularly, you will want to take into account its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-M1 II provides outside measurements of 134mm x 91mm x 67mm (5.3" x 3.6" x 2.6") along with a weight of 574 grams (1.27 lbs) and the Panasonic LX3 has dimensions of 109mm x 60mm x 27mm (4.3" x 2.4" x 1.1") having a weight of 265 grams (0.58 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-M1 II vs Panasonic LX3 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into account, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you have during that time. Below is a front view over all size comparison of the E-M1 II and the LX3.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-M1 II and LX3 is 68 and 91 respectively.

Quite often, it is hard to picture the gap between sensor sizing just by reading technical specs. The graphic below will give you a clearer sense of the sensor sizing in the E-M1 II and LX3.

As you have seen, both the cameras provide different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The E-M1 II having a bigger sensor is going to make shooting shallow depth of field simpler and the Olympus E-M1 II will offer you more detail with its extra 10MP. Higher resolution will also help you crop photographs more aggressively. The fresher E-M1 II provides an edge when it comes to sensor technology.