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Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic GH3

Portability
80
Imaging
54
Features
84
Overall
66
Olympus OM-D E-M5 II front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH3 front
Portability
66
Imaging
52
Features
80
Overall
63

Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic GH3 Key Specs

Olympus E-M5 II
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 469g - 124 x 85 x 45mm
  • Released February 2015
  • Previous Model is Olympus E-M5
  • Successor is Olympus E-M5 III
Panasonic GH3
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 200 - 12800
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 550g - 133 x 93 x 82mm
  • Announced September 2012
  • Old Model is Panasonic GH2
  • Replacement is Panasonic GH4
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Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic GH3 Overview

Following is a thorough overview of the Olympus E-M5 II and Panasonic GH3, both Advanced Mirrorless cameras by rivals Olympus and Panasonic. The sensor resolution of the E-M5 II (16MP) and the GH3 (16MP) is pretty close and both cameras offer the identical sensor sizes (Four Thirds).

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The E-M5 II was launched 2 years after the GH3 which is a fairly serious gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of the cameras feature the same body design (SLR-style mirrorless).

Before delving right into a thorough comparison, here is a concise view of how the E-M5 II scores vs the GH3 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-M5 II over the Panasonic GH3

 E-M5 II GH3 
AnnouncedFebruary 2015September 2012More modern by 30 months
Screen resolution1037k614kCrisper screen (+423k dot)

Reasons to pick Panasonic GH3 over the Olympus E-M5 II

 GH3 E-M5 II 

Common features in the Olympus E-M5 II and Panasonic GH3

 E-M5 II GH3 
Manually focus Dial accurate focusing
Screen typeFully ArticulatedFully ArticulatedFully Articulated screen
Screen size3"3"Same screen dimensions
Selfie screen Both good for selfies
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic GH3 Physical Comparison

For those who are looking to carry around your camera often, you will want to factor in its weight and size. The Olympus E-M5 II offers external dimensions of 124mm x 85mm x 45mm (4.9" x 3.3" x 1.8") and a weight of 469 grams (1.03 lbs) while the Panasonic GH3 has specifications of 133mm x 93mm x 82mm (5.2" x 3.7" x 3.2") accompanied by a weight of 550 grams (1.21 lbs).

Check the Olympus E-M5 II and Panasonic GH3 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary based on the lens you have attached at that moment. Below is a front view over all size comparison of the E-M5 II vs the GH3.

Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic GH3 size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-M5 II and GH3 is 80 and 66 respectively.

Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic GH3 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic GH3 Sensor Comparison

More often than not, it is hard to see the gap in sensor sizes merely by viewing specs. The image here will help provide you a greater sense of the sensor sizes in the E-M5 II and GH3.

All in all, both of these cameras feature the identical sensor size and the identical megapixels and you should expect comparable quality of pictures though you should always take the production date of the cameras into account. The more recent E-M5 II is going to have an advantage when it comes to sensor innovation.

Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic GH3 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic GH3 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic GH3 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-M5 II as a Portrait photography camera
Panasonic GH3 as a Portrait photography camera
72
has manual focus
decent megapixels (16MP)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
provides face detection focusing
exports RAW formats
71
has manual focus
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
comes with face detect autofocus
saves RAW files
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus E-M5 II
Street photography with Panasonic GH3
82
screen articulates
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
has focus by touch
weather sealing
great ISO range (25,600)
65
screen articulates fully
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
offers touch focus
environment proofing
lack of image stabilization
more heavy than competition in class (550 grams)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-M5 II Sports photography factors
Panasonic GH3 Sports photography factors
65
max shutter speed is good (1/8,000s)
silent mode (1/16,000s)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
provides tracking autofocus
weather sealing
low battery power (310 shots)
no phase detect AF
63
fast continuous shooting (20.0 frames per second)
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
comes with tracking focus
environment proofing
great battery (540 CIPA)
lack of image stabilization
lack of phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-M5 II as a Travel photography camera
Panasonic GH3 as a Travel photography camera
74
weather sealing
has focus by touch
decent megapixels (16MP)
screen is selfie friendly
low battery power (310 shots)
71
great battery (540 CIPA)
environment proofing
offers touch focus
sensor resolution is decent (16MP)
flash built-in
selfie friendly screen
more heavy than competition in class (550 grams)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-M5 II as a Landscape photography camera
Panasonic GH3 as a Landscape photography camera
74
has manual focus
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
decent sized screen (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
great ISO range (25,600)
exports RAW formats
weather sealing
low battery power (310 per charge)
71
has manual focus
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is decent (3 inches)
sensor resolution is decent (16MP)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
environment proofing
great battery (540 CIPA)
lack of image stabilization
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-M5 II as a Vlogging camera
Panasonic GH3 as a Vlogging camera
82
screen is selfie friendly
touchscreen functionality
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
provides face detection focusing
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
has external microphone support
65
selfie friendly screen
screen is touchscreen
comes with face detect autofocus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
includes microphone jack
lack of image stabilization
more heavy than competition in class (550g)
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Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic GH3 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M5 II and Panasonic GH3
 Olympus OM-D E-M5 IIPanasonic Lumix DMC-GH3
General Information
Brand Olympus Panasonic
Model Olympus OM-D E-M5 II Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH3
Category Advanced Mirrorless Advanced Mirrorless
Released 2015-02-06 2012-09-17
Body design SLR-style mirrorless SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Processor Chip TruePic VII Venus Engine VII FHD
Sensor type MOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds Four Thirds
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 17.3 x 13mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 224.9mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixels 16 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 4608 x 3456 4608 x 3456
Max native ISO 25600 12800
Min native ISO 200 200
RAW format
Min boosted ISO 100 -
Autofocusing
Manual focus
AF touch
AF continuous
Single AF
AF tracking
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Number of focus points 81 23
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds Micro Four Thirds
Total lenses 107 107
Focal length multiplier 2.1 2.1
Screen
Range of screen Fully Articulated Fully Articulated
Screen sizing 3 inches 3 inches
Screen resolution 1,037 thousand dot 614 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Screen tech - OLED Monitor with static touch control
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic Electronic
Viewfinder resolution 2,360 thousand dot 1,744 thousand dot
Viewfinder coverage 100% 100%
Viewfinder magnification 0.74x 0.67x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60 seconds 60 seconds
Maximum shutter speed 1/8000 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Maximum silent shutter speed 1/16000 seconds -
Continuous shooting speed 10.0 frames per sec 20.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range no built-in flash 12.00 m
Flash options Auto, redeye, fill, off, redeye slow sync, slow sync, 2nd-curtain slow sync, manual Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Maximum flash sync 1/250 seconds 1/160 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60p, 50p, 30p, 25p, 24p), 1280 x 720 (60p, 50p, 30p, 25p, 24p), 640 x 480 (30p) 1920 x 1080 (60, 50, 30, 25 24 fps) 1280 x 720 (60, 50, 30, 25fps), 640 x 480 (30, 25fps
Max video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video format MPEG-4, H.264, Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264
Microphone input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 469 gr (1.03 pounds) 550 gr (1.21 pounds)
Physical dimensions 124 x 85 x 45mm (4.9" x 3.3" x 1.8") 133 x 93 x 82mm (5.2" x 3.7" x 3.2")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 73 71
DXO Color Depth score 23.0 22.7
DXO Dynamic range score 12.4 12.4
DXO Low light score 896 812
Other
Battery life 310 photographs 540 photographs
Form of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model BLN-1 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 secs, custom) Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10 sec (3 images))
Time lapse shooting
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC
Storage slots One One
Launch price $699 $799