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Olympus E-M5 III vs Panasonic LX3

Portability
80
Imaging
62
Features
88
Overall
72
Olympus OM-D E-M5 III front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3 front
Portability
91
Imaging
34
Features
40
Overall
36

Olympus E-M5 III vs Panasonic LX3 Key Specs

Olympus E-M5 III
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Display
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 4096 x 2160 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 414g - 125 x 85 x 50mm
  • Introduced October 2019
  • Replaced the Olympus E-M5 II
  • Refreshed by OM System OM-5
Panasonic LX3
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - 1/1.63" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 24-60mm (F2.0-2.8) lens
  • 265g - 109 x 60 x 27mm
  • Released November 2008
  • Updated by Panasonic LX5
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Olympus E-M5 III vs Panasonic LX3 Overview

Below, we are contrasting the Olympus E-M5 III and Panasonic LX3, one is a Advanced Mirrorless and the other is a Small Sensor Compact by rivals Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a sizeable gap between the sensor resolutions of the E-M5 III (20MP) and LX3 (10MP) and the E-M5 III (Four Thirds) and LX3 (1/1.63") come with totally different sensor measurements.

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The E-M5 III was unveiled 11 years after the LX3 which is quite a large gap as far as technology is concerned. Each of the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-M5 III being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic LX3 being a Compact camera.

Before we go through a complete comparison, below is a brief highlight of how the E-M5 III scores vs the LX3 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Photography Glossary
	
	

Reasons to pick Olympus E-M5 III over the Panasonic LX3

 E-M5 III LX3 
ReleasedOctober 2019November 2008More modern by 134 months
Display typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating display
Display resolution1040k460kClearer display (+580k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Panasonic LX3 over the Olympus E-M5 III

 LX3 E-M5 III 

Common features in the Olympus E-M5 III and Panasonic LX3

 E-M5 III LX3 
Focus manually More exact focus
Display dimension3"3"Identical display measurements

Olympus E-M5 III vs Panasonic LX3 Physical Comparison

For those who are aiming to carry around your camera often, you need to consider its weight and volume. The Olympus E-M5 III features outside dimensions of 125mm x 85mm x 50mm (4.9" x 3.3" x 2.0") along with a weight of 414 grams (0.91 lbs) while the Panasonic LX3 has sizing of 109mm x 60mm x 27mm (4.3" x 2.4" x 1.1") along with a weight of 265 grams (0.58 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus E-M5 III and Panasonic LX3 in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into account, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary depending on the lens you select at that time. Here is the front view dimensions comparison of the E-M5 III against the LX3.

Olympus E-M5 III vs Panasonic LX3 size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-M5 III and LX3 is 80 and 91 respectively.

Olympus E-M5 III vs Panasonic LX3 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-M5 III vs Panasonic LX3 Sensor Comparison

Typically, it is hard to envision the difference between sensor sizes only by reading through a spec sheet. The picture underneath will provide you a greater sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-M5 III and LX3.

As you can see, both cameras posses different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The E-M5 III using its larger sensor will make achieving shallower depth of field simpler and the Olympus E-M5 III will resolve extra detail having an extra 10MP. Greater resolution will make it easier to crop photos somewhat more aggressively. The more modern E-M5 III is going to have an advantage when it comes to sensor technology.

Olympus E-M5 III vs Panasonic LX3 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-M5 III vs Panasonic LX3 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-M5 III vs Panasonic LX3 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-M5 III as a Portrait photography camera
Panasonic LX3 as a Portrait photography camera
77
has manual focus
MP count decent (20 megapixels)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
provides face detection autofocus
saves RAW formats
40
you can focus manually
saves RAW files
low MP (10 megapixels)
sensor is tiny (1/1.63")
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus E-M5 III
Street photography with Panasonic LX3
83
fully articulated screen
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
boasts focus by touch
environment proofing
great ISO range (25,600)
60
image stabilization (Optical)
saves RAW files
no moving screen
sensor is tiny (1/1.63")
heavier than others in class (265g)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-M5 III Sports photography details
Panasonic LX3 Sports photography details
76
max shutter speed is good (1/8,000s)
silent shooting (1/32,000s)
fast continuous shooting (30.0 frames per second)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
MP count decent (20MP)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
provides tracking autofocus
environment proofing
sensor has phase detect autofocus
low battery (310 shots)
27
image stabilization (Optical)
low fps (3.0 frames/s)
low MP (10MP)
sensor is tiny (1/1.63")
lack of phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus E-M5 III
Travel photography with Panasonic LX3
77
environment proofing
has bluetooth
boasts focus by touch
MP count decent (20 megapixels)
screen is selfie friendly
low battery (310 CIPA)
60
built-in flash
quite wide (24mm)
great maximum aperture (f2.0)
doesn't have Time Lapse recording
heavier than others in class (265 grams)
low MP (10 megapixels)
display isn't selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-M5 III Landscape photography features
Panasonic LX3 Landscape photography features
77
has manual focus
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is decent (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
MP count decent (20 megapixels)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
great ISO range (25,600)
saves RAW formats
environment proofing
low battery (310 CIPA)
52
you can focus manually
quite wide (24mm)
great maximum aperture (f2.0)
pretty good screen size (3")
image stabilization (Optical)
saves RAW files
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
low MP (10MP)
sensor is tiny (1/1.63")
doesn't have Time Lapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-M5 III Vlogging highlights
Panasonic LX3 Vlogging highlights
84
screen is selfie friendly
touchscreen enabled
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
provides face detection autofocus
video resolution high (4096 x 2160 resolution)
includes external mic support
30
quite wide (24mm)
great maximum aperture (f2.0)
image stabilization (Optical)
display isn't selfie friendly
low quality video (1280 x 720 pixels)
doesn't have mic support
heavier than others in class (265g)
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Olympus E-M5 III vs Panasonic LX3 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M5 III and Panasonic LX3
 Olympus OM-D E-M5 IIIPanasonic Lumix DMC-LX3
General Information
Company Olympus Panasonic
Model Olympus OM-D E-M5 III Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3
Type Advanced Mirrorless Small Sensor Compact
Introduced 2019-10-17 2008-11-04
Physical type SLR-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Chip TruePic VIII -
Sensor type MOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/1.63"
Sensor dimensions 17.4 x 13mm 8.07 x 5.56mm
Sensor surface area 226.2mm² 44.9mm²
Sensor resolution 20MP 10MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Highest resolution 5184 x 3888 3648 x 2736
Highest native ISO 25600 6400
Minimum native ISO 200 80
RAW files
Minimum boosted ISO 64 -
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
AF continuous
Single AF
AF tracking
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Number of focus points 121 -
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 24-60mm (2.5x)
Maximum aperture - f/2.0-2.8
Macro focus range - 1cm
Total lenses 107 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 4.5
Screen
Type of display Fully Articulated Fixed Type
Display size 3 inch 3 inch
Display resolution 1,040k dots 460k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic None
Viewfinder resolution 2,360k dots -
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.68x -
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60 seconds 60 seconds
Maximum shutter speed 1/8000 seconds 1/2000 seconds
Maximum quiet shutter speed 1/32000 seconds -
Continuous shooting rate 30.0 frames per second 3.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range no built-in flash 8.30 m
Flash settings Auto, redeye, fill, off, redeye slow sync, slow sync, 2nd-curtain slow sync, manual Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync
External flash
AEB
WB bracketing
Maximum flash synchronize 1/250 seconds -
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 4096 x 2160 @ 24p / 237 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM 1280 x 720 (HD 24 fps), 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30fps), 320 x 240 (10fps)
Highest video resolution 4096x2160 1280x720
Video file format MPEG-4, H.264 -
Mic support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 414 gr (0.91 lbs) 265 gr (0.58 lbs)
Dimensions 125 x 85 x 50mm (4.9" x 3.3" x 2.0") 109 x 60 x 27mm (4.3" x 2.4" x 1.1")
DXO scores
DXO All around score not tested 39
DXO Color Depth score not tested 19.6
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 10.8
DXO Low light score not tested 94
Other
Battery life 310 pictures -
Battery style Battery Pack -
Battery model BLN-1 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 secs, custom) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-II supported) SD/MMC/SDHC card, Internal
Card slots 1 1
Cost at launch $1,199 $449