Olympus E-M5 vs Olympus E-P3
81 Imaging
51 Features
70 Overall
58
86 Imaging
47 Features
60 Overall
52
Olympus E-M5 vs Olympus E-P3 Key Specs
(Full Review)
- 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
- 3" Tilting Screen
- ISO 200 - 25600
- Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
- 1920 x 1080 video
- Micro Four Thirds Mount
- 425g - 122 x 89 x 43mm
- Introduced April 2012
- Renewed by Olympus E-M5 II
(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
- Released August 2011
- Replaced the Olympus E-P2
- Replacement is Olympus E-P5
Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music video Olympus E-M5 vs Olympus E-P3 Overview
Its time to look a little more closely at the Olympus E-M5 versus Olympus E-P3, former is a Advanced Mirrorless while the other is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and they are both built by Olympus. There is a substantial difference between the resolutions of the E-M5 (16MP) and E-P3 (12MP) but they come with the same exact sensor dimensions (Four Thirds).
Meta to Introduce 'AI-Generated' Labels for Media starting next monthThe E-M5 was manufactured 9 months after the E-P3 and they are of a similar age. Both of the cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-M5 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Olympus E-P3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.
Before diving straight into a comprehensive comparison, below is a quick summary of how the E-M5 scores versus the E-P3 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.
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Here is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus OM-D E-M5 & Olympus PEN E-P3. The entire galleries are viewable at Olympus E-M5 Gallery & Olympus E-P3 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus E-M5 over the Olympus E-P3
| E-M5 | E-P3 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Released | April 2012 | August 2011 | Newer by 9 months | |
| Display type | Tilting | Fixed | Tilting display |
Reasons to pick Olympus E-P3 over the Olympus E-M5
| E-P3 | E-M5 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Display resolution | 614k | 610k | Clearer display (+4k dot) |
Common features in the Olympus E-M5 and Olympus E-P3
| E-M5 | E-P3 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manual focus | More accurate focusing | |||
| Display sizing | 3" | 3" | Equivalent display sizing | |
| Selfie screen | Neither contains selfie screen | |||
| Touch friendly display | Easily navigate |
Olympus E-M5 vs Olympus E-P3 Physical Comparison
For anybody who is aiming to travel with your camera often, you are going to need to factor its weight and size. The Olympus E-M5 has got external measurements of 122mm x 89mm x 43mm (4.8" x 3.5" x 1.7") with a weight of 425 grams (0.94 lbs) while the Olympus E-P3 has specifications of 122mm x 69mm x 34mm (4.8" x 2.7" x 1.3") along with a weight of 369 grams (0.81 lbs).
Look at the Olympus E-M5 versus Olympus E-P3 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Remember, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you select at the time. Below is the front view measurement comparison of the E-M5 versus the E-P3.

Taking into account size and weight, the portability rating of the E-M5 and E-P3 is 81 and 86 respectively.
Olympus E-M5 vs Olympus E-P3 Sensor Comparison
In many cases, it's tough to visualise the contrast between sensor dimensions simply by reading through specs. The pic underneath should give you a better sense of the sensor measurements in the E-M5 and E-P3.
As you can plainly see, both of these cameras offer the same exact sensor sizing but not the same resolution. You can anticipate the Olympus E-M5 to give more detail due to its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also help you crop pics a little more aggressively. The more recent E-M5 will have an advantage with regard to sensor tech.
Olympus E-M5 vs Olympus E-P3 Screen and ViewFinder
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Olympus E-M5 vs Olympus E-P3 Specifications
| Olympus OM-D E-M5 | Olympus PEN E-P3 | |
|---|---|---|
| General Information | ||
| Make | Olympus | Olympus |
| Model | Olympus OM-D E-M5 | Olympus PEN E-P3 |
| Category | Advanced Mirrorless | Entry-Level Mirrorless |
| Introduced | 2012-04-30 | 2011-08-17 |
| Body design | SLR-style mirrorless | Rangefinder-style mirrorless |
| Sensor Information | ||
| Processor Chip | TruePic VI | TruePic VI |
| Sensor type | CMOS | 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 | 16MP | 12MP |
| Anti aliasing filter | ||
| Aspect ratio | 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 | 4:3 |
| Highest resolution | 4608 x 3456 | 4032 x 3024 |
| Highest native ISO | 25600 | 12800 |
| Minimum native ISO | 200 | 100 |
| RAW data | ||
| Minimum boosted ISO | 100 | - |
| Autofocusing | ||
| Manual focus | ||
| Touch to focus | ||
| Continuous autofocus | ||
| Single autofocus | ||
| Autofocus tracking | ||
| Selective autofocus | ||
| Autofocus center weighted | ||
| Autofocus multi area | ||
| Autofocus live view | ||
| Face detection focus | ||
| Contract detection focus | ||
| Phase detection focus | ||
| Number of focus points | 35 | 35 |
| Lens | ||
| Lens mount | Micro Four Thirds | Micro Four Thirds |
| Total lenses | 107 | 107 |
| Crop factor | 2.1 | 2.1 |
| Screen | ||
| Range of screen | Tilting | Fixed Type |
| Screen sizing | 3" | 3" |
| Resolution of screen | 610k dot | 614k dot |
| Selfie friendly | ||
| Liveview | ||
| Touch operation | ||
| Screen tech | Touch control in electrostatic capacitance type OLED monitor | 3:2 OLED with Anti-Fingerprint Coating |
| Viewfinder Information | ||
| Viewfinder type | Electronic | Electronic (optional) |
| Viewfinder resolution | 1,440k dot | - |
| Viewfinder coverage | 100 percent | - |
| Viewfinder magnification | 0.58x | - |
| Features | ||
| Lowest shutter speed | 60s | 60s |
| Highest shutter speed | 1/4000s | 1/4000s |
| Continuous shooting speed | 9.0 frames/s | 3.0 frames/s |
| Shutter priority | ||
| Aperture priority | ||
| Manually set exposure | ||
| Exposure compensation | Yes | Yes |
| Custom white balance | ||
| Image stabilization | ||
| Integrated flash | ||
| Flash range | no built-in flash | 10.00 m (@ ISO 200) |
| Flash modes | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync (2), Manual (3 levels) | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Wireless, Manual (3 levels) |
| External flash | ||
| Auto exposure bracketing | ||
| WB bracketing | ||
| Highest flash sync | 1/250s | 1/180s |
| Exposure | ||
| Multisegment metering | ||
| Average metering | ||
| Spot metering | ||
| Partial metering | ||
| AF area metering | ||
| Center weighted metering | ||
| Video features | ||
| Supported video resolutions | 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 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 | 1920x1080 | 1920x1080 |
| Video format | H.264, Motion JPEG | AVCHD, Motion JPEG |
| Microphone jack | ||
| Headphone jack | ||
| Connectivity | ||
| Wireless | Eye-Fi Connected | None |
| Bluetooth | ||
| NFC | ||
| HDMI | ||
| USB | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) |
| GPS | None | None |
| Physical | ||
| Environment seal | ||
| Water proof | ||
| Dust proof | ||
| Shock proof | ||
| Crush proof | ||
| Freeze proof | ||
| Weight | 425 grams (0.94 pounds) | 369 grams (0.81 pounds) |
| Dimensions | 122 x 89 x 43mm (4.8" x 3.5" x 1.7") | 122 x 69 x 34mm (4.8" x 2.7" x 1.3") |
| DXO scores | ||
| DXO All around score | 71 | 51 |
| DXO Color Depth score | 22.8 | 20.8 |
| DXO Dynamic range score | 12.3 | 10.1 |
| DXO Low light score | 826 | 536 |
| Other | ||
| Battery life | 360 images | 330 images |
| Form of battery | Battery Pack | Battery Pack |
| Battery model | BLN-1 | BLS-5 |
| Self timer | Yes (2 or 12 sec) | Yes (2 or 12 sec) |
| Time lapse recording | ||
| Storage media | SD/SDHC/SDXC | SD/SDHC/SDXC card |
| Storage slots | Single | Single |
| Launch pricing | $799 | $0 |