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Olympus E-M5 vs Olympus E-PL3

Portability
81 Imaging
52 Features
70 Overall
59
Olympus OM-D E-M5 front
 
Olympus PEN E-PL3 front
Portability
88 Imaging
48 Features
52 Overall
49

Olympus E-M5 vs Olympus E-PL3 Key Specs

Olympus E-M5
(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
  • Revealed April 2012
  • Refreshed by Olympus E-M5 II
Olympus E-PL3
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 200 - 12800
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 313g - 110 x 64 x 37mm
  • Introduced September 2011
  • Superseded the Olympus E-PL2
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Olympus E-M5 vs Olympus E-PL3 Overview

Let's take a deeper look at the Olympus E-M5 versus Olympus E-PL3, former is a Advanced Mirrorless while the latter is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and they are both created by Olympus. There exists a considerable gap among the sensor resolutions of the E-M5 (16MP) and E-PL3 (12MP) but both cameras offer the same sensor size (Four Thirds).

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The E-M5 was revealed 8 months after the E-PL3 so they are of a similar age. The two cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-M5 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Olympus E-PL3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before getting right into a full comparison, here is a quick overview of how the E-M5 grades vs the E-PL3 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-M5 over the Olympus E-PL3

		

		

			
 E-M5 E-PL3 
IntroducedApril 2012September 2011More modern by 8 months
Screen resolution610k460kCrisper screen (+150k dot)
Touch friendly screen  Quickly navigate
		

	

	
	

		

		
Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL3 over the Olympus E-M5

		

		

			
 E-PL3 E-M5 
		

	

	
	

		

		
Common features in the Olympus E-M5 and Olympus E-PL3

		

		

			
 E-M5 E-PL3 
Focus manually  More exact focus
Screen typeTiltingTiltingTilting screen
Screen dimensions3"3"Equal screen size
Selfie screen  Lacking selfie screen
		

	

	

	
	
	
	

	

		

		
Olympus E-M5 vs Olympus E-PL3 Physical Comparison

		

		

			
For those who are aiming to carry around your camera, you have to factor its weight and size. The Olympus E-M5 offers external dimensions of 122mm x 89mm x 43mm (4.8" x 3.5" x 1.7") with a weight of 425 grams (0.94 lbs) whilst the Olympus E-PL3 has specifications of 110mm x 64mm x 37mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.5") and a weight of 313 grams (0.69 lbs).
Examine the Olympus E-M5 versus Olympus E-PL3 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses
Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you choose at the time. Following is a front view dimension comparison of the E-M5 and the E-PL3.
Olympus E-M5 vs Olympus E-PL3 size comparison
Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-M5 and E-PL3 is 81 and 88 respectively.
Olympus E-M5 vs Olympus E-PL3 top view buttons comparison		

	

	
	

		

		
Olympus E-M5 vs Olympus E-PL3 Sensor Comparison

		

		

			
Sometimes, it's hard to envision the contrast in sensor sizes just by viewing a spec sheet. The pic here may offer you a far better sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-M5 and E-PL3.
As you can see, both the cameras provide the same sensor dimensions albeit not the same MP. You can expect the Olympus E-M5 to provide you with more detail because of its extra 4MP. Higher resolution will enable you to crop pictures more aggressively. The more modern E-M5 is going to have an edge in sensor technology.
	
			Olympus E-M5 vs Olympus E-PL3 sensor size comparison			
		

	

	
	

		

		
Olympus E-M5 vs Olympus E-PL3 Screen and ViewFinder

		

		

					

		Olympus E-M5 vs Olympus E-PL3 Screen and Viewfinder comparison	

	
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Photography Type Scores

		

	

	
Portrait Comparison
Olympus E-M5 Portrait photography info
Olympus E-PL3 Portrait photography info
71
 focusing manually
 MP count decent (16 megapixels)
 sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
 has face detection focus
 saves RAW formats
60
 has manual focus
 sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
 features face detection focusing
 delivers RAW files
 sensor resolution not great (12MP)
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Street Comparison
Street photography with Olympus E-M5
Street photography with Olympus E-PL3
82
 has a tilting screen
 image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
 sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
 saves RAW formats
 provides touch focus
 environment proofing
 very good ISO range (25,600)
84
 screen tilts up and down
 built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
 sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
 delivers RAW files
Photography Glossary
Sports Comparison
Sports photography with Olympus E-M5
Sports photography with Olympus E-PL3
67
 image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
 MP count decent (16 megapixels)
 sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
 has tracking autofocus
 environment proofing
 no phase detect auto focus
45
 built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
 sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
 features tracking autofocus
 very slow continuous shooting (6.0 frames per second)
 sensor resolution not great (12MP)
 not so great battery life (300 shots)
 doesn't have phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison
Olympus E-M5 Travel photography info
Olympus E-PL3 Travel photography info
66
 environment proofing
 provides touch focus
 MP count decent (16 megapixels)
 lack of Time Lapse function
 doesn't have selfie friendly screen
44
 lack of Timelapse recording
 not so great battery life (300 shots)
 sensor resolution not great (12MP)
 screen isn't selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison
 Olympus E-M5 as a Landscape photography camera
 Olympus E-PL3 as a Landscape photography camera
73
 focusing manually
 swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
 pretty good screen size (3")
 image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
 MP count decent (16 megapixels)
 sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
 very good ISO range (25,600)
 saves RAW formats
 environment proofing
 lack of Time Lapse function
61
 has manual focus
 swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
 screen is a decent size (3 inch)
 built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
 sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
 delivers RAW files
 sensor resolution not great (12 megapixels)
 not so great battery life (300 CIPA)
 lack of Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison
 Olympus E-M5 as a Vlogging camera
 Olympus E-PL3 as a Vlogging camera
34
 has touchscreen
 image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
 has face detection focus
 high quality video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
 doesn't have selfie friendly screen
 lack of external mic port
34
 built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
 features face detection focusing
 high res video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
 screen isn't selfie friendly
 lack of external microphone socket
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Olympus E-M5 vs Olympus E-PL3 Specifications

		

		

					

		
		

			Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M5 and Olympus E-PL3
 Olympus OM-D E-M5Olympus PEN E-PL3
General Information
Make Olympus Olympus
Model Olympus OM-D E-M5 Olympus PEN E-PL3
Type Advanced Mirrorless Entry-Level Mirrorless
Revealed 2012-04-30 2011-09-20
Physical type SLR-style mirrorless Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
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 surface 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
Max resolution 4608 x 3456 4032 x 3024
Max native ISO 25600 12800
Minimum native ISO 200 200
RAW support    
Minimum enhanced ISO 100 -
Autofocusing
Focus manually    
Touch to focus    
Continuous AF    
AF single    
AF tracking    
AF selectice    
AF center weighted    
AF multi area    
Live view AF    
Face detection AF    
Contract detection AF    
Phase detection AF    
Number of focus points 35 35
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds Micro Four Thirds
Amount of lenses 107 107
Focal length multiplier 2.1 2.1
Screen
Screen type Tilting Tilting
Screen size 3 inches 3 inches
Screen resolution 610 thousand dots 460 thousand dots
Selfie friendly    
Liveview    
Touch capability    
Screen tech Touch control in electrostatic capacitance type OLED monitor HyperCrystal LCD AR(Anti-Reflective) coating
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic Electronic (optional)
Viewfinder resolution 1,440 thousand dots -
Viewfinder coverage 100% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.58x -
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60 secs 60 secs
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/4000 secs
Continuous shutter rate 9.0fps 6.0fps
Shutter priority    
Aperture priority    
Manually set exposure    
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom WB    
Image stabilization    
Built-in flash    
Flash range no built-in flash no built-in flash
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync (2), Manual (3 levels) Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels)
External flash    
AE bracketing    
White balance bracketing    
Fastest flash synchronize 1/250 secs 1/160 secs
Exposure
Multisegment exposure    
Average exposure    
Spot exposure    
Partial exposure    
AF area exposure    
Center weighted exposure    
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)
Max video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video data format H.264, Motion JPEG AVCHD, Motion JPEG
Microphone port    
Headphone port    
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
Environmental sealing    
Water proof    
Dust proof    
Shock proof    
Crush proof    
Freeze proof    
Weight 425g (0.94 lb) 313g (0.69 lb)
Physical dimensions 122 x 89 x 43mm (4.8" x 3.5" x 1.7") 110 x 64 x 37mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.5")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score 71 52
DXO Color Depth score 22.8 20.9
DXO Dynamic range score 12.3 10.3
DXO Low light score 826 499
Other
Battery life 360 pictures 300 pictures
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 type SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC
Card slots Single Single
Cost at release $799 $399