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Olympus E-P2 vs Panasonic G3

Portability
86
Imaging
47
Features
42
Overall
45
Olympus PEN E-P2 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3 front
Portability
83
Imaging
51
Features
62
Overall
55

Olympus E-P2 vs Panasonic G3 Key Specs

Olympus E-P2
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 355g - 121 x 70 x 36mm
  • Revealed April 2010
  • Previous Model is Olympus E-P1
  • Later Model is Olympus E-P3
Panasonic G3
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Display
  • ISO 160 - 6400
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 336g - 115 x 84 x 47mm
  • Released July 2011
  • Superseded the Panasonic G2
  • Newer Model is Panasonic G5
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Olympus E-P2 vs Panasonic G3 Overview

Let's look a little more closely at the Olympus E-P2 versus Panasonic G3, both Entry-Level Mirrorless digital cameras by competitors Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a big gap between the sensor resolutions of the E-P2 (12MP) and G3 (16MP) but both cameras provide the same sensor dimensions (Four Thirds).

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The E-P2 was revealed 14 months earlier than the G3 making them a generation away from one another. Both the cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-P2 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic G3 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before going into a comprehensive comparison, here is a short synopsis of how the E-P2 matches up vs the G3 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-P2 over the Panasonic G3

 E-P2 G3 

Reasons to pick Panasonic G3 over the Olympus E-P2

 G3 E-P2 
ReleasedJuly 2011April 2010Newer by 14 months
Display typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating display
Display resolution460k230kCrisper display (+230k dot)
Selfie screen Take selfies
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Common features in the Olympus E-P2 and Panasonic G3

 E-P2 G3 
Manual focus Very accurate focus
Display dimensions3"3"Equal display sizing

Olympus E-P2 vs Panasonic G3 Physical Comparison

For anyone who is going to travel with your camera regularly, you will need to consider its weight and volume. The Olympus E-P2 provides outer measurements of 121mm x 70mm x 36mm (4.8" x 2.8" x 1.4") and a weight of 355 grams (0.78 lbs) while the Panasonic G3 has sizing of 115mm x 84mm x 47mm (4.5" x 3.3" x 1.9") and a weight of 336 grams (0.74 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus E-P2 versus Panasonic G3 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ depending on the lens you are utilising at the time. The following is a front view dimension comparison of the E-P2 against the G3.

Olympus E-P2 vs Panasonic G3 size comparison

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-P2 and G3 is 86 and 83 respectively.

Olympus E-P2 vs Panasonic G3 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-P2 vs Panasonic G3 Sensor Comparison

More often than not, it's hard to visualise the gap between sensor dimensions only by looking at specs. The image here might provide you a better sense of the sensor sizing in the E-P2 and G3.

As you can plainly see, each of the cameras have the same sensor dimensions but not the same resolution. You should anticipate the Panasonic G3 to give you more detail because of its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution will make it easier to crop images a bit more aggressively. The more aged E-P2 is going to be behind in sensor technology.

Olympus E-P2 vs Panasonic G3 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-P2 vs Panasonic G3 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-P2 vs Panasonic G3 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-P2 Portrait photography factors
Panasonic G3 Portrait photography factors
60
manual focus
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
offers face detection focusing
saves RAW formats
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
70
manual focus
resolution is good (16MP)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
includes face detect focusing
delivers RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-P2 Street photography factors
Panasonic G3 Street photography factors
74
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
no articulating screen
75
screen can move to multiple angles
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW files
offers focus by touch
does not have image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-P2 Sports photography features
Panasonic G3 Sports photography features
40
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
low frames per second (3.0 frames/s)
sensor resolution low (12MP)
low battery (300 shots)
lack of phase detect AF
46
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
includes tracking focus
max frames per second very slow (4.0 fps)
does not have image stabilization
low battery life (270 CIPA)
lack of phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-P2 as a Travel photography camera
Panasonic G3 as a Travel photography camera
43
no Timelapse recording
low battery (300 per charge)
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
display is not selfie friendly
70
offers focus by touch
resolution is good (16MP)
built-in flash
selfie friendly display
no Time Lapse mode
low battery life (270 CIPA)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-P2 as a Landscape photography camera
Panasonic G3 as a Landscape photography camera
60
manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is good (3")
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
low battery (300 per charge)
no Timelapse recording
62
manual focus
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
nice screen size (3 inch)
resolution is good (16MP)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW files
does not have image stabilization
low battery life (270 shots)
no Time Lapse mode
Photography Glossary

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-P2 Vlogging details
Panasonic G3 Vlogging details
29
image stabilization (Sensor based)
offers face detection focusing
display is not selfie friendly
low res video (1280 x 720 pxls)
no external microphone jack
70
selfie friendly display
has touchscreen
includes face detect focusing
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
does not have image stabilization
no mic jack
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Olympus E-P2 vs Panasonic G3 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-P2 and Panasonic G3
 Olympus PEN E-P2Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Panasonic
Model Olympus PEN E-P2 Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3
Category Entry-Level Mirrorless Entry-Level Mirrorless
Revealed 2010-04-22 2011-07-11
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Processor TruePic V Venus Engine FHD
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds Four Thirds
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 17.3 x 13mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 224.9mm²
Sensor resolution 12MP 16MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Highest Possible resolution 4032 x 3024 4592 x 3448
Maximum native ISO 6400 6400
Min native ISO 100 160
RAW data
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch to focus
AF continuous
Single AF
Tracking AF
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Number of focus points 11 23
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds Micro Four Thirds
Available lenses 107 107
Crop factor 2.1 2.1
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fully Articulated
Display sizing 3" 3"
Display resolution 230k dot 460k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Display technology HyperCrystal LCD with AR(Anti-Reflective) coating TFT Color LCD with wide-viewing angle
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic (optional) Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 1,440k dot
Viewfinder coverage - 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.7x
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60s 60s
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000s 1/4000s
Continuous shutter speed 3.0 frames per sec 4.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range no built-in flash 11.00 m
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Fastest flash sync 1/180s 1/160s
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60fps) 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30fps), 320 x 240 (30fps))
Maximum video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video data format Motion JPEG AVCHD, Motion JPEG
Mic input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless None 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 355 gr (0.78 pounds) 336 gr (0.74 pounds)
Physical dimensions 121 x 70 x 36mm (4.8" x 2.8" x 1.4") 115 x 84 x 47mm (4.5" x 3.3" x 1.9")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score 56 56
DXO Color Depth score 21.5 21.0
DXO Dynamic range score 10.4 10.6
DXO Low light score 505 667
Other
Battery life 300 shots 270 shots
Type of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model BLS-1 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage SD/SDHC card SD/SDHC/SDXC
Storage slots One One
Cost at release $799 $500