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Olympus E-P2 vs Panasonic GH3

Portability
86
Imaging
47
Features
42
Overall
45
Olympus PEN E-P2 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH3 front
Portability
66
Imaging
52
Features
80
Overall
63

Olympus E-P2 vs Panasonic GH3 Key Specs

Olympus E-P2
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 355g - 121 x 70 x 36mm
  • Introduced April 2010
  • Succeeded the Olympus E-P1
  • Later Model is Olympus E-P3
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
  • Released September 2012
  • Succeeded the Panasonic GH2
  • Successor is Panasonic GH4
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Olympus E-P2 vs Panasonic GH3 Overview

Lets look much closer at the Olympus E-P2 and Panasonic GH3, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Advanced Mirrorless by companies Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a noticeable gap between the sensor resolutions of the E-P2 (12MP) and GH3 (16MP) but both cameras have the same sensor sizes (Four Thirds).

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The E-P2 was announced 3 years earlier than the GH3 and that is quite a sizable difference as far as technology is concerned. Both the cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-P2 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic GH3 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before getting into a in-depth comparison, here is a concise synopsis of how the E-P2 scores vs the GH3 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Photography Glossary
	
	

Reasons to pick Olympus E-P2 over the Panasonic GH3

 E-P2 GH3 

Reasons to pick Panasonic GH3 over the Olympus E-P2

 GH3 E-P2 
ReleasedSeptember 2012April 2010Fresher by 29 months
Screen typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating screen
Screen resolution614k230kCrisper screen (+384k dot)
Selfie screen Take selfies
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Common features in the Olympus E-P2 and Panasonic GH3

 E-P2 GH3 
Manually focus More precise focus
Screen dimensions3"3"Equal screen dimensions

Olympus E-P2 vs Panasonic GH3 Physical Comparison

For those who are intending to carry your camera, you are going to need to think about its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-P2 features outside 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 GH3 has proportions of 133mm x 93mm x 82mm (5.2" x 3.7" x 3.2") having a weight of 550 grams (1.21 lbs).

Examine the Olympus E-P2 and Panasonic GH3 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you have attached at the time. The following is a front view measurements comparison of the E-P2 compared to the GH3.

Olympus E-P2 vs Panasonic GH3 size comparison

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-P2 and GH3 is 86 and 66 respectively.

Olympus E-P2 vs Panasonic GH3 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-P2 vs Panasonic GH3 Sensor Comparison

Quite often, its tough to visualize the contrast between sensor sizing simply by reviewing technical specs. The photograph underneath will offer you a clearer sense of the sensor measurements in the E-P2 and GH3.

As you have seen, both the cameras have the same sensor dimensions albeit different megapixels. You can expect the Panasonic GH3 to offer you greater detail with its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also let you crop pictures a bit more aggressively. The older E-P2 is going to be behind with regard to sensor tech.

Olympus E-P2 vs Panasonic GH3 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-P2 vs Panasonic GH3 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-P2 vs Panasonic GH3 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-P2 Portrait photography factors
Panasonic GH3 Portrait photography factors
60
manual focus
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
includes face detection focusing
saves RAW files
sensor resolution not great (12MP)
71
you can focus manually
MP count decent (16MP)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports face detect focusing
exports RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-P2 Street photography information
Panasonic GH3 Street photography information
74
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
screen does not articulate
65
screen articulates
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
offers focus by touch
weather proofing
lack of image stabilization
more heavy than competition in class (550 grams)
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus E-P2
Sports photography with Panasonic GH3
40
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
continuous shooting slow (3.0 frames per second)
sensor resolution not great (12 megapixels)
bad battery (300 per charge)
lack of phase detect AF
63
high max frames per second (20.0 fps)
MP count decent (16 megapixels)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports tracking focus
weather proofing
better than average battery power (540 per charge)
lack of image stabilization
has no phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-P2 Travel photography advice
Panasonic GH3 Travel photography advice
43
doesn't have Timelapse function
bad battery (300 per charge)
sensor resolution not great (12 megapixels)
screen isn't selfie friendly
71
better than average battery power (540 CIPA)
weather proofing
offers focus by touch
MP count decent (16MP)
flash built-in
display is selfie friendly
more heavy than competition in class (550 grams)
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus E-P2
Landscape photography with Panasonic GH3
60
manual focus
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
decent sized screen (3")
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
sensor resolution not great (12 megapixels)
bad battery (300 shots)
doesn't have Timelapse function
71
you can focus manually
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen is a decent size (3 inch)
MP count decent (16MP)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
weather proofing
better than average battery power (540 per charge)
lack of image stabilization
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-P2 Vlogging details
Panasonic GH3 Vlogging details
29
image stabilization (Sensor based)
includes face detection focusing
screen isn't selfie friendly
video res low (1280 x 720 pixels)
doesn't have external microphone socket
65
display is selfie friendly
built-in touchscreen
supports face detect focusing
high quality video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
includes microphone support
lack of image stabilization
more heavy than competition in class (550g)
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Olympus E-P2 vs Panasonic GH3 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-P2 and Panasonic GH3
 Olympus PEN E-P2Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH3
General Information
Brand Olympus Panasonic
Model Olympus PEN E-P2 Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH3
Category Entry-Level Mirrorless Advanced Mirrorless
Introduced 2010-04-22 2012-09-17
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Processor TruePic V Venus Engine VII FHD
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 12 megapixel 16 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Highest resolution 4032 x 3024 4608 x 3456
Highest native ISO 6400 12800
Lowest native ISO 100 200
RAW images
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch to focus
Continuous AF
Single AF
Tracking AF
Selective AF
AF center weighted
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Number of focus points 11 23
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds Micro Four Thirds
Available lenses 107 107
Crop factor 2.1 2.1
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Fully Articulated
Screen size 3 inches 3 inches
Resolution of screen 230k dots 614k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Screen tech HyperCrystal LCD with AR(Anti-Reflective) coating OLED Monitor with static touch control
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic (optional) Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 1,744k dots
Viewfinder coverage - 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.67x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60s 60s
Highest shutter speed 1/4000s 1/4000s
Continuous shooting rate 3.0 frames per sec 20.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range no built-in flash 12.00 m
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync
External flash
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Highest flash synchronize 1/180s 1/160s
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60, 50, 30, 25 24 fps) 1280 x 720 (60, 50, 30, 25fps), 640 x 480 (30, 25fps
Highest video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video data format Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 355 gr (0.78 lb) 550 gr (1.21 lb)
Physical dimensions 121 x 70 x 36mm (4.8" x 2.8" x 1.4") 133 x 93 x 82mm (5.2" x 3.7" x 3.2")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 56 71
DXO Color Depth score 21.5 22.7
DXO Dynamic range score 10.4 12.4
DXO Low light score 505 812
Other
Battery life 300 shots 540 shots
Battery style Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model BLS-1 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10 sec (3 images))
Time lapse feature
Storage type SD/SDHC card SD/SDHC/SDXC
Card slots 1 1
Cost at launch $799 $799