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Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic GH1

Portability
86
Imaging
48
Features
60
Overall
52
Olympus PEN E-P3 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1 front
Portability
81
Imaging
50
Features
57
Overall
52

Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic GH1 Key Specs

Olympus E-P3
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 12800
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 369g - 122 x 69 x 34mm
  • Announced August 2011
  • Replaced the Olympus E-P2
  • Updated by Olympus E-P5
Panasonic GH1
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Display
  • ISO 100 - 1600 (Boost to 3200)
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 385g - 124 x 90 x 45mm
  • Introduced July 2009
  • Refreshed by Panasonic GH2
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Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic GH1 Overview

On this page, we are evaluating the Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic GH1, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the other is a Advanced Mirrorless by companies Olympus and Panasonic. The resolution of the E-P3 (12MP) and the GH1 (12MP) is very similar and both cameras have the same sensor dimensions (Four Thirds).

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The E-P3 was manufactured 2 years later than the GH1 and that is quite a significant difference as far as tech is concerned. Both of the cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-P3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic GH1 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before going straight to a in-depth comparison, here is a brief highlight of how the E-P3 scores versus the GH1 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-P3 over the Panasonic GH1

 E-P3 GH1 
IntroducedAugust 2011July 2009More recent by 26 months
Display resolution614k460kCrisper display (+154k dot)
Touch display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Panasonic GH1 over the Olympus E-P3

 GH1 E-P3 
Display typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating display
Selfie screen Take selfies

Common features in the Olympus E-P3 and Panasonic GH1

 E-P3 GH1 
Manual focus Dial precise focusing
Display dimensions3"3"Equal display sizing

Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic GH1 Physical Comparison

If you're going to lug around your camera, you're going to have to take into account its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-P3 features external dimensions of 122mm x 69mm x 34mm (4.8" x 2.7" x 1.3") with a weight of 369 grams (0.81 lbs) whilst the Panasonic GH1 has measurements of 124mm x 90mm x 45mm (4.9" x 3.5" x 1.8") having a weight of 385 grams (0.85 lbs).

Check the Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic GH1 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you are using during that time. The following is a front view dimensions comparison of the E-P3 and the GH1.

Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic GH1 size comparison

Considering size and weight, the portability rating of the E-P3 and GH1 is 86 and 81 respectively.

Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic GH1 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic GH1 Sensor Comparison

In many cases, it can be hard to visualize the contrast between sensor measurements simply by going over specifications. The visual below will help provide you a clearer sense of the sensor sizes in the E-P3 and GH1.

Plainly, both of those cameras provide the same sensor dimensions and the same exact resolution so you can expect similar quality of photographs however you might want to take the age of the products into consideration. The more modern E-P3 should have an advantage when it comes to sensor technology.

Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic GH1 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic GH1 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic GH1 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-P3 Portrait photography features
Panasonic GH1 Portrait photography features
60
focusing manually
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
comes with face detection focusing
supports RAW files
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
60
you can focus manually
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus E-P3
Street photography with Panasonic GH1
76
image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
features focus via touch
no moving screen
72
screen articulates
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
no image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-P3 Sports photography information
Panasonic GH1 Sports photography information
49
image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
comes with tracking autofocus
continuous shooting slow (3.0 frames/s)
low megapixels (12MP)
has no phase detect AF
33
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
max fps low (3.0 fps)
no image stabilization
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
terrible battery pack (320 CIPA)
has no phase detect autofocus
Photography Glossary

Travel Comparison

Olympus E-P3 Travel photography info
Panasonic GH1 Travel photography info
60
features focus via touch
flash built-in
doesn't have Time Lapse function
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
does not offer selfie friendly display
58
built-in flash
display is selfie friendly
lack of Time Lapse recording
terrible battery pack (320 CIPA)
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-P3 Landscape photography info
Panasonic GH1 Landscape photography info
65
focusing manually
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
nice screen size (3 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
low megapixels (12MP)
doesn't have Time Lapse function
55
you can focus manually
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is decent (3 inch)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
no image stabilization
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
terrible battery pack (320 CIPA)
lack of Time Lapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-P3 as a Vlogging camera
Panasonic GH1 as a Vlogging camera
35
screen is touchscreen
image stabilization (Sensor based)
comes with face detection focusing
great video quality (1920 x 1080 resolution)
does not offer selfie friendly display
doesn't have external mic support
72
display is selfie friendly
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
has external mic socket
no image stabilization
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Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic GH1 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-P3 and Panasonic GH1
 Olympus PEN E-P3Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Panasonic
Model Olympus PEN E-P3 Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1
Class Entry-Level Mirrorless Advanced Mirrorless
Announced 2011-08-17 2009-07-10
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Chip TruePic VI Venus Engine HD
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds Four Thirds
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 18.89 x 14.48mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 273.5mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixels 12 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Max resolution 4032 x 3024 4000 x 3000
Max native ISO 12800 1600
Max enhanced ISO - 3200
Lowest native ISO 100 100
RAW support
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
AF continuous
AF single
Tracking AF
AF selectice
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Number of focus points 35 -
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds Micro Four Thirds
Amount of lenses 107 107
Crop factor 2.1 1.9
Screen
Type of screen Fixed Type Fully Articulated
Screen sizing 3 inches 3 inches
Resolution of screen 614 thousand dots 460 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Screen technology 3:2 OLED with Anti-Fingerprint Coating -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic (optional) Electronic
Viewfinder coverage - 100%
Features
Min shutter speed 60 secs 60 secs
Max shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/4000 secs
Continuous shutter rate 3.0 frames per second 3.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 10.00 m (@ ISO 200) 10.50 m
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Wireless, Manual (3 levels) Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Max flash synchronize 1/180 secs 1/160 secs
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 fps), 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Max video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video data format AVCHD, Motion JPEG AVCHD
Mic port
Headphone port
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 sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 369 gr (0.81 lb) 385 gr (0.85 lb)
Physical dimensions 122 x 69 x 34mm (4.8" x 2.7" x 1.3") 124 x 90 x 45mm (4.9" x 3.5" x 1.8")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score 51 64
DXO Color Depth score 20.8 21.6
DXO Dynamic range score 10.1 11.6
DXO Low light score 536 772
Other
Battery life 330 pictures 320 pictures
Form of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model BLS-5 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC card SD/SDHC
Card slots 1 1
Price at release $0 $949