Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic GH2

Its time to examine more closely at the Olympus E-P3 versus Panasonic GH2, former is a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the other is a Advanced Mirrorless by companies Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a large gap between the resolutions of the E-P3 (12MP) and GH2 (16MP) but they possess the same exact sensor sizes (Four Thirds).

Photography Glossary

The E-P3 was unveiled 5 months after the GH2 so they are of a similar age. Both of these cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-P3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic GH2 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before getting through a detailed comparison, below is a short introduction of how the E-P3 matches up vs the GH2 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

This is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus PEN E-P3 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH2. The full galleries are available at Olympus E-P3 Gallery & Panasonic GH2 Gallery.

For anyone who is planning to carry around your camera frequently, you are going to need to take into account its weight and size. The Olympus E-P3 has outer measurements of 122mm x 69mm x 34mm (4.8" x 2.7" x 1.3") with a weight of 369 grams (0.81 lbs) and the Panasonic GH2 has specifications of 124mm x 90mm x 76mm (4.9" x 3.5" x 3.0") accompanied by a weight of 442 grams (0.97 lbs).

Look at the Olympus E-P3 versus Panasonic GH2 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you are employing at that time. Underneath is the front view measurements comparison of the E-P3 and the GH2.

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-P3 and GH2 is 86 and 70 respectively.

Quite often, it is hard to visualise the gap between sensor sizes only by reading specifications. The image underneath will help provide you a stronger sense of the sensor measurements in the E-P3 and GH2.

Plainly, the 2 cameras offer the same exact sensor sizing but not the same MP. You can expect to see the Panasonic GH2 to offer more detail having an extra 4MP. Greater resolution can also help you crop photos a little more aggressively.