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Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic GH2

Portability
86
Imaging
48
Features
60
Overall
52
Olympus PEN E-P3 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH2 front
Portability
70
Imaging
51
Features
65
Overall
56

Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic GH2 Key Specs

Olympus E-P3
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 12800
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 369g - 122 x 69 x 34mm
  • Announced August 2011
  • Previous Model is Olympus E-P2
  • Newer Model is Olympus E-P5
Panasonic GH2
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Display
  • ISO 160 - 12800
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 442g - 124 x 90 x 76mm
  • Revealed March 2011
  • Replaced the Panasonic GH1
  • New Model is Panasonic GH3
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Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic GH2 Overview

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).

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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.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-P3 over the Panasonic GH2

 E-P3 GH2 
Display resolution614k460kSharper display (+154k dot)

Reasons to pick Panasonic GH2 over the Olympus E-P3

 GH2 E-P3 
Display typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating display
Selfie screen Easy selfies

Common features in the Olympus E-P3 and Panasonic GH2

 E-P3 GH2 
RevealedAugust 2011March 2011Similar age
Manual focus Dial accurate focus
Display sizing3"3"Equivalent display dimensions
Touch display Easily navigate

Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic GH2 Physical Comparison

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. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

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.

Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic GH2 size comparison

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

Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic GH2 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic GH2 Sensor Comparison

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.

Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic GH2 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic GH2 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic GH2 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-P3 Portrait photography factors
Panasonic GH2 Portrait photography factors
60
focusing manually
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
comes with face detect focusing
exports RAW files
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
70
you can focus manually
good resolution (16 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
supports face detection focus
saves RAW files
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus E-P3
Street photography with Panasonic GH2
76
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
offers focus by touch
no moving screen
68
screen articulates fully
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
does not have image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-P3 Sports photography factors
Panasonic GH2 Sports photography factors
49
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
comes with tracking focus
max frames per second very slow (3.0 fps)
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
does not have phase detect AF
46
good resolution (16MP)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
supports tracking autofocus
slow continuous shooting (3.0 frames/s)
does not have image stabilization
not so great battery (330 shots)
does not have phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-P3 as a Travel photography camera
Panasonic GH2 as a Travel photography camera
60
offers focus by touch
has built in flash
no Timelapse function
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
doesn't have a selfie friendly screen
62
good resolution (16 megapixels)
has built in flash
display is selfie friendly
no Time Lapse function
not so great battery (330 per charge)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-P3 Landscape photography features
Panasonic GH2 Landscape photography features
65
focusing manually
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen is a decent size (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
no Timelapse function
60
you can focus manually
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is good (3")
good resolution (16MP)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
does not have image stabilization
not so great battery (330 shots)
no Time Lapse function
Photography Glossary

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-P3 Vlogging features
Panasonic GH2 Vlogging features
35
built-in touchscreen
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
comes with face detect focusing
video res high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
doesn't have a selfie friendly screen
no microphone support
71
display is selfie friendly
touchscreen functionality
supports face detection focus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
comes with external mic socket
does not have image stabilization
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Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic GH2 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-P3 and Panasonic GH2
 Olympus PEN E-P3Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH2
General Information
Brand Olympus Panasonic
Model Olympus PEN E-P3 Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH2
Type Entry-Level Mirrorless Advanced Mirrorless
Announced 2011-08-17 2011-03-23
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Chip TruePic VI Venus Engine FHD
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds Four Thirds
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 17.3 x 13mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 224.9mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixels 16 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 4032 x 3024 4608 x 3456
Maximum native ISO 12800 12800
Minimum native ISO 100 160
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Continuous autofocus
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Number of focus points 35 23
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds Micro Four Thirds
Amount of lenses 107 107
Focal length multiplier 2.1 2.1
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fully Articulated
Display sizing 3 inches 3 inches
Resolution of display 614k dots 460k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Display technology 3:2 OLED with Anti-Fingerprint Coating TFT Color LCD with wide-viewing angle
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic (optional) Electronic
Viewfinder coverage - 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.71x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60s 60s
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000s 1/4000s
Continuous shooting rate 3.0 frames per sec 3.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range 10.00 m (@ ISO 200) 15.60 m
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Wireless, Manual (3 levels) Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync
Hot shoe
AEB
White balance bracketing
Maximum flash synchronize 1/180s 1/160s
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (24, 30, 60fps) 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30fps), 320 x 240 (30fps)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video format AVCHD, Motion JPEG AVCHD, Motion JPEG
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
Environmental sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 369g (0.81 lb) 442g (0.97 lb)
Dimensions 122 x 69 x 34mm (4.8" x 2.7" x 1.3") 124 x 90 x 76mm (4.9" x 3.5" x 3.0")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 51 60
DXO Color Depth score 20.8 21.2
DXO Dynamic range score 10.1 11.3
DXO Low light score 536 655
Other
Battery life 330 pictures 330 pictures
Battery type Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model BLS-5 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC card SD/SDHC/SDXC
Card slots One One
Pricing at launch $0 $1,000