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Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic GH3

Portability
86
Imaging
48
Features
60
Overall
52
Olympus PEN E-P3 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH3 front
Portability
66
Imaging
52
Features
80
Overall
63

Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic GH3 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
  • Introduced August 2011
  • Earlier Model is Olympus E-P2
  • Later Model is Olympus E-P5
Panasonic GH3
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Display
  • ISO 200 - 12800
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 550g - 133 x 93 x 82mm
  • Revealed September 2012
  • Superseded the Panasonic GH2
  • Renewed by Panasonic GH4
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Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic GH3 Overview

Lets look more closely at the Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic GH3, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the other is a Advanced Mirrorless by rivals Olympus and Panasonic. There is a crucial difference between the image resolutions of the E-P3 (12MP) and GH3 (16MP) but both cameras have the identical sensor sizes (Four Thirds).

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The E-P3 was released 13 months prior to the GH3 making them a generation apart from each other. Each of these cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-P3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic GH3 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before delving straight to a step-by-step comparison, here is a simple summation of how the E-P3 grades against the GH3 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Photography Glossary
	
	

Reasons to pick Olympus E-P3 over the Panasonic GH3

 E-P3 GH3 

Reasons to pick Panasonic GH3 over the Olympus E-P3

 GH3 E-P3 
RevealedSeptember 2012August 2011Fresher by 13 months
Display typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating display
Selfie screen Take selfies

Common features in the Olympus E-P3 and Panasonic GH3

 E-P3 GH3 
Manual focus Very exact focusing
Display size3"3"Same display dimensions
Display resolution614k614kSame display resolution
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic GH3 Physical Comparison

If you're going to carry your camera frequently, you need to factor its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-P3 offers outside measurements of 122mm x 69mm x 34mm (4.8" x 2.7" x 1.3") having a weight of 369 grams (0.81 lbs) whilst the Panasonic GH3 has dimensions of 133mm x 93mm x 82mm (5.2" x 3.7" x 3.2") and a weight of 550 grams (1.21 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic GH3 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into account, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change depending on the lens you are utilizing during that time. Below is a front view over all size comparison of the E-P3 and the GH3.

Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic GH3 size comparison

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability rating of the E-P3 and GH3 is 86 and 66 respectively.

Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic GH3 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic GH3 Sensor Comparison

Generally, its hard to see the difference between sensor sizing merely by going over a spec sheet. The visual here might give you a far better sense of the sensor measurements in the E-P3 and GH3.

As you can see, both of the cameras feature the identical sensor size but not the same megapixels. You should expect to see the Panasonic GH3 to offer more detail as a result of its extra 4MP. Greater resolution can also enable you to crop pics way more aggressively. The older E-P3 is going to be behind with regard to sensor innovation.

Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic GH3 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic GH3 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic GH3 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-P3 Portrait photography highlights
Panasonic GH3 Portrait photography highlights
60
has manual focus
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
includes face detect focusing
saves RAW formats
low megapixels (12MP)
71
manual focus
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
features face detect autofocus
saves RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-P3 as a Street photography camera
Panasonic GH3 as a Street photography camera
76
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
provides focus by touch
no moving screen
65
screen can move to multiple angles
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
supports touch focus
environment sealing
does not have image stabilization
more heavy than competition in class (550g)
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus E-P3
Sports photography with Panasonic GH3
49
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
includes tracking focus
very slow continuous shooting (3.0 frames/s)
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
has no phase detect AF
63
fast shooting (20.0 frames per second)
resolution is good (16MP)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
features tracking focus
environment sealing
good battery (540 shots)
does not have image stabilization
does not have phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-P3 Travel photography highlights
Panasonic GH3 Travel photography highlights
60
provides focus by touch
built-in flash
does not have Timelapse function
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
screen is not selfie friendly
71
good battery (540 shots)
environment sealing
supports touch focus
resolution is good (16MP)
flash built-in
display is selfie friendly
more heavy than competition in class (550 grams)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-P3 Landscape photography features
Panasonic GH3 Landscape photography features
65
has manual focus
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is decent (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
low megapixels (12MP)
does not have Timelapse function
71
manual focus
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
pretty good screen size (3")
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
environment sealing
good battery (540 CIPA)
does not have image stabilization
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-P3 Vlogging factors
Panasonic GH3 Vlogging factors
35
touchscreen enabled
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
includes face detect focusing
video res high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
screen is not selfie friendly
does not have microphone support
65
display is selfie friendly
touchscreen enabled
features face detect autofocus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
comes with microphone jack
does not have image stabilization
more heavy than competition in class (550g)
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Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic GH3 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-P3 and Panasonic GH3
 Olympus PEN E-P3Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH3
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Panasonic
Model type Olympus PEN E-P3 Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH3
Category Entry-Level Mirrorless Advanced Mirrorless
Introduced 2011-08-17 2012-09-17
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Processor Chip TruePic VI 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 surface area 224.9mm² 224.9mm²
Sensor resolution 12MP 16MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 4032 x 3024 4608 x 3456
Max native ISO 12800 12800
Minimum native ISO 100 200
RAW data
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Tracking autofocus
Autofocus selectice
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detect autofocus
Contract detect autofocus
Phase detect autofocus
Total focus points 35 23
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds Micro Four Thirds
Total lenses 107 107
Focal length multiplier 2.1 2.1
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fully Articulated
Display sizing 3 inches 3 inches
Display resolution 614 thousand dot 614 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Display tech 3:2 OLED with Anti-Fingerprint Coating OLED Monitor with static touch control
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic (optional) Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 1,744 thousand dot
Viewfinder coverage - 100%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.67x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60 secs 60 secs
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/4000 secs
Continuous shooting speed 3.0 frames per sec 20.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 10.00 m (@ ISO 200) 12.00 m
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Wireless, Manual (3 levels) Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Maximum flash sync 1/180 secs 1/160 secs
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 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
Max video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video data format AVCHD, Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264
Microphone input
Headphone input
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
Environmental seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 369 gr (0.81 lb) 550 gr (1.21 lb)
Physical dimensions 122 x 69 x 34mm (4.8" x 2.7" x 1.3") 133 x 93 x 82mm (5.2" x 3.7" x 3.2")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 51 71
DXO Color Depth rating 20.8 22.7
DXO Dynamic range rating 10.1 12.4
DXO Low light rating 536 812
Other
Battery life 330 images 540 images
Type of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLS-5 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10 sec (3 images))
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC card SD/SDHC/SDXC
Storage slots 1 1
Price at launch $0 $799