Clicky

Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic GX85

Portability
86
Imaging
48
Features
60
Overall
52
Olympus PEN E-P3 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX85 front
Portability
83
Imaging
54
Features
76
Overall
62

Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic GX85 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
  • Released August 2011
  • Earlier Model is Olympus E-P2
  • New Model is Olympus E-P5
Panasonic GX85
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 426g - 122 x 71 x 44mm
  • Introduced April 2016
  • Additionally referred to as Lumix DMC-GX80 / Lumix DMC-GX7 Mark II
Apple Innovates by Creating Next-Level Optical Stabilization for iPhone

Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic GX85 Overview

Its time to look more closely at the Olympus E-P3 and Panasonic GX85, one is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the latter is a Advanced Mirrorless by companies Olympus and Panasonic. There is a big difference among the image resolutions of the E-P3 (12MP) and GX85 (16MP) but they use the exact same sensor measurements (Four Thirds).

Samsung Releases Faster Versions of EVO MicroSD Cards

The E-P3 was launched 5 years before the GX85 which is a fairly big gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Each of the cameras come with the identical body type (Rangefinder-style mirrorless).

Before delving through a in depth comparison, below is a concise summary of how the E-P3 scores against the GX85 for portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Photography Glossary
	
	

Reasons to pick Olympus E-P3 over the Panasonic GX85

 E-P3 GX85 

Reasons to pick Panasonic GX85 over the Olympus E-P3

 GX85 E-P3 
IntroducedApril 2016August 2011Newer by 56 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen resolution1040k614kCrisper screen (+426k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-P3 and Panasonic GX85

 E-P3 GX85 
Manual focus More accurate focusing
Screen dimension3"3"Identical screen measurements
Selfie screen Neither comes with selfie screen
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic GX85 Physical Comparison

If you're going to travel with your camera often, you have to think about its weight and size. The Olympus E-P3 comes with physical dimensions of 122mm x 69mm x 34mm (4.8" x 2.7" x 1.3") and a weight of 369 grams (0.81 lbs) and the Panasonic GX85 has specifications of 122mm x 71mm x 44mm (4.8" x 2.8" x 1.7") accompanied by a weight of 426 grams (0.94 lbs).

Check out the Olympus E-P3 and Panasonic GX85 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you choose at that moment. Below is the front view proportions comparison of the E-P3 compared to the GX85.

Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic GX85 size comparison

Factoring in size and weight, the portability grade of the E-P3 and GX85 is 86 and 83 respectively.

Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic GX85 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic GX85 Sensor Comparison

In many cases, it is difficult to visualize the contrast in sensor dimensions purely by researching technical specs. The picture below might provide you a much better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-P3 and GX85.

As you have seen, the 2 cameras posses the exact same sensor measurements albeit different megapixels. You should expect the Panasonic GX85 to result in more detail utilizing its extra 4MP. Higher resolution will also make it easier to crop pictures somewhat more aggressively. The more aged E-P3 will be disadvantaged in sensor technology.

Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic GX85 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic GX85 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic GX85 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photobucket discusses licensing 13 billion images with AI firms

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-P3 Portrait photography information
Panasonic GX85 Portrait photography information
60
focusing manually
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
offers face detection autofocus
supports RAW files
sensor resolution low (12MP)
72
focusing manually
good resolution (16MP)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
features face detection autofocus
delivers RAW formats
President Biden pushes bill mandating TikTok sale or ban

Street Comparison

Olympus E-P3 Street photography information
Panasonic GX85 Street photography information
76
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
comes with touch focus
fixed screen
83
has a tilting screen
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
provides touch focus
good high ISO (25,600)
Snapchat Adds Watermarks to AI-Created Images

Sports Comparison

Olympus E-P3 as a Sports photography camera
Panasonic GX85 as a Sports photography camera
49
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
offers tracking autofocus
slow fps (3.0 frames per second)
sensor resolution low (12MP)
lacks phase detect autofocus
62
quiet shooting (1/16,000 seconds)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good resolution (16 megapixels)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
features tracking autofocus
bad battery life (290 per charge)
doesn't have phase detect autofocus
Japan-exclusive Leica Leitz Phone 3 features big sensor and new modes

Travel Comparison

Olympus E-P3 Travel photography information
Panasonic GX85 Travel photography information
60
comes with touch focus
has built in flash
doesn't have Time Lapse mode
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
display isn't selfie friendly
68
provides touch focus
good resolution (16 megapixels)
flash built-in
bad battery life (290 per charge)
does not feature selfie friendly display
Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music video

Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus E-P3
Landscape photography with Panasonic GX85
65
focusing manually
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
nice screen size (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
sensor resolution low (12MP)
doesn't have Time Lapse mode
74
focusing manually
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
pretty good screen size (3")
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good resolution (16 megapixels)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
doesnt have low pass filter
good high ISO (25,600)
delivers RAW formats
bad battery life (290 CIPA)
Meta to Introduce 'AI-Generated' Labels for Media starting next month

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-P3 Vlogging details
Panasonic GX85 Vlogging details
35
touchscreen capability
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
offers face detection autofocus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
display isn't selfie friendly
doesn't have external mic jack
35
screen is touchscreen
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
features face detection autofocus
high res video (3840 x 2160 pixels)
does not feature selfie friendly display
lack of external mic jack
Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide

Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic GX85 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-P3 and Panasonic GX85
 Olympus PEN E-P3Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX85
General Information
Make Olympus Panasonic
Model type Olympus PEN E-P3 Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX85
Otherwise known as - Lumix DMC-GX80 / Lumix DMC-GX7 Mark II
Class Entry-Level Mirrorless Advanced Mirrorless
Released 2011-08-17 2016-04-05
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Chip TruePic VI Venus Engine
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds Four Thirds
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 17.3 x 13mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 224.9mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixel 16 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 4032 x 3024 4592 x 3448
Highest native ISO 12800 25600
Lowest native ISO 100 200
RAW files
Lowest enhanced ISO - 100
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch focus
Continuous AF
AF single
Tracking AF
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Total focus points 35 49
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds Micro Four Thirds
Amount of lenses 107 107
Crop factor 2.1 2.1
Screen
Range of display Fixed Type Tilting
Display size 3 inches 3 inches
Display resolution 614k dot 1,040k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Display technology 3:2 OLED with Anti-Fingerprint Coating -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic (optional) Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 2,764k dot
Viewfinder coverage - 100 percent
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60 seconds 60 seconds
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Fastest quiet shutter speed - 1/16000 seconds
Continuous shutter speed 3.0fps 8.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 10.00 m (@ ISO 200) 6.00 m (at ISO 200)
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Wireless, Manual (3 levels) Auto, auto w/redeye reduction, forced on, forced on w/redeye reduction, slow sync, slow sync w/redeye reduction, forced off
Hot shoe
AEB
White balance bracketing
Fastest flash sync 1/180 seconds -
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 3840 x 2160 (30p, 24p), 1920 x 1080 (60p, 60i, 30p, 24p), 1280 x 720 (30p), 640 x 480 (30p)
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 3840x2160
Video format AVCHD, Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD
Mic 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
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 369 grams (0.81 pounds) 426 grams (0.94 pounds)
Dimensions 122 x 69 x 34mm (4.8" x 2.7" x 1.3") 122 x 71 x 44mm (4.8" x 2.8" x 1.7")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 51 71
DXO Color Depth rating 20.8 22.9
DXO Dynamic range rating 10.1 12.6
DXO Low light rating 536 662
Other
Battery life 330 pictures 290 pictures
Form of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLS-5 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes
Time lapse shooting
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC card SD/SDHC/SDXC card
Storage slots 1 1
Retail price $0 $800