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Olympus E-P5 vs Panasonic GH3

Portability
85
Imaging
53
Features
76
Overall
62
Olympus PEN E-P5 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH3 front
Portability
66
Imaging
52
Features
80
Overall
63

Olympus E-P5 vs Panasonic GH3 Key Specs

Olympus E-P5
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 420g - 122 x 69 x 37mm
  • Introduced October 2013
  • Earlier Model is Olympus E-P3
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
  • Launched September 2012
  • Older Model is Panasonic GH2
  • Newer Model is Panasonic GH4
Photography Glossary

Olympus E-P5 vs Panasonic GH3 Overview

Here, we are matching up the Olympus E-P5 and Panasonic GH3, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the other is a Advanced Mirrorless by competitors Olympus and Panasonic. The image resolution of the E-P5 (16MP) and the GH3 (16MP) is fairly similar and both cameras provide the identical sensor dimensions (Four Thirds).

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The E-P5 was announced 13 months later than the GH3 making them a generation apart from one another. Both cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-P5 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic GH3 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before diving right into a comprehensive comparison, here is a simple overview of how the E-P5 grades vs the GH3 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-P5 over the Panasonic GH3

 E-P5 GH3 
LaunchedOctober 2013September 2012Fresher by 13 months
Display resolution1037k614kCrisper display (+423k dot)

Reasons to pick Panasonic GH3 over the Olympus E-P5

 GH3 E-P5 
Display typeFully ArticulatedTiltingFully Articulating display
Selfie screen Take selfies

Common features in the Olympus E-P5 and Panasonic GH3

 E-P5 GH3 
Manual focus Dial precise focus
Display size3"3"Same display sizing
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Olympus E-P5 vs Panasonic GH3 Physical Comparison

For anyone who is intending to carry your camera frequently, you'll have to factor in its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-P5 provides exterior measurements of 122mm x 69mm x 37mm (4.8" x 2.7" x 1.5") and a weight of 420 grams (0.93 lbs) whilst the Panasonic GH3 has dimensions of 133mm x 93mm x 82mm (5.2" x 3.7" x 3.2") with a weight of 550 grams (1.21 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus E-P5 and Panasonic GH3 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you select at the time. The following is a front view overall size comparison of the E-P5 and the GH3.

Olympus E-P5 vs Panasonic GH3 size comparison

Using dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-P5 and GH3 is 85 and 66 respectively.

Olympus E-P5 vs Panasonic GH3 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-P5 vs Panasonic GH3 Sensor Comparison

More often than not, it can be hard to visualize the contrast between sensor sizing merely by going over a spec sheet. The graphic below might offer you a clearer sense of the sensor sizing in the E-P5 and GH3.

Clearly, the 2 cameras come with the identical sensor size and the identical megapixels and you can expect similar quality of files but you would want to take the age of the products into consideration. The fresher E-P5 provides an advantage when it comes to sensor tech.

Olympus E-P5 vs Panasonic GH3 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-P5 vs Panasonic GH3 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-P5 vs Panasonic GH3 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus E-P5
Portrait photography with Panasonic GH3
71
has manual focus
above average flash sync speed (1/320 seconds)
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
offers face detect autofocus
delivers RAW formats
71
focusing manually
MP count decent (16MP)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
features face detect focus
exports RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-P5 Street photography factors
Panasonic GH3 Street photography factors
78
screen tilts up and down
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
has touch to focus
very good high ISO (25,600)
more heavy than average in class (420 grams)
65
fully articulated screen
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
boasts touch focus
weather proof
lack of image stabilization
more heavy than competitors (550 grams)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-P5 Sports photography information
Panasonic GH3 Sports photography information
68
great max shutter speed (1/8,000s)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor resolution is decent (16MP)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
offers tracking focus
doesn't have phase detect autofocus
63
high max frames per second (20.0 frames per second)
MP count decent (16MP)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
features tracking focus
weather proof
great battery power (540 per charge)
lack of image stabilization
no phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-P5 Travel photography highlights
Panasonic GH3 Travel photography highlights
68
has touch to focus
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
flash built-in
more heavy than average in class (420g)
screen is not selfie friendly
71
great battery power (540 CIPA)
weather proof
boasts touch focus
MP count decent (16MP)
has built in flash
display is selfie friendly
more heavy than competitors (550g)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-P5 Landscape photography highlights
Panasonic GH3 Landscape photography highlights
79
has manual focus
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
decent sized screen (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
very good high ISO (25,600)
delivers RAW formats
71
focusing manually
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
pretty good screen size (3")
MP count decent (16MP)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
weather proof
great battery power (540 shots)
lack of image stabilization
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-P5 Vlogging info
Panasonic GH3 Vlogging info
33
screen is touchscreen
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
offers face detect autofocus
high video quality (1920 x 1080 resolution)
screen is not selfie friendly
doesn't have microphone port
more heavy than average in class (420g)
65
display is selfie friendly
touchscreen functionality
features face detect focus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
includes microphone socket
lack of image stabilization
more heavy than competitors (550 grams)
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Olympus E-P5 vs Panasonic GH3 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-P5 and Panasonic GH3
 Olympus PEN E-P5Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH3
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Panasonic
Model type Olympus PEN E-P5 Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH3
Type Entry-Level Mirrorless Advanced Mirrorless
Introduced 2013-10-03 2012-09-17
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Processor Chip - 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 area 224.9mm² 224.9mm²
Sensor resolution 16MP 16MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 4608 x 3456 4608 x 3456
Maximum native ISO 25600 12800
Minimum native ISO 100 200
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Total focus points 35 23
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds Micro Four Thirds
Total lenses 107 107
Crop factor 2.1 2.1
Screen
Type of screen Tilting Fully Articulated
Screen diagonal 3" 3"
Resolution of screen 1,037 thousand dots 614 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Screen tech 3:2 LCD capacitive touchscreen OLED Monitor with static touch control
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic (optional) Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 1,744 thousand dots
Viewfinder coverage - 100%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.67x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60s 60s
Highest shutter speed 1/8000s 1/4000s
Continuous shooting rate 9.0 frames/s 20.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 7.00 m (ISO 100) 12.00 m
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync (1st or 2nd curtain), Manual (1/1 - 1/64) Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync
Hot shoe
AEB
White balance bracketing
Highest flash synchronize 1/320s 1/160s
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30p), 1280 x 720 (30p) 1920 x 1080 (60, 50, 30, 25 24 fps) 1280 x 720 (60, 50, 30, 25fps), 640 x 480 (30, 25fps
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video format H.264 MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264
Microphone port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 420g (0.93 pounds) 550g (1.21 pounds)
Physical dimensions 122 x 69 x 37mm (4.8" x 2.7" x 1.5") 133 x 93 x 82mm (5.2" x 3.7" x 3.2")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 72 71
DXO Color Depth rating 22.8 22.7
DXO Dynamic range rating 12.4 12.4
DXO Low light rating 895 812
Other
Battery life 330 photographs 540 photographs
Type of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
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 SD/SDHC/SDXC
Card slots One One
Pricing at launch $389 $799