Olympus E-P5 vs Panasonic LX3

Here is a in-depth comparison of the Olympus E-P5 versus Panasonic LX3, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by rivals Olympus and Panasonic. There is a large difference among the sensor resolutions of the E-P5 (16MP) and LX3 (10MP) and the E-P5 (Four Thirds) and LX3 (1/1.63") boast totally different sensor dimensions.

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The E-P5 was brought out 4 years later than the LX3 and that is a fairly serious difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both the cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-P5 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic LX3 being a Compact camera.

Before delving straight to a in-depth comparison, here is a concise summation of how the E-P5 grades vs the LX3 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Following is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus PEN E-P5 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3. The entire galleries are provided at Olympus E-P5 Gallery & Panasonic LX3 Gallery.

If you're looking to carry your camera, you are going to need to factor in its weight and size. The Olympus E-P5 has external measurements of 122mm x 69mm x 37mm (4.8" x 2.7" x 1.5") along with a weight of 420 grams (0.93 lbs) and the Panasonic LX3 has specifications of 109mm x 60mm x 27mm (4.3" x 2.4" x 1.1") and a weight of 265 grams (0.58 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus E-P5 versus Panasonic LX3 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you are employing during that time. Underneath is a front view measurements comparison of the E-P5 compared to the LX3.

Looking at size and weight, the portability score of the E-P5 and LX3 is 85 and 91 respectively.

Generally, its difficult to visualise the gap in sensor sizing just by viewing technical specs. The visual underneath will help give you a much better sense of the sensor measurements in the E-P5 and LX3.

As you can tell, both the cameras provide different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The E-P5 because of its bigger sensor will make shooting shallow depth of field simpler and the Olympus E-P5 will result in more detail having its extra 6MP. Higher resolution will help you crop pictures more aggressively. The more modern E-P5 is going to have an advantage in sensor tech.