Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic GX9

Lets take a deeper look at the Olympus E-PL3 versus Panasonic GX9, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Advanced Mirrorless by rivals Olympus and Panasonic. There is a large difference between the resolutions of the E-PL3 (12MP) and GX9 (20MP) but both cameras boast the identical sensor sizes (Four Thirds).

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The E-PL3 was unveiled 7 years earlier than the GX9 and that is quite a serious difference as far as tech is concerned. Both of the cameras feature the same body design (Rangefinder-style mirrorless).

Before going straight to a full comparison, here is a quick summary of how the E-PL3 grades versus the GX9 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Here is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus PEN E-PL3 & Panasonic Lumix DC-GX9. The full galleries are available at Olympus E-PL3 Gallery & Panasonic GX9 Gallery.

If you're intending to lug around your camera, you'll have to take into account its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-PL3 offers outside measurements of 110mm x 64mm x 37mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.5") having a weight of 313 grams (0.69 lbs) whilst the Panasonic GX9 has dimensions of 124mm x 72mm x 47mm (4.9" x 2.8" x 1.9") and a weight of 407 grams (0.90 lbs).

Check out the Olympus E-PL3 versus Panasonic GX9 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you have chosen at that moment. Following is a front view dimensions comparison of the E-PL3 and the GX9.

Taking into account size and weight, the portability score of the E-PL3 and GX9 is 88 and 82 respectively.

Often, it's tough to imagine the difference between sensor measurements purely by reading technical specs. The visual here will give you a much better sense of the sensor measurements in the E-PL3 and GX9.

As you have seen, both cameras come with the identical sensor size albeit different megapixels. You can count on the Panasonic GX9 to offer extra detail having an extra 8 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also allow you to crop photographs a good deal more aggressively. The older E-PL3 is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor tech.