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Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic G3

Portability
88
Imaging
48
Features
52
Overall
49
Olympus PEN E-PL3 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3 front
Portability
83
Imaging
51
Features
62
Overall
55

Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic G3 Key Specs

Olympus E-PL3
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 200 - 12800
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 313g - 110 x 64 x 37mm
  • Released September 2011
  • Previous Model is Olympus E-PL2
Panasonic G3
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 160 - 6400
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 336g - 115 x 84 x 47mm
  • Introduced July 2011
  • Succeeded the Panasonic G2
  • Later Model is Panasonic G5
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Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic G3 Overview

Below, we will be contrasting the Olympus E-PL3 versus Panasonic G3, both Entry-Level Mirrorless digital cameras by brands Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a large gap between the sensor resolutions of the E-PL3 (12MP) and G3 (16MP) but they feature the exact same sensor sizing (Four Thirds).

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The E-PL3 was manufactured 3 months later than the G3 and they are both of a similar age. Both cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-PL3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic G3 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before getting in to a step-by-step comparison, below is a concise summary of how the E-PL3 scores against the G3 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL3 over the Panasonic G3

 E-PL3 G3 

Reasons to pick Panasonic G3 over the Olympus E-PL3

 G3 E-PL3 
Screen typeFully ArticulatedTiltingFully Articulating screen
Selfie screen Easy selfies
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Common features in the Olympus E-PL3 and Panasonic G3

 E-PL3 G3 
IntroducedSeptember 2011July 2011Similar age
Manually focus Very exact focusing
Screen dimension3"3"Identical screen measurement
Screen resolution460k460kEqual screen resolution

Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic G3 Physical Comparison

For anyone who is looking to carry your camera often, you have to factor in its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-PL3 comes with external dimensions of 110mm x 64mm x 37mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.5") with a weight of 313 grams (0.69 lbs) whilst the Panasonic G3 has dimensions of 115mm x 84mm x 47mm (4.5" x 3.3" x 1.9") having a weight of 336 grams (0.74 lbs).

Compare the Olympus E-PL3 versus Panasonic G3 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you have chosen at that time. Here is the front view sizing comparison of the E-PL3 versus the G3.

Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic G3 size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-PL3 and G3 is 88 and 83 respectively.

Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic G3 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic G3 Sensor Comparison

Typically, its hard to see the difference between sensor sizing simply by reading specifications. The graphic here will offer you a better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-PL3 and G3.

Plainly, each of these cameras have got the exact same sensor measurements albeit not the same MP. You can expect the Panasonic G3 to deliver extra detail due to its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also make it easier to crop shots much more aggressively.

Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic G3 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic G3 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic G3 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PL3 Portrait photography features
Panasonic G3 Portrait photography features
60
manual focus
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
comes with face detection autofocus
exports RAW formats
low MP (12 megapixels)
70
focusing manually
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
supports face detect focus
supports RAW files
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus E-PL3
Street photography with Panasonic G3
84
screen tilts
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
75
screen can move to multiple angles
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
includes focus via touch
does not have image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PL3 Sports photography advice
Panasonic G3 Sports photography advice
45
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
comes with tracking autofocus
slow fps (6.0 frames per second)
low MP (12 megapixels)
low battery power (300 shots)
doesn't have phase detect autofocus
46
sensor resolution is decent (16MP)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
supports tracking focus
max fps very slow (4.0 fps)
does not have image stabilization
terrible battery pack (270 shots)
lack of phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL3 Travel photography factors
Panasonic G3 Travel photography factors
44
missing Time Lapse function
low battery power (300 per charge)
low MP (12 megapixels)
screen is not selfie friendly
70
includes focus via touch
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
has built in flash
display is selfie friendly
does not have Time Lapse recording
terrible battery pack (270 CIPA)
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus E-PL3
Landscape photography with Panasonic G3
61
manual focus
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
low MP (12 megapixels)
low battery power (300 per charge)
missing Time Lapse function
62
focusing manually
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
decent sized screen (3 inch)
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
does not have image stabilization
terrible battery pack (270 shots)
does not have Time Lapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL3 Vlogging details
Panasonic G3 Vlogging details
34
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
comes with face detection autofocus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
screen is not selfie friendly
missing external mic port
70
display is selfie friendly
screen is touchscreen
supports face detect focus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
does not have image stabilization
does not have mic socket
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Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic G3 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL3 and Panasonic G3
 Olympus PEN E-PL3Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Panasonic
Model Olympus PEN E-PL3 Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3
Category Entry-Level Mirrorless Entry-Level Mirrorless
Released 2011-09-20 2011-07-11
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Processor Truepic VI Venus Engine FHD
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds Four Thirds
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 17.3 x 13mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 224.9mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixel 16 megapixel
Anti aliasing 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 6400
Min native ISO 200 160
RAW images
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
Continuous AF
Single AF
AF tracking
AF selectice
AF center weighted
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Number of focus points 35 23
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds Micro Four Thirds
Available lenses 107 107
Focal length multiplier 2.1 2.1
Screen
Type of screen Tilting Fully Articulated
Screen size 3" 3"
Resolution of screen 460k dots 460k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Screen technology HyperCrystal LCD AR(Anti-Reflective) coating TFT Color LCD with wide-viewing angle
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic (optional) Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 1,440k dots
Viewfinder coverage - 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.7x
Features
Min shutter speed 60s 60s
Max shutter speed 1/4000s 1/4000s
Continuous shutter rate 6.0fps 4.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range no built-in flash 11.00 m
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync
Hot shoe
AEB
White balance bracketing
Max flash synchronize 1/160s 1/160s
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) 1920 x 1080 (60fps) 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30fps), 320 x 240 (30fps))
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video format AVCHD, Motion JPEG AVCHD, Motion JPEG
Mic port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 313 gr (0.69 lbs) 336 gr (0.74 lbs)
Dimensions 110 x 64 x 37mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.5") 115 x 84 x 47mm (4.5" x 3.3" x 1.9")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score 52 56
DXO Color Depth score 20.9 21.0
DXO Dynamic range score 10.3 10.6
DXO Low light score 499 667
Other
Battery life 300 photos 270 photos
Form of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model BLS-5 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC
Card slots One One
Launch cost $399 $500