Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic GH4

Its time to examine more in depth at the Olympus E-PL3 versus Panasonic GH4, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the other is a Pro Mirrorless by rivals Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a significant gap among the sensor resolutions of the E-PL3 (12MP) and GH4 (16MP) but they come with the exact same sensor size (Four Thirds).

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The E-PL3 was released 3 years before the GH4 and that is a fairly sizable gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Both of the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-PL3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic GH4 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before diving through a complete comparison, below is a concise view of how the E-PL3 grades versus the GH4 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Following is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus PEN E-PL3 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH4. The complete galleries are available at Olympus E-PL3 Gallery and Panasonic GH4 Gallery.

When you are aiming to lug around your camera regularly, you'll need to think about its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-PL3 comes with exterior dimensions of 110mm x 64mm x 37mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.5") accompanied by a weight of 313 grams (0.69 lbs) while the Panasonic GH4 has dimensions of 133mm x 93mm x 84mm (5.2" x 3.7" x 3.3") accompanied by a weight of 560 grams (1.23 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-PL3 versus Panasonic GH4 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ dependant on the lens you have chosen at that time. Following is the front view proportions comparison of the E-PL3 and the GH4.

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-PL3 and GH4 is 88 and 66 respectively.

Quite often, it is difficult to see the gap in sensor measurements purely by looking through specifications. The photograph underneath will help offer you a stronger sense of the sensor sizes in the E-PL3 and GH4.

To sum up, the two cameras have got the exact same sensor measurements but not the same resolution. You should expect to see the Panasonic GH4 to render more detail as a result of its extra 4MP. Greater resolution can also make it easier to crop images much more aggressively. The older E-PL3 will be behind in sensor technology.