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Olympus E-PL6 vs Panasonic GF3

Portability
88
Imaging
54
Features
77
Overall
63
Olympus PEN E-PL6 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF3 front
Portability
90
Imaging
48
Features
48
Overall
48

Olympus E-PL6 vs Panasonic GF3 Key Specs

Olympus E-PL6
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 325g - 111 x 64 x 38mm
  • Launched August 2014
  • Replacement is Olympus E-PL7
Panasonic GF3
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 160 - 6400
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 264g - 108 x 67 x 32mm
  • Introduced August 2011
  • Earlier Model is Panasonic GF2
  • Refreshed by Panasonic GF5
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Olympus E-PL6 vs Panasonic GF3 Overview

Its time to examine more in depth at the Olympus E-PL6 and Panasonic GF3, both Entry-Level Mirrorless cameras by competitors Olympus and Panasonic. There is a sizable difference among the resolutions of the E-PL6 (16MP) and GF3 (12MP) but they come with the same exact sensor sizing (Four Thirds).

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The E-PL6 was manufactured 3 years later than the GF3 and that is a fairly significant difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Each of these cameras offer the identical body type (Rangefinder-style mirrorless).

Before going straight into a full comparison, below is a concise summary of how the E-PL6 grades vs the GF3 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL6 over the Panasonic GF3

 E-PL6 GF3 
IntroducedAugust 2014August 2011More recent by 37 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Selfie screen Easy selfies

Reasons to pick Panasonic GF3 over the Olympus E-PL6

 GF3 E-PL6 

Common features in the Olympus E-PL6 and Panasonic GF3

 E-PL6 GF3 
Focus manually Very accurate focusing
Screen sizing3"3"Equivalent screen measurement
Screen resolution460k460kSame screen resolution
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Olympus E-PL6 vs Panasonic GF3 Physical Comparison

If you are aiming to lug around your camera frequently, you'll have to think about its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-PL6 has exterior dimensions of 111mm x 64mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.5") accompanied by a weight of 325 grams (0.72 lbs) whilst the Panasonic GF3 has proportions of 108mm x 67mm x 32mm (4.3" x 2.6" x 1.3") along with a weight of 264 grams (0.58 lbs).

Check out the Olympus E-PL6 and Panasonic GF3 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you select during that time. Below is the front view scale comparison of the E-PL6 vs the GF3.

Olympus E-PL6 vs Panasonic GF3 size comparison

Looking at size and weight, the portability score of the E-PL6 and GF3 is 88 and 90 respectively.

Olympus E-PL6 vs Panasonic GF3 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL6 vs Panasonic GF3 Sensor Comparison

Generally, its tough to envision the difference in sensor measurements purely by checking out specs. The visual here will help provide you a much better sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-PL6 and GF3.

All in all, the 2 cameras enjoy the same exact sensor sizing albeit not the same MP. You can expect the Olympus E-PL6 to show more detail due to its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also let you crop pictures far more aggressively. The fresher E-PL6 will have an advantage in sensor innovation.

Olympus E-PL6 vs Panasonic GF3 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL6 vs Panasonic GF3 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL6 vs Panasonic GF3 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PL6 Portrait photography features
Panasonic GF3 Portrait photography features
72
focusing manually
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
features face detect focusing
saves RAW formats
55
focusing manually
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
supports face detection focusing
supports RAW formats
cannot use external flash
low resolution sensor (12MP)
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-PL6 as a Street photography camera
Panasonic GF3 as a Street photography camera
85
screen tilts
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
features focus via touch
above average ISO range (25,600)
70
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
boasts focus via touch
screen is fixed
does not have image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PL6 Sports photography info
Panasonic GF3 Sports photography info
67
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
features tracking focus
lack of phase detect AF
38
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
supports tracking autofocus
slow frames per second (3.0 frames per second)
does not have image stabilization
low resolution sensor (12 megapixels)
terrible battery pack (300 per charge)
does not have phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL6 Travel photography information
Panasonic GF3 Travel photography information
86
features focus via touch
sensor resolution is decent (16MP)
selfie friendly display
58
boasts focus via touch
has built in flash
lack of Timelapse mode
terrible battery pack (300 shots)
low resolution sensor (12 megapixels)
does not offer selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PL6 as a Landscape photography camera
Panasonic GF3 as a Landscape photography camera
80
focusing manually
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
above average ISO range (25,600)
saves RAW formats
55
focusing manually
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
decent sized screen (3")
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
does not have image stabilization
low resolution sensor (12MP)
terrible battery pack (300 shots)
lack of Timelapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL6 as a Vlogging camera
Panasonic GF3 as a Vlogging camera
79
selfie friendly display
touchscreen
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
features face detect focusing
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
lack of microphone socket
32
touchscreen enabled
supports face detection focusing
video res high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
does not offer selfie friendly screen
does not have image stabilization
lack of external microphone support
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Olympus E-PL6 vs Panasonic GF3 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL6 and Panasonic GF3
 Olympus PEN E-PL6Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF3
General Information
Make Olympus Panasonic
Model type Olympus PEN E-PL6 Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF3
Type Entry-Level Mirrorless Entry-Level Mirrorless
Launched 2014-08-01 2011-08-11
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Chip TruePic VI Venus Engine FHD
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds Four Thirds
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 17.3 x 13mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 224.9mm²
Sensor resolution 16MP 12MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Max resolution 4608 x 3456 4000 x 3000
Max native ISO 25600 6400
Min native ISO 100 160
RAW support
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Total focus points 35 23
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds Micro Four Thirds
Amount of lenses 107 107
Crop factor 2.1 2.1
Screen
Type of screen Tilting Fixed Type
Screen diagonal 3" 3"
Resolution of screen 460 thousand dots 460 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Screen tech - TFT Color LCD with wide-viewing angle
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic (optional) None
Features
Min shutter speed 60 secs 60 secs
Max shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/4000 secs
Continuous shutter rate 8.0 frames per sec 3.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 7.00 m (bundled FL-LM1) 6.30 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
WB bracketing
Max flash synchronize - 1/160 secs
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1280 x 720p (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Max video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video format MPEG-4, Motion JPEG AVCHD, Motion JPEG
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless Eye-Fi Connected None
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 325g (0.72 lb) 264g (0.58 lb)
Dimensions 111 x 64 x 38mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.5") 108 x 67 x 32mm (4.3" x 2.6" x 1.3")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating not tested 50
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 20.6
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 10.1
DXO Low light rating not tested 459
Other
Battery life 360 photos 300 photos
Battery style Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLS-5 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10 sec (3 images))
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC
Card slots One One
Cost at release $300 $360