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Olympus E-PL7 vs Panasonic GH3

Portability
86
Imaging
53
Features
81
Overall
64
Olympus PEN E-PL7 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH3 front
Portability
66
Imaging
52
Features
80
Overall
63

Olympus E-PL7 vs Panasonic GH3 Key Specs

Olympus E-PL7
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 357g - 115 x 67 x 38mm
  • Announced September 2014
  • Superseded the Olympus E-PL6
  • Refreshed by Olympus E-PL8
Panasonic GH3
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 200 - 12800
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 550g - 133 x 93 x 82mm
  • Revealed September 2012
  • Succeeded the Panasonic GH2
  • Replacement is Panasonic GH4
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Olympus E-PL7 vs Panasonic GH3 Overview

Following is a thorough review of the Olympus E-PL7 and Panasonic GH3, former is a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Advanced Mirrorless by companies Olympus and Panasonic. The resolution of the E-PL7 (16MP) and the GH3 (16MP) is relatively close and they use the same exact sensor size (Four Thirds).

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The E-PL7 was manufactured 24 months after the GH3 which makes the cameras a generation away from each other. Both of these cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-PL7 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic GH3 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before diving in to a step-by-step comparison, below is a quick overview of how the E-PL7 matches up vs the GH3 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL7 over the Panasonic GH3

 E-PL7 GH3 
RevealedSeptember 2014September 2012More modern by 24 months
Screen resolution1037k614kSharper screen (+423k dot)

Reasons to pick Panasonic GH3 over the Olympus E-PL7

 GH3 E-PL7 
Screen typeFully ArticulatedTiltingFully Articulating screen

Common features in the Olympus E-PL7 and Panasonic GH3

 E-PL7 GH3 
Manually focus Dial precise focusing
Screen sizing3"3"Equivalent screen size
Selfie screen Both are selfie friendly
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Olympus E-PL7 vs Panasonic GH3 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is planning to carry around your camera often, you should think about its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-PL7 has outside dimensions of 115mm x 67mm x 38mm (4.5" x 2.6" x 1.5") accompanied by a weight of 357 grams (0.79 lbs) whilst the Panasonic GH3 has dimensions of 133mm x 93mm x 82mm (5.2" x 3.7" x 3.2") accompanied by a weight of 550 grams (1.21 lbs).

See the Olympus E-PL7 and Panasonic GH3 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you choose at that moment. Following is the front view measurement comparison of the E-PL7 compared to the GH3.

Olympus E-PL7 vs Panasonic GH3 size comparison

Factoring in size and weight, the portability score of the E-PL7 and GH3 is 86 and 66 respectively.

Olympus E-PL7 vs Panasonic GH3 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL7 vs Panasonic GH3 Sensor Comparison

Oftentimes, it is difficult to visualise the gap in sensor sizes merely by researching specifications. The picture underneath will provide you a clearer sense of the sensor sizes in the E-PL7 and GH3.

To sum up, both the cameras enjoy the same exact sensor sizing and the exact same resolution so you can expect comparable quality of photos however you should always take the launch date of the cameras into account. The fresher E-PL7 is going to have a benefit in sensor tech.

Olympus E-PL7 vs Panasonic GH3 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL7 vs Panasonic GH3 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL7 vs Panasonic GH3 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photography Glossary

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PL7 Portrait photography info
Panasonic GH3 Portrait photography info
71
has manual focus
decent MP (16MP)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports face detection focusing
exports RAW formats
71
you can focus manually
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports face detect focus
saves RAW files
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus E-PL7
Street photography with Panasonic GH3
84
tilting screen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
features focus by touch
great ISO range (25,600)
65
screen articulates fully
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
offers touch to focus
weather proof
no image stabilization
more heavy than competition in class (550g)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PL7 Sports photography highlights
Panasonic GH3 Sports photography highlights
66
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent MP (16 megapixels)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports tracking autofocus
lacks phase detect AF
63
high frames per second (20.0 fps)
megapixel count decent (16MP)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports tracking focus
weather proof
good battery (540 CIPA)
no image stabilization
lack of phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL7 Travel photography highlights
Panasonic GH3 Travel photography highlights
85
features focus by touch
decent MP (16MP)
screen is selfie friendly
71
good battery (540 per charge)
weather proof
offers touch to focus
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
built-in flash
selfie friendly screen
more heavy than competition in class (550 grams)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PL7 Landscape photography factors
Panasonic GH3 Landscape photography factors
79
has manual focus
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
decent sized screen (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent MP (16 megapixels)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
great ISO range (25,600)
exports RAW formats
71
you can focus manually
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
decent sized screen (3")
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
weather proof
good battery (540 per charge)
no image stabilization
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL7 Vlogging factors
Panasonic GH3 Vlogging factors
78
screen is selfie friendly
touchscreen capability
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
supports face detection focusing
great video quality (1920 x 1080 resolution)
lack of external microphone support
65
selfie friendly screen
touchscreen
supports face detect focus
good video quality (1920 x 1080 pxls)
includes microphone jack
no image stabilization
more heavy than competition in class (550g)
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Olympus E-PL7 vs Panasonic GH3 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL7 and Panasonic GH3
 Olympus PEN E-PL7Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH3
General Information
Make Olympus Panasonic
Model Olympus PEN E-PL7 Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH3
Class Entry-Level Mirrorless Advanced Mirrorless
Announced 2014-09-01 2012-09-17
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Processor Chip TruePic VII Venus Engine VII FHD
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds Four Thirds
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 17.3 x 13mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 224.9mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixel 16 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Highest resolution 4608 x 3456 4608 x 3456
Highest native ISO 25600 12800
Lowest native ISO 100 200
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch to focus
AF continuous
Single AF
Tracking AF
Selective AF
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Number of focus points 81 23
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds Micro Four Thirds
Total lenses 107 107
Crop factor 2.1 2.1
Screen
Range of screen Tilting Fully Articulated
Screen diagonal 3" 3"
Resolution of screen 1,037 thousand dot 614 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Screen tech - OLED Monitor with static touch control
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic (optional) Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 1,744 thousand dot
Viewfinder coverage - 100%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.67x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60 seconds 60 seconds
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Continuous shooting speed 8.0 frames per sec 20.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range no built-in flash 12.00 m
Flash options no built-in flash Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Maximum flash sync - 1/160 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30p), 1280 x 720 (30p), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60, 50, 30, 25 24 fps) 1280 x 720 (60, 50, 30, 25fps), 640 x 480 (30, 25fps
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video file format H.264, Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264
Microphone input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 357g (0.79 lb) 550g (1.21 lb)
Dimensions 115 x 67 x 38mm (4.5" x 2.6" x 1.5") 133 x 93 x 82mm (5.2" x 3.7" x 3.2")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 72 71
DXO Color Depth score 22.7 22.7
DXO Dynamic range score 12.4 12.4
DXO Low light score 873 812
Other
Battery life 350 photos 540 photos
Form of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model BLS-50 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec, custom) Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10 sec (3 images))
Time lapse shooting
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC card SD/SDHC/SDXC
Storage slots 1 1
Launch pricing $499 $799