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Olympus E-PL9 vs Panasonic G3

Portability
85
Imaging
56
Features
78
Overall
64
Olympus PEN E-PL9 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3 front
Portability
83
Imaging
52
Features
62
Overall
56

Olympus E-PL9 vs Panasonic G3 Key Specs

Olympus E-PL9
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 200 - 6400 (Expand to 25600)
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 380g - 117 x 68 x 39mm
  • Launched February 2018
  • Succeeded the Olympus E-PL8
Panasonic G3
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Display
  • ISO 160 - 6400
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 336g - 115 x 84 x 47mm
  • Revealed July 2011
  • Superseded the Panasonic G2
  • Later Model is Panasonic G5
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Olympus E-PL9 vs Panasonic G3 Overview

Its time to look closer at the Olympus E-PL9 versus Panasonic G3, both Entry-Level Mirrorless digital cameras by rivals Olympus and Panasonic. The sensor resolution of the E-PL9 (16MP) and the G3 (16MP) is fairly well matched and they come with the exact same sensor measurements (Four Thirds).

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The E-PL9 was manufactured 6 years later than the G3 and that is quite a serious difference as far as technology is concerned. Both of the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-PL9 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic G3 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before going straight into a thorough comparison, below is a quick introduction of how the E-PL9 matches up versus the G3 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL9 over the Panasonic G3

 E-PL9 G3 
RevealedFebruary 2018July 2011Fresher by 81 months
Display resolution1040k460kClearer display (+580k dot)

Reasons to pick Panasonic G3 over the Olympus E-PL9

 G3 E-PL9 
Display typeFully ArticulatedTiltingFully Articulating display
Selfie screen Easy selfies

Common features in the Olympus E-PL9 and Panasonic G3

 E-PL9 G3 
Manually focus More precise focusing
Display dimension3"3"Identical display measurements
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Olympus E-PL9 vs Panasonic G3 Physical Comparison

For those who are looking to carry your camera regularly, you'll need to consider its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-PL9 has outer dimensions of 117mm x 68mm x 39mm (4.6" x 2.7" x 1.5") along with a weight of 380 grams (0.84 lbs) while the Panasonic G3 has proportions of 115mm x 84mm x 47mm (4.5" x 3.3" x 1.9") and a weight of 336 grams (0.74 lbs).

Check out the Olympus E-PL9 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 dependant on the lens you select during that time. Below is the front view physical size comparison of the E-PL9 compared to the G3.

Olympus E-PL9 vs Panasonic G3 size comparison

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-PL9 and G3 is 85 and 83 respectively.

Olympus E-PL9 vs Panasonic G3 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL9 vs Panasonic G3 Sensor Comparison

Quite often, it can be hard to imagine the contrast between sensor sizing only by looking at a spec sheet. The photograph underneath will provide you a stronger sense of the sensor sizes in the E-PL9 and G3.

Clearly, each of the cameras have got the exact same sensor measurements and the same megapixels and you can expect similar quality of photographs however you will want to take the age of the products into consideration. The more recent E-PL9 should have an advantage when it comes to sensor innovation.

Olympus E-PL9 vs Panasonic G3 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL9 vs Panasonic G3 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL9 vs Panasonic G3 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PL9 Portrait photography features
Panasonic G3 Portrait photography features
73
focusing manually
MP count good (16MP)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
offers face detect focus
delivers RAW files
71
manual focus
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
offers face detection focus
exports RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus E-PL9
Street photography with Panasonic G3
84
screen tilts up and down
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW files
features touch to focus
75
screen articulates
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
features focus by touch
no image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PL9 Sports photography factors
Panasonic G3 Sports photography factors
69
quiet shutter (1/16,000s)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
MP count good (16 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
offers tracking focus
lack of phase detect auto focus
47
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
offers tracking autofocus
max frames per second very slow (4.0 frames/s)
no image stabilization
terrible battery power (270 CIPA)
does not have phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL9 as a Travel photography camera
Panasonic G3 as a Travel photography camera
77
supports bluetooth
features touch to focus
MP count good (16 megapixels)
flash built-in
does not have selfie friendly display
70
features focus by touch
decent sensor resolution (16 megapixels)
flash built-in
selfie friendly display
doesn't have Timelapse function
terrible battery power (270 shots)
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus E-PL9
Landscape photography with Panasonic G3
80
focusing manually
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
pretty good screen size (3")
image stabilization (Sensor based)
MP count good (16 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW files
62
manual focus
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is good (3 inches)
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
no image stabilization
terrible battery power (270 shots)
doesn't have Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL9 as a Vlogging camera
Panasonic G3 as a Vlogging camera
35
touchscreen enabled
image stabilization (Sensor based)
offers face detect focus
video res high (3840 x 2160 pixels)
does not have selfie friendly display
no microphone jack
70
selfie friendly display
touchscreen capability
offers face detection focus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
no image stabilization
doesn't have external microphone jack
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Olympus E-PL9 vs Panasonic G3 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL9 and Panasonic G3
 Olympus PEN E-PL9Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3
General Information
Company Olympus Panasonic
Model type Olympus PEN E-PL9 Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3
Class Entry-Level Mirrorless Entry-Level Mirrorless
Launched 2018-02-08 2011-07-11
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Chip TruePic VIII 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 16MP
Anti alias 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 4592 x 3448
Highest native ISO 6400 6400
Highest boosted ISO 25600 -
Min native ISO 200 160
RAW data
Min boosted ISO 100 -
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Total focus points 121 23
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds Micro Four Thirds
Amount of lenses 107 107
Focal length multiplier 2.1 2.1
Screen
Screen type Tilting Fully Articulated
Screen sizing 3" 3"
Resolution of screen 1,040k dot 460k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Screen tech - TFT Color LCD with wide-viewing angle
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic (optional) Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 1,440k dot
Viewfinder coverage - 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.7x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 secs 60 secs
Highest shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/4000 secs
Highest silent shutter speed 1/16000 secs -
Continuous shooting speed 8.6 frames/s 4.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 7.60 m (at ISO 200) 11.00 m
Flash options Auto, manual, redeye reduction, slow sync w/redeye reduction, slow sync , slow sync 2nd-curtain, fill-in, off Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync
External flash
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Highest flash sync - 1/160 secs
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions 3840 x 2160 @ 30p / 102 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM 1920 x 1080 (60fps) 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30fps), 320 x 240 (30fps))
Highest video resolution 3840x2160 1920x1080
Video data format MPEG-4, H.264 AVCHD, Motion JPEG
Microphone input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 380g (0.84 lbs) 336g (0.74 lbs)
Dimensions 117 x 68 x 39mm (4.6" x 2.7" x 1.5") 115 x 84 x 47mm (4.5" x 3.3" x 1.9")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating not tested 56
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 21.0
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 10.6
DXO Low light rating not tested 667
Other
Battery life 350 photos 270 photos
Type of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 secs, custom) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC card (UHS-I supported) SD/SDHC/SDXC
Storage slots One One
Launch cost $599 $500