Olympus E-PM1 vs Panasonic G3
89 Imaging
48 Features
52 Overall
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83 Imaging
51 Features
62 Overall
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Olympus E-PM1 vs Panasonic G3 Key Specs
(Full Review)
- 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
- 3" Fixed Screen
- ISO 100 - 12800
- Sensor based Image Stabilization
- 1920 x 1080 video
- Micro Four Thirds Mount
- 265g - 110 x 64 x 34mm
- Released November 2011
- Successor is Olympus E-PM2
(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
- Released July 2011
- Superseded the Panasonic G2
- New Model is Panasonic G5
Olympus E-PM1 vs Panasonic G3 Overview
Here is a detailed overview of the Olympus E-PM1 and Panasonic G3, both Entry-Level Mirrorless digital cameras by competitors Olympus and Panasonic. There is a sizeable difference between the sensor resolutions of the E-PM1 (12MP) and G3 (16MP) but they feature the exact same sensor sizing (Four Thirds).
Photography GlossaryThe E-PM1 was unveiled 5 months later than the G3 so they are both of a similar generation. Both cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-PM1 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic G3 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.
Before getting straight into a in depth comparison, below is a brief summary of how the E-PM1 grades against the G3 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.
Olympus E-PM1 vs Panasonic G3 Gallery
This is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus PEN E-PM1 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3. The full galleries are provided at Olympus E-PM1 Gallery and Panasonic G3 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus E-PM1 over the Panasonic G3
E-PM1 | G3 |
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Reasons to pick Panasonic G3 over the Olympus E-PM1
G3 | E-PM1 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Display type | Fully Articulated | Fixed | Fully Articulating display | |
Selfie screen | Easy selfies | |||
Touch friendly display | Easily navigate |
Common features in the Olympus E-PM1 and Panasonic G3
E-PM1 | G3 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Released | November 2011 | July 2011 | Similar generation | |
Focus manually | Dial precise focus | |||
Display dimension | 3" | 3" | Identical display measurement | |
Display resolution | 460k | 460k | Same display resolution |
Olympus E-PM1 vs Panasonic G3 Physical Comparison
When you are planning to carry your camera, you will want to think about its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-PM1 provides external dimensions of 110mm x 64mm x 34mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.3") and a weight of 265 grams (0.58 lbs) and the Panasonic G3 has dimensions of 115mm x 84mm x 47mm (4.5" x 3.3" x 1.9") with a weight of 336 grams (0.74 lbs).
Contrast the Olympus E-PM1 and Panasonic G3 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.Do not forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change based on the lens you select at that time. Here is the front view physical size comparison of the E-PM1 against the G3.
Looking at size and weight, the portability rating of the E-PM1 and G3 is 89 and 83 respectively.
Olympus E-PM1 vs Panasonic G3 Sensor Comparison
Oftentimes, it can be hard to imagine the difference between sensor sizing just by looking at specs. The graphic below will help provide you a far better sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-PM1 and G3.
As you can plainly see, both of these cameras posses the exact same sensor measurements but different resolution. You should expect to see the Panasonic G3 to give extra detail having an extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also let you crop images somewhat more aggressively.
Olympus E-PM1 vs Panasonic G3 Screen and ViewFinder
Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison
Street Comparison
Sports Comparison
Travel Comparison
Landscape Comparison
Vlogging Comparison
Olympus E-PM1 vs Panasonic G3 Specifications
Olympus PEN E-PM1 | Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3 | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Brand | Olympus | Panasonic |
Model type | Olympus PEN E-PM1 | Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3 |
Type | Entry-Level Mirrorless | Entry-Level Mirrorless |
Released | 2011-11-23 | 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 area | 224.9mm² | 224.9mm² |
Sensor resolution | 12 megapixels | 16 megapixels |
Anti alias filter | ||
Aspect ratio | 4:3 | 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 |
Highest resolution | 4032 x 3024 | 4592 x 3448 |
Highest native ISO | 12800 | 6400 |
Min native ISO | 100 | 160 |
RAW support | ||
Autofocusing | ||
Manual focusing | ||
Touch to focus | ||
Continuous AF | ||
Single AF | ||
AF tracking | ||
Selective AF | ||
Center weighted AF | ||
AF multi area | ||
AF live view | ||
Face detection focusing | ||
Contract detection focusing | ||
Phase detection focusing | ||
Total focus points | 35 | 23 |
Lens | ||
Lens mount type | Micro Four Thirds | Micro Four Thirds |
Available lenses | 107 | 107 |
Focal length multiplier | 2.1 | 2.1 |
Screen | ||
Screen type | Fixed Type | Fully Articulated |
Screen diagonal | 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 | ||
Slowest shutter speed | 60 seconds | 60 seconds |
Maximum shutter speed | 1/4000 seconds | 1/4000 seconds |
Continuous shooting rate | 6.0fps | 4.0fps |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Manually set exposure | ||
Exposure compensation | Yes | Yes |
Change WB | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Built-in flash | ||
Flash distance | no built-in flash | 11.00 m |
Flash options | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync |
External flash | ||
AE bracketing | ||
White balance bracketing | ||
Maximum flash synchronize | 1/160 seconds | 1/160 seconds |
Exposure | ||
Multisegment exposure | ||
Average exposure | ||
Spot exposure | ||
Partial exposure | ||
AF area exposure | ||
Center weighted exposure | ||
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 file 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 proofing | ||
Dust proofing | ||
Shock proofing | ||
Crush proofing | ||
Freeze proofing | ||
Weight | 265g (0.58 lb) | 336g (0.74 lb) |
Dimensions | 110 x 64 x 34mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.3") | 115 x 84 x 47mm (4.5" x 3.3" x 1.9") |
DXO scores | ||
DXO All around rating | 52 | 56 |
DXO Color Depth rating | 21.0 | 21.0 |
DXO Dynamic range rating | 10.3 | 10.6 |
DXO Low light rating | 499 | 667 |
Other | ||
Battery life | 330 photos | 270 photos |
Battery type | Battery Pack | Battery Pack |
Battery ID | BLS-5 | - |
Self timer | Yes (2 or 12 sec) | Yes (2 or 10 sec) |
Time lapse recording | ||
Storage type | SD/SDHC/SDXC | SD/SDHC/SDXC |
Card slots | Single | Single |
Launch pricing | $499 | $500 |