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Olympus E-PM1 vs Panasonic G3

Portability
89
Imaging
48
Features
52
Overall
49
Olympus PEN E-PM1 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3 front
Portability
83
Imaging
51
Features
62
Overall
55

Olympus E-PM1 vs Panasonic G3 Key Specs

Olympus E-PM1
(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
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
  • Released July 2011
  • Superseded the Panasonic G2
  • New Model is Panasonic G5
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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 Glossary

The 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.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PM1 over the Panasonic G3

 E-PM1 G3 

Reasons to pick Panasonic G3 over the Olympus E-PM1

 G3 E-PM1 
Display typeFully ArticulatedFixed 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 
ReleasedNovember 2011July 2011Similar generation
Focus manually Dial precise focus
Display dimension3"3"Identical display measurement
Display resolution460k460kSame 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. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

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.

Olympus E-PM1 vs Panasonic G3 size comparison

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 top view buttons comparison

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 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PM1 vs Panasonic G3 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PM1 vs Panasonic G3 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PM1 Portrait photography information
Panasonic G3 Portrait photography information
60
manual focus
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
comes with face detection autofocus
exports RAW formats
low MP (12MP)
70
focusing manually
MP count decent (16 megapixels)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
includes face detect autofocus
saves RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-PM1 Street photography info
Panasonic G3 Street photography info
75
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
no moving screen
75
fully articulated screen
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
supports touch to focus
lack of image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PM1 Sports photography advice
Panasonic G3 Sports photography advice
49
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
comes with tracking autofocus
max frames per second low (6.0 fps)
low MP (12 megapixels)
lack of phase detect autofocus
46
MP count decent (16MP)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
includes tracking focus
very slow continuous shooting (4.0 frames/s)
lack of image stabilization
bad battery (270 per charge)
has no phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PM1 Travel photography factors
Panasonic G3 Travel photography factors
45
doesn't have Timelapse function
low MP (12MP)
screen is not selfie friendly
70
supports touch to focus
MP count decent (16 megapixels)
has built in flash
selfie friendly display
missing Time Lapse mode
bad battery (270 shots)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PM1 as a Landscape photography camera
Panasonic G3 as a Landscape photography camera
65
manual focus
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is good (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
low MP (12 megapixels)
doesn't have Timelapse function
62
focusing manually
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
nice screen size (3")
MP count decent (16MP)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
lack of image stabilization
bad battery (270 per charge)
missing Time Lapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PM1 Vlogging highlights
Panasonic G3 Vlogging highlights
34
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
comes with face detection autofocus
video res high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
screen is not selfie friendly
doesn't have external microphone port
70
selfie friendly display
touch screen
includes face detect autofocus
video res high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
lack of image stabilization
missing mic socket
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Olympus E-PM1 vs Panasonic G3 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PM1 and Panasonic G3
 Olympus PEN E-PM1Panasonic 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