Olympus 5010 vs Panasonic GH3

Its time to look a bit more in depth at the Olympus 5010 and Panasonic GH3, one being a Ultracompact and the latter is a Advanced Mirrorless by companies Olympus and Panasonic. The sensor resolution of the 5010 (14MP) and the GH3 (16MP) is pretty comparable but the 5010 (1/2.3") and GH3 (Four Thirds) feature different sensor sizing.

Apple Innovates by Creating Next-Level Optical Stabilization for iPhone

The 5010 was brought out 3 years before the GH3 and that is a fairly significant gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of the cameras offer different body type with the Olympus 5010 being a Ultracompact camera and the Panasonic GH3 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before delving through a thorough comparison, below is a brief summary of how the 5010 matches up against the GH3 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

This is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus Stylus 5010 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH3. The entire galleries are viewable at Olympus 5010 Gallery and Panasonic GH3 Gallery.

When you are going to lug around your camera regularly, you should think about its weight and size. The Olympus 5010 offers physical dimensions of 95mm x 56mm x 20mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.8") along with a weight of 126 grams (0.28 lbs) while the Panasonic GH3 has specifications of 133mm x 93mm x 82mm (5.2" x 3.7" x 3.2") and a weight of 550 grams (1.21 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus 5010 and Panasonic GH3 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary depending on the lens you have chosen at the time. Below is the front view scale comparison of the 5010 compared to the GH3.

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the 5010 and GH3 is 96 and 66 respectively.

Quite often, it is very hard to imagine the gap in sensor measurements just by going through technical specs. The graphic below may give you a better sense of the sensor dimensions in the 5010 and GH3.

As you have seen, each of the cameras offer different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The 5010 because of its smaller sensor is going to make shooting shallower depth of field harder and the Panasonic GH3 will produce greater detail having its extra 2MP. Higher resolution will also let you crop shots a little more aggressively. The older 5010 will be disadvantaged in sensor technology.