Olympus 550WP vs Panasonic GH3
94 Imaging
33 Features
17 Overall
26


66 Imaging
52 Features
80 Overall
63
Olympus 550WP vs Panasonic GH3 Key Specs
(Full Review)
- 10MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
- 2.5" Fixed Screen
- ISO 64 - 1600
- Digital Image Stabilization
- 640 x 480 video
- 38-114mm (F3.5-5.0) lens
- 167g - 94 x 62 x 22mm
- Revealed January 2009
- Other Name is mju 550WP
(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
- Released September 2012
- Replaced the Panasonic GH2
- New Model is Panasonic GH4

Olympus 550WP vs Panasonic GH3 Overview
Below is a complete assessment of the Olympus 550WP vs Panasonic GH3, former being a Small Sensor Compact while the latter is a Advanced Mirrorless by manufacturers Olympus and Panasonic. There is a sizable difference among the resolutions of the 550WP (10MP) and GH3 (16MP) and the 550WP (1/2.3") and GH3 (Four Thirds) provide different sensor dimensions.

The 550WP was launched 4 years before the GH3 and that is a fairly significant difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Each of these cameras feature different body design with the Olympus 550WP being a Compact camera and the Panasonic GH3 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.
Before we go straight to a in-depth comparison, here is a brief introduction of how the 550WP scores vs the GH3 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Olympus 550WP vs Panasonic GH3 Gallery
Here is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus Stylus 550WP & Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH3. The complete galleries are provided at Olympus 550WP Gallery & Panasonic GH3 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus 550WP over the Panasonic GH3
550WP | GH3 |
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Reasons to pick Panasonic GH3 over the Olympus 550WP
GH3 | 550WP | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Released | September 2012 | ![]() | January 2009 | More recent by 44 months |
Focus manually | ![]() | Very precise focusing | ||
Screen type | Fully Articulated | ![]() | Fixed | Fully Articulating screen |
Screen size | 3" | ![]() | 2.5" | Bigger screen (+0.5") |
Screen resolution | 614k | ![]() | 230k | Crisper screen (+384k dot) |
Selfie screen | ![]() | Take selfies | ||
Touch screen | ![]() | Quickly navigate |
Common features in the Olympus 550WP and Panasonic GH3
550WP | GH3 |
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Olympus 550WP vs Panasonic GH3 Physical Comparison
For anybody who is planning to lug around your camera often, you'll have to factor in its weight and size. The Olympus 550WP has got physical measurements of 94mm x 62mm x 22mm (3.7" x 2.4" x 0.9") along with a weight of 167 grams (0.37 lbs) and the Panasonic GH3 has specifications 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 550WP vs Panasonic GH3 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Always remember, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you have at that time. The following is a front view over all size comparison of the 550WP against the GH3.

Looking at size and weight, the portability rating of the 550WP and GH3 is 94 and 66 respectively.

Olympus 550WP vs Panasonic GH3 Sensor Comparison
In many cases, it can be difficult to imagine the contrast in sensor measurements just by looking through specifications. The graphic below should offer you a greater sense of the sensor measurements in the 550WP and GH3.
Plainly, the 2 cameras feature different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The 550WP due to its smaller sensor is going to make achieving shallower DOF more difficult and the Panasonic GH3 will render greater detail utilizing its extra 6 Megapixels. Higher resolution will allow you to crop shots way more aggressively. The older 550WP will be disadvantaged in sensor innovation.

Olympus 550WP vs Panasonic GH3 Screen and ViewFinder


Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison

Street Comparison

Sports Comparison

Travel Comparison

Landscape Comparison

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus 550WP vs Panasonic GH3 Specifications
Olympus Stylus 550WP | Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH3 | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Manufacturer | Olympus | Panasonic |
Model type | Olympus Stylus 550WP | Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH3 |
Also called | mju 550WP | - |
Category | Small Sensor Compact | Advanced Mirrorless |
Revealed | 2009-01-07 | 2012-09-17 |
Body design | Compact | SLR-style mirrorless |
Sensor Information | ||
Processor | - | Venus Engine VII FHD |
Sensor type | CCD | CMOS |
Sensor size | 1/2.3" | Four Thirds |
Sensor dimensions | 6.08 x 4.56mm | 17.3 x 13mm |
Sensor surface area | 27.7mm² | 224.9mm² |
Sensor resolution | 10 megapixel | 16 megapixel |
Anti alias filter | ||
Aspect ratio | 16:9, 4:3 and 3:2 | 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 |
Max resolution | 3648 x 2736 | 4608 x 3456 |
Max native ISO | 1600 | 12800 |
Lowest native ISO | 64 | 200 |
RAW format | ||
Autofocusing | ||
Manual focusing | ||
Touch focus | ||
Autofocus continuous | ||
Single autofocus | ||
Autofocus tracking | ||
Autofocus selectice | ||
Autofocus center weighted | ||
Multi area autofocus | ||
Live view autofocus | ||
Face detection autofocus | ||
Contract detection autofocus | ||
Phase detection autofocus | ||
Total focus points | - | 23 |
Lens | ||
Lens mount type | fixed lens | Micro Four Thirds |
Lens zoom range | 38-114mm (3.0x) | - |
Maximum aperture | f/3.5-5.0 | - |
Macro focusing distance | 7cm | - |
Available lenses | - | 107 |
Crop factor | 5.9 | 2.1 |
Screen | ||
Range of screen | Fixed Type | Fully Articulated |
Screen sizing | 2.5" | 3" |
Resolution of screen | 230k dot | 614k dot |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch display | ||
Screen technology | - | OLED Monitor with static touch control |
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder | None | Electronic |
Viewfinder resolution | - | 1,744k dot |
Viewfinder coverage | - | 100 percent |
Viewfinder magnification | - | 0.67x |
Features | ||
Min shutter speed | 4 seconds | 60 seconds |
Max shutter speed | 1/1000 seconds | 1/4000 seconds |
Continuous shutter speed | - | 20.0 frames/s |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Expose Manually | ||
Exposure compensation | - | Yes |
Change white balance | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Built-in flash | ||
Flash distance | - | 12.00 m |
Flash options | Auto, Fill-in, Red-Eye reduction, Off, On | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync |
Hot shoe | ||
AE bracketing | ||
White balance bracketing | ||
Max flash sync | - | 1/160 seconds |
Exposure | ||
Multisegment | ||
Average | ||
Spot | ||
Partial | ||
AF area | ||
Center weighted | ||
Video features | ||
Supported video resolutions | 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15 fps) | 1920 x 1080 (60, 50, 30, 25 24 fps) 1280 x 720 (60, 50, 30, 25fps), 640 x 480 (30, 25fps |
Max video resolution | 640x480 | 1920x1080 |
Video format | Motion JPEG | MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264 |
Mic input | ||
Headphone input | ||
Connectivity | ||
Wireless | None | 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 proofing | ||
Dust proofing | ||
Shock proofing | ||
Crush proofing | ||
Freeze proofing | ||
Weight | 167 gr (0.37 lbs) | 550 gr (1.21 lbs) |
Physical dimensions | 94 x 62 x 22mm (3.7" x 2.4" x 0.9") | 133 x 93 x 82mm (5.2" x 3.7" x 3.2") |
DXO scores | ||
DXO Overall rating | not tested | 71 |
DXO Color Depth rating | not tested | 22.7 |
DXO Dynamic range rating | not tested | 12.4 |
DXO Low light rating | not tested | 812 |
Other | ||
Battery life | - | 540 photos |
Battery format | - | Battery Pack |
Self timer | Yes (12 seconds) | Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10 sec (3 images)) |
Time lapse feature | ||
Storage media | xD-Picture Card, microSD, internal | SD/SDHC/SDXC |
Storage slots | 1 | 1 |
Cost at release | $399 | $799 |