Olympus OM-D
E-M5
 vs
Olympus PEN
E-P3

Updated (May, 2013): Compare the Olympus OM-D E-M5 vs Olympus Pen E-P5

Olympus OM-D E-M5

89

  
Olympus PEN E-P3

57

  

Reasons to buy the Olympus OM-D E-M5

Viewfinder
 Great viewfinder
Digital
Image stabilization
 Image stabilization
Sensor shift
Light sensitivity
 High ISO
25,600 ISO
Touch screen
 Touch screen
Less buttons
Weather sealed
 Weather sealed
Shoot in extreme weather
Screen flips out
 Flip-out screen
Great for movies
 
Runner-up

Olympus PEN E-P3

Reasons to buy the Olympus PEN E-P3

Image stabilization
 Image stabilization
Sensor shift
Touch screen
 Touch screen
Less buttons
Startup delay
 Almost no delay when powering up
900 ms startup delay
Screen type
 OLED Screen
Bright and vivid
Panorama
 In-camera panoramas
Stitches together multiple photos into a panorama
3D
 Takes 3D photos
View photos in 3D on 3D televisions
 

differences

Advantages of the Olympus E-M5
Weather sealed Weather sealed Yes vs No
Help
 Sealed to shoot in the rain
Overall image quality Significantly better image quality 71.0 vs 51.0
Help
 Around 40% better image quality
Dynamic range More dynamic range 12.3 EV vs 10.1 EV
Help
 2.2 f-stops more dynamic range
Light sensitivity Better maximum light sensitivity 25,600 ISO vs 1,600 ISO
Help
 The E-M5's maximum light sensitivity is 4 f-stops better
Viewfinder Has a viewfinder Digital vs None
Help
 A viewfinder can help save battery life by keeping the screen turned off
Color depth Better color depth 22.8 bits vs 20.8 bits
Help
 Distinguishes 2 more bits of color
Low light performance Lower noise at high ISO 826 ISO vs 536 ISO
Help
 The E-M5 has a slight edge (0.6 f-stops) in low noise, high ISO performance
Battery life Much longer battery life 500 shots vs 330 shots
Help
 More than 50% more shots per battery charge
Screen flips out Has a flip-out screen Yes vs No
Help
 Flip-out screens can be helpful when composing tricky shots or taking movies
True resolution Higher true resolution 15.9 MP vs 12.2 MP
Help
 Capture more than 30% more detail in your photos
Continuous shooting Shoots faster 9 fps vs 3 fps
Help
 3x faster continuous shooting
Olympus OM-D E-M5 Learn more about
the Olympus E-M5

Advantages of the Olympus E-P3
Movie continuous focus Continuous video focus Yes vs No
Help
 Record movies without worrying about focus
Size Smaller 122x69x34 mm vs 122x89x43 mm
Help
 Around 40% smaller
Startup delay Slightly less startup delay 900 ms vs 1100 ms
Help
 Around 20% less delay when turning on
Built-in flash Built-in flash Yes vs No
Help
 A built-in flash is useful for taking indoor shots where there is little light
Thickness Thinner 1.3" vs 1.7"
Help
 More than 20% thinner
Lowest price Cheaper $369.00 vs $999.00
Help
 The best price we've seen is $630 cheaper (2.7x less)
Weight Lighter 369 g vs 425 g
Help
 More than 10% lighter
Olympus PEN E-P3 Learn more about
the Olympus E-P3
vs

recommendations

Relative to the best recent mirrorless cameras, and ignoring price

Olympus OM-D E-M5 Olympus OM-D E-M5
89 vs 57
Explain scores
Olympus PEN E-P3 Olympus PEN E-P3
Green arrow Snapsort recommends the Olympus OM-D E-M5.

similarities

Compared to recent mirrorless cameras

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
Screen type OLED screens Help
Bright and vivid
Image stabilization Good image stabilization Help
Sensor shift
Touch screen Have touch screens Help
Less buttons
3D 3D photos Help
View photos in 3D on 3D televisions
Panorama In-camera panoramas Help
Stitches together multiple photos into a panorama
Startup delay Minimal startup delay Help
E-M5:1100 ms
E-P3:900 ms
External flash Each supports an external flash Help
Better lighting
HDR Neither has in-camera HDR Help
You could do HDR manually
Supports 24p No support for 24p Help
Missing that film look

dxomark

DXOMark

competitors

Shared Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Olympus PEN E-PL5

Olympus PEN E-PL5

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens
Screen type Doesn't have an OLED screen
Compare the PEN E-PL5 vs the OM-D E-M5
Compare the PEN E-PL5 vs the PEN E-P3
Sony NEX-7

Sony NEX-7

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$948 body only

$1,098 with 18-55mm lens
Low light performance Is slightly less noisy at high ISO
Overall image quality Has slightly better image quality
Longest exposure Slightly shorter exposures
Screen type Doesn't have an OLED screen
Compare the NEX-7 vs the OM-D E-M5
Compare the NEX-7 vs the PEN E-P3
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX1

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX1

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$239 - $249 body only

$399 - $419 with 14-42mm lens
HDR Has in-camera HDR
Screen type Doesn't have an OLED screen
Panorama Lacks a built in panoramas
Compare the Lumix DMC-GX1 vs the OM-D E-M5
Compare the Lumix DMC-GX1 vs the PEN E-P3
Fujifilm FinePix X100

Fujifilm FinePix X100

Boutique

$1,565
Low light performance Is slightly less noisy at high ISO
Sensor size Has a marginally larger sensor
Longest exposure Slightly shorter exposures
Lowest price Is slightly more expensive
Compare the FinePix X100 vs the OM-D E-M5
Compare the FinePix X100 vs the PEN E-P3
Sony NEX-5N

Sony NEX-5N

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$650 - $699 with 18-55mm lens
Low light performance Is slightly less noisy at high ISO
Overall image quality Has slightly better image quality
Longest exposure Slightly shorter exposures
Screen type Doesn't have an OLED screen
Compare the NEX-5N vs the OM-D E-M5
Compare the NEX-5N vs the PEN E-P3
Panasonic Lumix DMC-G5

Panasonic Lumix DMC-G5

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$498 body only

$498 with 14-42mm lens
Viewfinder size Significantly larger viewfinder
Continuous shooting Shoots faster continuously
Thickness Is thicker
Size Is much larger
Compare the Lumix DMC-G5 vs the OM-D E-M5
Compare the Lumix DMC-G5 vs the PEN E-P3
Nikon D5100

Nikon D5100

Entry-level DSLR

$497 body only

$597 - $805 with 18-55mm lens
Low light performance Is slightly less noisy at high ISO
Overall image quality Has slightly better image quality
Longest exposure Slightly shorter exposures
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the D5100 vs the OM-D E-M5
Compare the D5100 vs the PEN E-P3

Olympus OM-D E-M5 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Sony Alpha NEX-6

Sony Alpha NEX-6

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$748 body only

$898 with 16-50mm lens
Viewfinder size Significantly larger viewfinder
Autofocus Faster autofocus
Weather sealed No weather sealing
Image stabilization No image stabilization
Compare the Alpha NEX-6 vs the OM-D E-M5
Fujifilm X-E1

Fujifilm X-E1

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$999 - $1,000 body only

$1,399 with 18-55mm lens
External mic jack Has an external mic jack
Supports 24p Supports 24p
Weather sealed No weather sealing
Image stabilization No image stabilization
Compare the X-E1 vs the OM-D E-M5
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH3

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH3

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$1,298 body only

$2,599 with 12-35mm lens
GPS Has a GPS
External mic jack Has an external mic jack
Panorama Lacks in-camera panoramic stitching
Light sensitivity Worse maximum light sensitivity
Compare the Lumix DMC-GH3 vs the OM-D E-M5
Nikon D7100

Nikon D7100

Entry-level DSLR

$1,197 body only

$1,497 with 18-105mm lens
Battery life Much longer battery life
Lens availability Much more lenses available
Image stabilization No image stabilization
Screen type Doesn't have an OLED screen
Compare the D7100 vs the OM-D E-M5

Olympus PEN E-P3 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Olympus PEN Lite E-PL3

Olympus PEN Lite E-PL3

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$399 with 14-42mm lens
Screen flips out Has a flip-out screen
Continuous shooting Shoots slightly faster
Screen type Doesn't have an OLED screen
Touch screen No touch screen
Compare the PEN Lite E-PL3 vs the PEN E-P3
Olympus PEN E-PM2

Olympus PEN E-PM2

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$956 with 14-42mm lens
Overall image quality Significantly better image quality
Low light performance Lower noise at high ISO
Screen type Doesn't have an OLED screen
3D Doesn't take 3D photos
Compare the PEN E-PM2 vs the PEN E-P3

appearance

Olympus OM-D E-M5 Olympus PEN E-P3
Olympus OM-D E-M5 Olympus PEN E-P3
Olympus OM-D E-M5 Olympus PEN E-P3

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