Canon 5D has a
13.0MP Full frame (36 x 24 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Digic II processor. On the other hand, Olympus E-PL3 has a
12.0MP Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Truepic VI processor.
Below you can see the 5D and E-PL3 sensor size comparison.
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Canon 5D and Olympus E-PL3 Cameras
As seen above, Canon 5D has a 3.8x Larger sensor area than Olympus E-PL3. Larger sensors give photographer more control on the depth of field and blurry background compared to smaller sensor when shot in same focal length and aperture.
DxOMark Sensor Scores
Both Canon 5D and Olympus E-PL3 sensors have been tested by DxoMark. DxoMark scores camera sensors for color depth (DXO Portrait), dynamic range (DXO Landscape) and low-light sensitivity (DXO Sports), and also gives them an overall score. Of the two cameras that we are comparing, 5D has scored 71, 19 points higher than E-PL3.
Model
Overall
Color Depth
Dynamic Range
Low-light ISO
Canon 5D
71
22.9 bits
11.1 Evs
1368 ISO
Olympus E-PL3
52
20.9 bits
10.3 Evs
499 ISO
Sensor size sets the circle of confusion, so it drives how much depth of field each
of these bodies gives you at a given aperture. You can calculate it exactly for the
Canon 5D
or the
Olympus E-PL3 ,
including hyperfocal distance.
One thing to watch when comparing these two: they have different sensor sizes
(Full frame versus Four Thirds),
so compare them at the same framing rather than the same focal length.
Put the same focal length on the smaller sensor and it will show less depth of
field, not more, because it also crops tighter. The calculator shows the
full frame equivalent focal length for each body so you can match the framing.
