Olympus E-3 has a
10.0MP Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features TruePic III processor. On the other hand, Panasonic G3 has a
16.0MP Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Venus Engine FHD processor.
Panasonic G3's sensor provides 6MP more than Olympus E-3's sensor, which gives a significant advantage in real life. You can print your images larger or crop more freely.
On the other hand, please keep in mind that Max sensor resolution is not the only determinant of resolving power. Factors such as the optical elements, low pass filter, pixel size and sensor technology also affects the final resolution of the captured image.
Below you can see the E-3 and G3 sensor size comparison.
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Olympus E-3 and Panasonic G3 Cameras
Olympus E-3 and Panasonic G3 have the same sensor sizes so they will provide same level of control over the depth of field when used with same focal length and aperture. On the other hand, since Olympus E-3 has 58% larger pixel area compared to Panasonic G3, it has potential to collect more light on pixel level hence have less noise in low light / High ISO images.
DxOMark Sensor Scores
At Camera Decision, we also look at Dxo Mark sensors when available as we think it is a good indicator of image quality.
Model
Overall
Color Depth
Dynamic Range
Low-light ISO
Olympus E-3
56
21.6 bits
10.5 Evs
571 ISO
Panasonic G3
56
21.0 bits
10.6 Evs
667 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
Olympus E-3
or the
Panasonic G3 ,
including hyperfocal distance.
