Both Olympus E-PL3 and Olympus E-P2 have Four Thirds sized 12.0 MP resolution sensors so sensor size and resolution is not a differentiator between these two cameras.
Below you can see the E-PL3 and E-P2 sensor size comparison.
Olympus E-PL3 and Olympus E-P2 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.
DxOMark Sensor Scores
DxOMark is a benchmark that scientifically assesses image quality of camera sensors. It 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. Olympus E-PL3 and Olympus E-P2 sensors have been tested by DxO and the results show that E-P2 has a better overall score of 56, 4 points higher compared to E-PL3's score of 52.
Model |
Overall |
Color Depth |
Dynamic Range |
Low-light ISO |
Olympus E-PL3 |
52 |
20.9 bits |
10.3 Evs |
499 ISO |
Olympus E-P2 |
56 |
21.5 bits |
10.4 Evs |
505 ISO |