Olympus E-PL3 has a
12.0MP Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Truepic VI processor. On the other hand, Olympus E-PM2 has a
16.0MP Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm ) sized CMOS sensor .
Below you can see the E-PL3 and E-PM2 sensor size comparison.
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Olympus E-PL3 and Olympus E-PM2 Cameras
Olympus E-PL3 and Olympus E-PM2 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-PL3 has 30% larger pixel area compared to Olympus E-PM2, it has potential to collect more light on pixel level hence have less noise in low light / High ISO images.
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-PM2 sensors have been tested by DxO and the results show that E-PM2 has a better overall score of 72, 20 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-PM2
72
22.7 bits
12.2 Evs
932 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-PL3
or the
Olympus E-PM2 ,
including hyperfocal distance.
