Olympus E-PL5 has a
16.0MP Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm ) sized CMOS sensor . On the other hand, Panasonic GF3 has a
12.0MP Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Venus Engine FHD processor.
Below you can see the E-PL5 and GF3 sensor size comparison.
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Olympus E-PL5 and Panasonic GF3 Cameras
Olympus E-PL5 and Panasonic GF3 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 Panasonic GF3 has 32% larger pixel area (18.74µm 2 vs 14.12µm 2 ) compared to Olympus E-PL5, it has larger pixel area to collect light hence potential to have less noise in low light / High ISO images.
DxOMark Sensor Scores
Both Olympus E-PL5 and Panasonic GF3 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, E-PL5 has scored 72, 22 points higher than GF3.
Model
Overall
Color Depth
Dynamic Range
Low-light ISO
Olympus E-PL5
72
22.8 bits
12.3 Evs
889 ISO
Panasonic GF3
50
20.6 bits
10.1 Evs
459 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-PL5
or the
Panasonic GF3 ,
including hyperfocal distance.
