Both Panasonic GF3 and Olympus E-PL3 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 GF3 and E-PL3 sensor size comparison.
Panasonic GF3 and Olympus E-PL3 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. Panasonic GF3 and Olympus E-PL3 sensors have been tested by DxO and the results show that E-PL3 has a better overall score of 52, 2 points higher compared to GF3's score of 50.
Model |
Overall |
Color Depth |
Dynamic Range |
Low-light ISO |
Panasonic GF3 |
50 |
20.6 bits |
10.1 Evs |
459 ISO |
Olympus E-PL3 |
52 |
20.9 bits |
10.3 Evs |
499 ISO |