Specifications#
- Brand
- Olympus
- Model
- PEN E-PL3
- Camera type
- Large-sensor compact
- Sensor size
- 17.3 × 13.0 mm (Four Thirds / Micro Four Thirds)
- Crop factor
- 2.00×
- Resolution
- 12.2 MP (4,032 × 3,024 px)
- ISO range
- 200 – 12,800
- Continuous shooting
- 4.1 fps
- Weight
- 265 g (9.3 oz)
- Sensor
- Four Thirds System 17.30 × 13.00 mm Live MOS
- Storage
- Secure Digital card; SDHC; SDXC
- Viewfinder
- live preview, optional electronic viewfinder VF-2; optional electronic viewfinder VF-3; optional optical viewfinder VF-1
- AF points / area
- 35 area contrast detect auto-focus, selectable
- Metering
- Digital ESP metering, Centre weighted average metering, Spot metering
- Exposure modes
- Program, shutter-priority, aperture-priority, manual
- Shutter
- 1/4,000 to 60 s, up to 30 minutes bulb
- Flash
- No built-in flash, but has Clip-on flash included, TTL, GN 10m equivalent (ISO200 · m); hotshoe for external flash attachment
- Battery
- Olympus BLS-5 Lithium-ion battery
- Dimensions
- 109.5 × 63.7 × 37.3 mm (4.31" × 2.51" × 1.47")
- Lens
- Micro Four Thirds System mount
- Drive
- 4.1 frames/s (5.5 frames/s in case of "I.S. OFF"
Specifications merged from Wikipedia and openMVG. Spot an error? Tell us.
Sensor size compared#
Focal length equivalents & field of view#
Multiply any focal length by 2.00 to get the full-frame field of view. For fixed-lens cameras use the real focal length printed on the lens (e.g. “6.1–18.3 mm”), not the 35 mm equivalent.
| Lens on this camera | Full-frame equivalent | Horizontal | Vertical | Diagonal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 mm | 16 mm | 94.5° | 78.2° | 107.0° |
| 10 mm | 20 mm | 81.7° | 66.0° | 94.5° |
| 12 mm | 24 mm | 71.6° | 56.9° | 84.1° |
| 14 mm | 28 mm | 63.4° | 49.8° | 75.4° |
| 16 mm | 32 mm | 56.8° | 44.2° | 68.1° |
| 18 mm | 36 mm | 51.3° | 39.7° | 62.0° |
| 20 mm | 40 mm | 46.8° | 36.0° | 56.8° |
| 24 mm | 48 mm | 39.6° | 30.3° | 48.5° |
| 28 mm | 56 mm | 34.3° | 26.1° | 42.3° |
| 35 mm | 70 mm | 27.8° | 21.0° | 34.4° |
| 40 mm | 80 mm | 24.4° | 18.5° | 30.3° |
| 50 mm | 100 mm | 19.6° | 14.8° | 24.4° |
| 56 mm | 112 mm | 17.6° | 13.2° | 21.9° |
| 70 mm | 140 mm | 14.1° | 10.6° | 17.6° |
| 85 mm | 170 mm | 11.6° | 8.7° | 14.5° |
| 100 mm | 200 mm | 9.9° | 7.4° | 12.4° |
| 135 mm | 270 mm | 7.3° | 5.5° | 9.2° |
| 200 mm | 400 mm | 5.0° | 3.7° | 6.2° |
| 300 mm | 600 mm | 3.3° | 2.5° | 4.1° |
| 400 mm | 800 mm | 2.5° | 1.9° | 3.1° |
| 600 mm | 1200 mm | 1.7° | 1.2° | 2.1° |
Depth of field table#
Total depth of field at each subject distance, using a circle of confusion of 15.0 µm (the 0.030 mm full-frame standard scaled by the crop factor). Detailed tables: 24 mm f/1.8, 24 mm f/2.8, 35 mm f/1.8, 35 mm f/2.8, 50 mm f/1.8, 50 mm f/2.8.
| Focal | Aperture | 50.0 cm | 1.00 m | 2.00 m | 3.00 m | 5.00 m | 10.0 m | Hyperfocal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 mm | f/1.8 | 11.0 cm | 46.4 cm | 2.21 m | 7.21 m | ∞ | ∞ | 4.49 m |
| 11 mm | f/2.8 | 17.5 cm | 77.9 cm | 5.28 m | ∞ | ∞ | ∞ | 2.89 m |
| 11 mm | f/4 | 25.8 cm | 1.29 m | 148 m | ∞ | ∞ | ∞ | 2.03 m |
| 11 mm | f/8 | 63.4 cm | 52.5 m | ∞ | ∞ | ∞ | ∞ | 1.02 m |
| 22 mm | f/1.8 | 2.7 cm | 10.9 cm | 44.7 cm | 1.03 m | 3.01 m | 16.1 m | 17.9 m |
| 22 mm | f/2.8 | 4.2 cm | 17.1 cm | 70.8 cm | 1.66 m | 5.31 m | 69.3 m | 11.5 m |
| 22 mm | f/4 | 5.9 cm | 24.6 cm | 1.04 m | 2.57 m | 9.97 m | ∞ | 8.09 m |
| 22 mm | f/8 | 12.0 cm | 51.5 cm | 2.58 m | 9.75 m | ∞ | ∞ | 4.05 m |
| 37 mm | f/1.8 | 0.9 cm | 3.8 cm | 15.5 cm | 35.2 cm | 98.9 cm | 4.09 m | 50.7 m |
| 37 mm | f/2.8 | 1.4 cm | 5.9 cm | 24.2 cm | 55.0 cm | 1.56 m | 6.75 m | 32.6 m |
| 37 mm | f/4 | 2.0 cm | 8.5 cm | 34.7 cm | 79.3 cm | 2.28 m | 10.8 m | 22.8 m |
| 37 mm | f/8 | 4.1 cm | 17.0 cm | 71.0 cm | 1.67 m | 5.37 m | 73.8 m | 11.4 m |
| 62 mm | f/1.8 | 0.3 cm | 1.3 cm | 5.4 cm | 12.4 cm | 34.7 cm | 1.40 m | 142 m |
| 62 mm | f/2.8 | 0.5 cm | 2.1 cm | 8.5 cm | 19.3 cm | 54.1 cm | 2.20 m | 91.6 m |
| 62 mm | f/4 | 0.7 cm | 2.9 cm | 12.1 cm | 27.6 cm | 77.6 cm | 3.18 m | 64.1 m |
| 62 mm | f/8 | 1.4 cm | 5.9 cm | 24.3 cm | 55.5 cm | 1.58 m | 6.87 m | 32.1 m |
Equivalent aperture#
Exposure is identical at the same f-number on any format; equivalence only describes depth of field and total light.
Diffraction & pixel pitch#
With 4.29 µm pixels, diffraction starts to soften pixel-level detail around f/6.4. For maximum sharpness keep landscapes between f/3.5 and f/6; stopping down further trades detail for depth of field.
| Aperture | Airy disk diameter | Spread over | At 100% view |
|---|---|---|---|
| f/2.8 | 3.8 µm | 0.9 px | sharp |
| f/4 | 5.4 µm | 1.3 px | sharp |
| f/5.6 | 7.5 µm | 1.8 px | sharp |
| f/8 | 10.7 µm | 2.5 px | slight softening |
| f/11 | 14.8 µm | 3.4 px | visibly soft |
| f/16 | 21.5 µm | 5.0 px | visibly soft |
| f/22 | 29.5 µm | 6.9 px | visibly soft |
Maximum print sizes#
At 12.2 MP the Olympus PEN E-PL3 produces 4,032 × 3,024 pixel images. See the 12 megapixel guide or the print size calculator.
| Resolution | Typical use | Inches | Centimetres |
|---|---|---|---|
| 300 DPI | Photo-lab quality | 13.4 × 10.1 in | 34 × 26 cm |
| 240 DPI | Fine-art inkjet | 16.8 × 12.6 in | 43 × 32 cm |
| 200 DPI | Wall print | 20.2 × 15.1 in | 51 × 38 cm |
| 150 DPI | Poster, viewed from 1 m+ | 26.9 × 20.2 in | 68 × 51 cm |
Night-sky exposure limits#
Longest exposure before stars trail. The NPF rule accounts for pixel pitch and is stricter than the classic 500 rule — use it for pin-sharp stars on high-resolution sensors.
| Focal length | 500 rule | NPF f/1.8 | NPF f/2.8 | NPF f/4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 mm (14 mm eq.) | 35.7 s | 27.4 s | 32.4 s | 38.4 s |
| 10 mm (20 mm eq.) | 25.0 s | 19.2 s | 22.7 s | 26.9 s |
| 12 mm (24 mm eq.) | 20.8 s | 16.0 s | 18.9 s | 22.4 s |
| 18 mm (36 mm eq.) | 13.9 s | 10.7 s | 12.6 s | 14.9 s |
| 25 mm (50 mm eq.) | 10.0 s | 7.7 s | 9.1 s | 10.7 s |
Handheld shutter speed guide#
The reciprocal rule uses the equivalent focal length. High-resolution sensors may need one stop faster than this for pixel-sharp results.
| Focal length | No stabilisation (1/equiv. focal) | With 3-stop IS | With 5-stop IBIS |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12 mm | 1/25 s | 0.3 s | 1.3 s |
| 25 mm | 1/50 s | 1/6 s | 0.6 s |
| 50 mm | 1/100 s | 1/13 s | 0.3 s |
| 100 mm | 1/200 s | 1/25 s | 1/6 s |
Lens#
The Olympus PEN E-PL3 has a built-in, non-interchangeable lens. Use the real focal length of that lens with the tables above; its full-frame equivalent is that number × 2.00.
Similar cameras#
Other Four Thirds / Micro Four Thirds cameras from around the same time.
- Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH4 2014
- Panasonic Lumix DC-G9 2017
- Panasonic Lumix DC-GH5 2017
- Panasonic Lumix DC-GH5S 2018
- Panasonic Lumix DC-GH5M2 2021
- Panasonic Lumix DC-GH6 2022
- Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF3
- Leica Digilux 3 2006
- Panasonic Lumix DMC-L1 2006
- Panasonic Lumix DMC-L10 2007
- Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1 2008
- Panasonic Lumix DMC-G2 2010
Frequently asked questions#
What is the crop factor of the Olympus PEN E-PL3?
The Olympus PEN E-PL3 has a crop factor of 2.00× relative to 35 mm full frame (diagonal 21.6 mm vs 43.3 mm).
What size is the Olympus PEN E-PL3 sensor?
17.3 × 13.0 mm (Four Thirds / Micro Four Thirds), an area of 225 mm² — 26% of full frame.
Is the Olympus PEN E-PL3 full frame?
No — its sensor is Four Thirds / Micro Four Thirds, which is 3.8× smaller in area than full frame.
How many megapixels does the Olympus PEN E-PL3 have?
12.2 megapixels (4,032 × 3,024 pixels), enough for a 13 × 10 inch print at 300 DPI.
How long can I expose the night sky with the Olympus PEN E-PL3?
With a 10 mm lens (20 mm equivalent) the 500 rule gives 25 s and the stricter NPF rule at f/2.8 gives 23 s.
Sources & licences#
- Wikipedia: Olympus PEN E-PL3 — CC BY-SA 4.0
- Wikidata Q7089244 — CC0
- openMVG sensor width database — MPL-2.0
Last updated October 03, 2026 · How we calculate · Sources