On sale 42%

OM System PEN E-PL3 Black

★★★★☆ 3.7 (63)

The 12.3MP Live MOS sensor and in-body image stabilization pair with the TruePic VI processor to deliver sharp, color-accurate stills and rapid shot recovery. Its 3-inch articulating LCD and featherlight 313g body with the bundled 14-42mm zoom offer flexible framing and easy portability. This camera is best for beginners wanting a stabilized mirrorless system for daylight casual photography and creative angle exploration on a tight budget.

Type mirrorless
Sensor 12.3MP micro-four-thirds
AF Points 35 pts
Burst 5 fps
Video 1080p
IBIS Yes
Weight 313 g
OM System PEN E-PL3 Black camera
23 Overall Score
Also available in:

Snapshot

Pros & Cons

Pros

  • Strong stabilization (70th percentile) 70th

Cons

  • Below average af (4th percentile)
  • Below average sensor (7th percentile)
  • Below average user sentiment (14th percentile)
  • Below average build (14th percentile)

What owners think

How owner sentiment changed over time

Exclusive

Based on when customers actually wrote their reviews - so you can see whether early praise held up.

Owner sentiment has improved over time
72/100Our AI sentiment readlow confidence · 6 sources · May 2026
1★2★3★4★5★Q3 '12: 3.0★ · 1 reviewQ3 '13: 4.0★ · 1 reviewQ4 '13: 5.0★ · 1 reviewQ1 '14: 3.0★ · 1 reviewQ3 '14: 5.0★ · 1 reviewQ2 '17: 5.0★ · 1 review111111Q3 '12Q3 '13Q4 '13Q1 '14Q3 '14Q2 '17
Avg ratingHappy (4-5★)Unhappy (1-2★)Bar height = number of reviews

Based on 6 dated customer reviews, grouped by calendar quarter. Period analysis is in English.

The proof

Performance

Performance Percentiles

AF 4.4
EVF 34
Build 14
Burst 26.9
Video 45.6
Sensor 6.8
Battery 44.7
Display 59
User Sentiment 13.8
Connectivity 33.3
Social Proof 64.6
Stabilization 69.5

Specifications

Full Specifications

Sensor

Type CMOS
Size micro-four-thirds
Megapixels 12.3 MP
ISO Range 100
Processor TruePic VI

Autofocus

AF Points 35
Eye AF Yes

Shooting

Burst (Mechanical) 5

Video

Max Resolution 1080p
1080p FPS 60
Codec AVCHD, AVI

Display & EVF

Screen Size 3"
Articulating Yes

Build

Weight 0.3 kg / 0.7 lbs

Connectivity

Wi-Fi No
Hot Shoe Yes

vs Competition

Spec OM System PEN E-PL3 Fujifilm X-H2 X-H2 Sony Alpha 6700 Panasonic LUMIX GH7 GH7 Canon EOS R6 Mark II R6 Mark II Nikon Z5 II Z5 II
Type mirrorless mirrorless mirrorless mirrorless mirrorless mirrorless
Sensor 12.3MP micro-four-thirds 40.2MP aps-c 26MP aps-c 25.2MP micro-four-thirds 24.2MP full-frame 24.5MP full-frame
AF Points 35 425 793 315 1053 273
Burst FPS 5 20 11 75 12 30
Video 1080p 8K @60fps 4K @120fps 5K @120fps 4K @60fps 4K @60fps
IBIS true true true true true true
Weather Sealed false true true true true true
Weight (g) 313 579 413 721 590 620
Compare Compare Compare Compare Compare
Product AfEvfBuildBurstVideoSensorBatteryDisplayUser SentimentConnectivitySocial ProofStabilization
OM System PEN E-PL3 4.4341426.945.66.844.75913.833.364.669.5
Fujifilm X-H2 X-H2 Compare 86.39589.183.99598.196.681.283.192.99293
Sony Alpha 6700 Compare 97.285.290.566.788.891.794.881.29392.99282.9
Panasonic LUMIX GH7 GH7 Compare 82.185.997.494.997.154.188.681.29392.977.895.8
Canon EOS R6 Mark II R6 Mark II Compare 98.185.99487.282.446.198.681.283.192.99297.9
Nikon Z5 II Z5 II Compare 79.987.69587.383.851.39081.29392.999.282.9

Price

Value & Pricing

From $699 3 offers across 1 retailers
Amazon 3 offers From $699

Price History

$600 $700 $800 $900 $1,000 $1,100 $1,200 May 12May 29 $1,099

Usage Scores

Overall (22.6)Video (28.8)Travel (19.8)Youtube (33.5)Beginner (28)Vlogging (33.1)Streaming (28.8)Photography (14.8)Wedding Events (17.8)Sports Wildlife (10.8)Product Photography (21.5)

A full written review is coming soon. The specs, scores, prices and charts above are always up to date.

Other Configurations1

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