OM SYSTEM OM-3 vs Panasonic LUMIX G9II
Better figure, where one is clearly better
| OM SYSTEMOM-3 | PanasonicLUMIX G9II | |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Released | February 2025 | November 2023 |
| Image and sensor | ||
| Camera type | Mirrorless | Mirrorless |
| Sensor format | Four Thirds | Four Thirds |
| Sensor type | Stacked BSI Live MOS | Live MOS |
| Sensor dimensions | 17.3 × 13 mm | 17.3 × 13 mm |
| Effective resolution | 20.4 MP | 25.21 MP |
| Largest image | 5184 × 3888 | 5776 × 4336 |
| RAW recording | Yes | Yes |
| Standard ISO range | 80–102400 | 100–25600 |
| Sensor detail | UK specification rounds effective resolution to 20.4 MP and total to 22.9 MP; maker US press release specifies 20.37 effective and 22.93 total. 5184×3888 single-shot output, separate from 80 MP tripod or 50 MP handheld pixel-shift composites | Maker Japan specifies 25.21 million effective and 26.52 million total pixels, marketed as 25.2 MP; 17.3 × 13 mm Live MOS. Native 4:3 stills 5776×4336; high-resolution composites 11552×8672 are separate from native resolution |
| Image formats | ORF RAW and JPEG; high-resolution modes combine eight exposures and can save composite RAW; moving subjects and capture conditions affect results | JPEG and RAW; Fine/Standard JPEG and RAW+JPEG options |
| ISO detail | Maker UK published sensitivity range includes LOW, approximately ISO 80, through ISO 102400; default Auto upper limit ISO 25600. This headline range includes expanded settings, rather than implying ISO 80 is the native base sensitivity | Standard stills ISO 100–25600; expanded ISO 50; video and V-Log have different ranges. Maker Japan states no Dual Native ISO |
| Image processor | TruePic X | – |
| Lens and shooting | ||
| Lens mount | Micro Four Thirds | Micro Four Thirds |
| Stabilisation | Lens and sensor shift | Lens and sensor shift |
| Maximum continuous burst | 120 fps | 75 fps |
| Lens detail | Native Micro Four Thirds mount; Sync IS and fastest continuous tracking depend on compatible lenses; kit lens is excluded from body specifications | – |
| Autofocus | 1053 cross-type sensor phase-detection and contrast positions; AI recognition for humans, birds, cats/dogs, motorsports, aircraft and trains; EV −8 to 19 at approximately ISO 100 with an f/1.2 lens. Subject type is selected manually (Amateur Photographer) | Phase Hybrid AF; current Japan table recognises humans, animals, cars, motorcycles, trains and aircraft. The last two extend the launch-era review descriptions and are not assumed launch features |
| Shutter | Mechanical focal-plane 1/8000–60 seconds and Bulb up to 30 minutes; electronic high-speed modes have additional restrictions | Mechanical 60–1/8000 second and Bulb to approximately 30 minutes; electronic first curtain 60–1/2000; electronic 60–1/32000 with Bulb to approximately 60 seconds |
| Burst detail | Electronic SH1 up to 120 fps with focus/exposure fixed; SH2 up to 50 fps tracking with specified compatible lenses, no slow shutter or flash. Maker example buffer at 120 fps is 88 RAW/90 large fine JPEG, versus 102/125 at 50 fps and 151/375 at 20 fps, with specified KIOXIA card and 12–40mm F2.8 PRO II. Mechanical approximately 6 fps | Full-resolution electronic 75 fps AFS/MF with focus fixed; 60 or 20 fps AFS/AFC/MF. SH RAW/JPEG buffer 200 frames; mechanical 14 fps AFS/MF or 10 fps AFC, electronic first curtain 14/9 respectively. Normal RAW buffer at least 170 frames under maker conditions; pre-burst available, with heat-related restrictions |
| Stabilisation detail | Five-axis sensor shift, CIPA 2024 up to 6.5 centre/5.5 corner stops with 12–45mm F4 PRO at 45mm; compatible Sync IS up to 7.5/6.5 with 12–100mm F4 IS PRO at 100mm and half-press stabilisation off | Maker UK eight-stop B.I.S. with H-ES12060 at 60 mm, and 7.5-stop Dual I.S.2 with H-FSA14140 at 140 mm, under CIPA yaw/pitch conditions; electronic video stabilisation is separate |
| Flash | External hot-shoe flash support. Maker interface table lists a sync socket, while the read review's port discussion does not; no assumed connector shape | No built-in flash; external flash support and sync up to 1/250 second |
| Exposure controls | PASM, five saved custom modes, front colour/monochrome profile dial and CP button. Live ND to ND64; Live GND to GND8. Restrictions on mode, flash, ISO and shutter apply | – |
| Video | ||
| Highest video resolution | 4096 × 2160 at 60 fps | 5760 × 4320 at 29.97 fps |
| Video detail | Internal C4K 4096×2160 or UHD 3840×2160 up to 60p; H.264 and HEVC MOV formats, OM-Log400, HLG and OM-Cinema profiles. FHD high-speed 240 fps is separate from 4K. External 12-bit RAW HDMI needs a recorder and disables internal recording. Maker thermal claim of 30 minutes at 40°C or no thermal time limit at 25°C applies specifically to 4K30 10-bit testing, not every mode | Internal 5760×4320 4:3 open-gate HEVC 4:2:0 10-bit up to 29.97p; 5728×3024 17:9 up to 59.94p; C4K up to 119.88p and Full HD up to 239.76p. ProRes 422/HQ supported through USB SSD with recording-mode/media restrictions; no ProRes RAW inferred from GH7. Maker V-Log claim 13+ stops, dropping to 12+ above 60 fps; Dynamic Range Boost excludes SH bursts and specified slow-shutter combinations. No built-in cooling fan (Amateur Photographer) |
| Audio | Maker MOV settings include 48 kHz/16-bit and 96 kHz/24-bit; external 3.5 mm microphone and headphone connections | Stereo built-in microphone; high-resolution audio through compatible DMW-XLR1/DMW-XLR2; exact channel and format restrictions depend on recording mode |
| Screen and viewfinder | ||
| Viewfinder | Electronic | Electronic |
| Screen size | 3″ | 3″ |
| Screen dots | 1,620,000 | 1,840,000 |
| Touchscreen | Yes | Yes |
| Tilting screen | Yes | Yes |
| Display detail | Fully articulated three-inch touchscreen, approximately 1.62 million dots; connected port cables can restrict rotation (Amateur Photographer) | Three-inch 3:2 capacitive touchscreen, approximately 1.84 million dots; free-angle articulation (Panasonic UK), distinct from GH7's additional tilt frame |
| Viewfinder detail | OLED approximately 2.36 million dots, 100% coverage, maximum 1.37× with 50mm lens at infinity and −1 dioptre depending on finder style; review figures near 0.68× are full-frame-equivalent magnification | 0.5-inch OLED, approximately 3.68 million dots, 100% coverage; approximately 1.6× magnification, 0.8× in 35 mm terms under maker's 50 mm-equivalent/infinity/−1 dioptre/4:3 conditions |
| Connections and design | ||
| Wi-Fi | Yes | Yes |
| Bluetooth | Yes | Yes |
| Battery life (maker's claim) | 590 photographs | 370 photographs |
| Body weight | 413 g (better) | 575 g |
| Release detail | Maker US press release confirms late February 2025 availability; earliest UK/worldwide retail day unconfirmed, so month precision retained. Press PDF's June upload path is not the release date | Maker UK confirms November 2023 availability; September 2023 is the announcement, not substituted for first sale |
| Recording media | One SD/SDHC/SDXC slot with UHS-I and UHS-II support | Two SD/SDHC/SDXC UHS-II slots including V90; dual-slot recording options; supported video can record to USB SSD |
| Ports | USB 3 Type-C, Type D micro-HDMI, 3.5 mm microphone and headphone connections; maker launch release explicitly says wired remote operation is unsupported | USB-C 10 Gbps; full-size HDMI, 3.5 mm microphone/headphone and 2.5 mm remote sockets (Amateur Photographer) |
| Wireless connections | Wi-Fi and Bluetooth Low Energy 5.2; optional RM-WR2 remote support; GPS tagging uses smartphone location, not an inferred built-in receiver | Wi-Fi 2.4 GHz 802.11b/g/n and 5 GHz 802.11a/n/ac; Bluetooth Low Energy 5.0; Japan channel ranges not assumed identical globally |
| Battery life detail | BLX-1; approximately 590 standard-mode shots or 1040 Quick Sleep shots with specified KIOXIA UHS-II card. Maker video figures 120 minutes CIPA or 190 with zoom and other operations disabled | DMW-BLK22; current Japan CIPA 370 LCD/EVF shots with H-ES12060 and SD, or approximately 1300 in specified one-second power-save EVF mode. USB SSD approximately 310 shots. Older review claims of 390 shots are not substituted for the current maker table |
| Charging | In-camera USB charging and USB Power Delivery bus power; charger not included, optional BCX-1 dual charger and F-5AC/F-7AC adapters | USB in-camera charging; Japan table approximately 220 minutes with bundled USB AC adapter or 170 minutes with DMW-BTC15 adapter; optional DMW-BTC15 charger approximately 175 minutes |
| Dimensions | Approximately 139.3 × 88.9 × 45.8 mm, excluding protrusions | Approximately 134.3 × 102.3 × 90.1 mm, excluding protrusions |
| Weight detail | Approximately 413 g body only or 496 g including battery and memory card; photographed 12–45mm kit lens excluded | Maker UK 575 g body only, 658 g with battery and SD card; lens excluded |
| Materials | Magnesium alloy, −10 to 40°C operation; IP53 or IPX1 performance depends on attached lens. Maker weather qualification excludes charging and HDMI connection, and is not an immersion rating | Dust/splash-resistant body (Panasonic UK); no waterproof rating inferred |
| In the box | – | Japan maker lists body cap, hot-shoe cover, battery-grip connector cover, shoulder strap, battery, USB AC adapter and USB A–C cable; regional contents may vary |
| Colours | Silver-and-black body | – |
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