OM SYSTEM OM-3 vs Panasonic LUMIX G97
Better figure, where one is clearly better
| OM SYSTEMOM-3 | PanasonicLUMIX G97 | |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Released | February 2025 | February 2025 |
| Image and sensor | ||
| Camera type | Mirrorless | Mirrorless |
| Sensor format | Four Thirds | Four Thirds |
| Sensor type | Stacked BSI Live MOS | CMOS |
| Sensor dimensions | 17.3 × 13 mm | – |
| Effective resolution | 20.4 MP | 20.3 MP |
| Largest image | 5184 × 3888 | 5184 × 3888 |
| RAW recording | Yes | Yes |
| Standard ISO range | 80–102400 | 200–25600 |
| 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 specifies four-thirds CMOS, approximately 20.3 million effective and 21.8 million total pixels; native 4:3 stills 5184×3888. Sensor dimensions and BSI construction are not inferred from other Lumix bodies |
| 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, RAW and RAW+JPEG; 4K Photo frames are separate cropped JPEG captures |
| 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 200–25600; expanded ISO 100. Creative Video ISO 200–6400 with expanded 100, under the manual's mode restrictions |
| Image processor | TruePic X | Venus Engine (maker announcement) |
| 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 | 9 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) | Contrast-detection TTL AF; AFS/AFF/AFC/MF, face/eye detection, tracking, 49-area, Custom Multi, single-area and pinpoint modes |
| Shutter | Mechanical focal-plane 1/8000–60 seconds and Bulb up to 30 minutes; electronic high-speed modes have additional restrictions | Mechanical 60–1/4000 second; electronic first curtain 60–1/2000; electronic 1–1/16000. Mechanical/first-curtain Bulb approximately 30 minutes maximum |
| 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 9 fps AFS/MF or 6 fps AFF/AFC with mechanical, electronic first-curtain or electronic shutter; 27 or more RAW frames, 600 or more without RAW under specified Panasonic tests and media conditions. 30 fps 4K Photo is approximately 8 MP cropped output and is excluded from native-resolution burst speed |
| 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 | Five-axis sensor-shift IBIS and compatible-lens Dual I.S.2, both rated five stops under CIPA yaw/pitch conditions; IBIS tested with H-FS12060 at 60 mm, Dual I.S.2 with H-FSA14140 at 140 mm |
| 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 | Built-in pop-up TTL flash, GN 9 at ISO 200 or GN 6.4 at ISO 100; sync up to 1/200 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 | 3840 × 2160 at 30 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 MP4 H.264 3840×2160 at 30/25/24p for European DC-G97E, 100 Mbps; Full HD up to 60p. 4K narrows the angle of view and uses reduced autofocus speed. Maker states no fixed recording time limit but warns that high ambient temperature can stop recording; media/battery also limit duration. V-Log L with maker claim of 12 stops; Internal 4:2:0 8-bit capture (maker advanced manual). No external 10-bit claim adopted from the review without maker confirmation |
| Audio | Maker MOV settings include 48 kHz/16-bit and 96 kHz/24-bit; external 3.5 mm microphone and headphone connections | Stereo audio with AAC compression; 3.5 mm stereo microphone input and headphone output |
| 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 (Amateur Photographer) |
| 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 | 0.39-inch 4:3 OLED, approximately 2.36 million dots, approximately 100% coverage; 1.48× magnification, 0.74× in 35 mm terms under maker's 50 mm/infinity/−1 dioptre/4:3 conditions |
| Connections and design | ||
| Wi-Fi | Yes | Yes |
| Bluetooth | Yes | Yes |
| Battery life (maker's claim) | 590 photographs | 300 photographs |
| Body weight | 413 g (better) | 478 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 German announcement confirms February 2025 availability. The UK article, dated December 2024, prints February 2024 for both new cameras; that conflicting year is not used as the release date. No precise first retail day confirmed |
| Recording media | One SD/SDHC/SDXC slot with UHS-I and UHS-II support | One SD/SDHC/SDXC slot; UHS-I/UHS-II U3 supported under maker's format and recording restrictions |
| 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 USB 2.0 High Speed; micro HDMI Type D, 2.5 mm remote and 3.5 mm microphone/headphone sockets |
| 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 802.11b/g/n at 2.4 GHz and Bluetooth Low Energy 5.0; North American channels 1–11 are not assumed identical in every region |
| 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-BLC12 lithium-ion, 7.2 V 1200 mAh in the North American specification. CIPA approximately 280 monitor shots or 300 viewfinder shots with H-FS12060 and Nextorage SDXC; approximately 1050 only in Panasonic's specified one-second power-save EVF test |
| 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-C in-camera charging; USB cable and AC adapter are commercially available rather than assumed supplied |
| Dimensions | Approximately 139.3 × 88.9 × 45.8 mm, excluding protrusions | Approximately 130.4 × 93.5 × 77.4 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 478 g body only, 530 g with battery and 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 construction; not waterproof. Maker operating range 0–40 °C |
| In the box | – | Body, battery pack, shoulder strap, body cap, hot-shoe cover and battery-grip connector cover; kit includes its lens and lens accessories. Regional contents may vary |
| Colours | Silver-and-black body | – |
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