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Olympus E-1 vs Panasonic G5

Portability
59
Imaging
38
Features
36
Overall
37
Olympus E-1 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-G5 front
Portability
74
Imaging
52
Features
66
Overall
57

Olympus E-1 vs Panasonic G5 Key Specs

Olympus E-1
(Full Review)
  • 5MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 1.8" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • No Video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 735g - 141 x 104 x 81mm
  • Announced November 2003
  • Updated by Olympus E-3
Panasonic G5
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Display
  • ISO 160 - 12800
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 396g - 120 x 83 x 71mm
  • Revealed July 2012
  • Replaced the Panasonic G3
  • Successor is Panasonic G6
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Olympus E-1 vs Panasonic G5 Overview

Lets examine more in depth at the Olympus E-1 vs Panasonic G5, one is a Pro DSLR and the other is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by brands Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a crucial gap among the sensor resolutions of the E-1 (5MP) and G5 (16MP) but they feature the same exact sensor sizes (Four Thirds).

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The E-1 was manufactured 9 years before the G5 which is a fairly serious gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Both cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-1 being a Large SLR camera and the Panasonic G5 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before diving straight into a in depth comparison, below is a short summary of how the E-1 grades against the G5 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Photography Glossary
	
	

Reasons to pick Olympus E-1 over the Panasonic G5

 E-1 G5 

Reasons to pick Panasonic G5 over the Olympus E-1

 G5 E-1 
RevealedJuly 2012November 2003Newer by 105 months
Display typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating display
Display sizing3"1.8"Larger display (+1.2")
Display resolution920k134kSharper display (+786k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Common features in the Olympus E-1 and Panasonic G5

 E-1 G5 
Manual focus More accurate focusing

Olympus E-1 vs Panasonic G5 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is intending to travel with your camera regularly, you are going to need to factor its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-1 enjoys outside measurements of 141mm x 104mm x 81mm (5.6" x 4.1" x 3.2") accompanied by a weight of 735 grams (1.62 lbs) whilst the Panasonic G5 has dimensions of 120mm x 83mm x 71mm (4.7" x 3.3" x 2.8") with a weight of 396 grams (0.87 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-1 vs Panasonic G5 in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary based on the lens you are working with at that time. Here is the front view proportions comparison of the E-1 vs the G5.

Olympus E-1 vs Panasonic G5 size comparison

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-1 and G5 is 59 and 74 respectively.

Olympus E-1 vs Panasonic G5 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-1 vs Panasonic G5 Sensor Comparison

Typically, it is hard to visualize the contrast in sensor dimensions simply by seeing specs. The picture here may give you a much better sense of the sensor sizing in the E-1 and G5.

As you can plainly see, both the cameras offer the same exact sensor sizing but different resolution. You should expect to see the Panasonic G5 to provide more detail due to its extra 11MP. Greater resolution can also let you crop images a little more aggressively. The more aged E-1 will be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor innovation.

Olympus E-1 vs Panasonic G5 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-1 vs Panasonic G5 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-1 vs Panasonic G5 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus E-1
Portrait photography with Panasonic G5
46
focusing manually
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
does not have liveview
low MP (5 megapixels)
71
focusing manually
good megapixels (16MP)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
offers face detection focus
exports RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-1 as a Street photography camera
Panasonic G5 as a Street photography camera
57
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
weather proof
lighter than competitors (735 grams)
no moving screen
does not have image stabilization
66
fully articulated screen
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
includes focus via touch
lack of image stabilization
heavier than competition in class (396 grams)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-1 Sports photography advice
Panasonic G5 Sports photography advice
40
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
weather proof
comes with phase detect auto focus
does not have liveview
max fps low (3.0 fps)
does not have image stabilization
low MP (5MP)
51
good megapixels (16 megapixels)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
offers tracking autofocus
max fps low (6.0 frames per second)
lack of image stabilization
does not have phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-1 Travel photography advice
Panasonic G5 Travel photography advice
47
lighter than competitors (735g)
weather proof
no Time Lapse mode
low MP (5MP)
doesn't feature selfie friendly screen
66
includes focus via touch
good megapixels (16 megapixels)
built-in flash
screen is selfie friendly
no Time Lapse function
heavier than competition in class (396g)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-1 as a Landscape photography camera
Panasonic G5 as a Landscape photography camera
46
focusing manually
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
weather proof
screen is small (1.8 inch)
does not have liveview
does not have image stabilization
low MP (5MP)
no Time Lapse mode
65
focusing manually
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is good (3 inch)
good megapixels (16MP)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
lack of image stabilization
no Time Lapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-1 as a Vlogging camera
Panasonic G5 as a Vlogging camera
9
no video
62
screen is selfie friendly
has touchscreen
offers face detection focus
great video quality (1920 x 1080 pxls)
lack of image stabilization
no external mic jack
heavier than competition in class (396g)
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Olympus E-1 vs Panasonic G5 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-1 and Panasonic G5
 Olympus E-1Panasonic Lumix DMC-G5
General Information
Brand Olympus Panasonic
Model Olympus E-1 Panasonic Lumix DMC-G5
Type Pro DSLR Entry-Level Mirrorless
Announced 2003-11-29 2012-07-17
Body design Large SLR SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Chip - Venus Engine VII FHD
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds Four Thirds
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 17.3 x 13mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 224.9mm²
Sensor resolution 5MP 16MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 2560 x 1920 4608 x 3456
Maximum native ISO 3200 12800
Lowest native ISO 100 160
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Autofocus touch
Continuous autofocus
Single autofocus
Tracking autofocus
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Number of focus points 3 23
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds Micro Four Thirds
Amount of lenses 45 107
Crop factor 2.1 2.1
Screen
Range of display Fixed Type Fully Articulated
Display sizing 1.8" 3"
Display resolution 134k dot 920k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Display technology - TFT Color LCD with wide-viewing angle
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentaprism) Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 1,440k dot
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification 0.48x 0.7x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 secs 60 secs
Highest shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/4000 secs
Continuous shooting speed 3.0 frames per second 6.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range no built-in flash 10.50 m
Flash options Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Highest flash sync 1/180 secs 1/160 secs
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions - 1920 x 1080 (60, 50, 30, 25fps) 1280 x 720 (60, 50, 30, 25fps), 640 x 480 (30, 25fps
Maximum video resolution None 1920x1080
Video data format - MPEG-4, AVCHD
Mic input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 735 grams (1.62 lbs) 396 grams (0.87 lbs)
Dimensions 141 x 104 x 81mm (5.6" x 4.1" x 3.2") 120 x 83 x 71mm (4.7" x 3.3" x 2.8")
DXO scores
DXO All around score not tested 61
DXO Color Depth score not tested 21.4
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 11.6
DXO Low light score not tested 618
Other
Battery life - 320 photos
Battery format - Battery Pack
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10 sec (3 images))
Time lapse recording
Type of storage Compact Flash (Type I or II) SD/SDHC/SDXC
Storage slots Single Single
Pricing at launch $1,700 $699