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Olympus E-1 vs Panasonic GH2

Portability
59
Imaging
38
Features
36
Overall
37
Olympus E-1 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH2 front
Portability
70
Imaging
51
Features
65
Overall
56

Olympus E-1 vs Panasonic GH2 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 GH2
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Display
  • ISO 160 - 12800
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 442g - 124 x 90 x 76mm
  • Released March 2011
  • Superseded the Panasonic GH1
  • New Model is Panasonic GH3
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Olympus E-1 vs Panasonic GH2 Overview

Below is a detailed assessment of the Olympus E-1 vs Panasonic GH2, one being a Pro DSLR and the other is a Advanced Mirrorless by rivals Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a significant gap among the image resolutions of the E-1 (5MP) and GH2 (16MP) but they feature the same exact sensor sizes (Four Thirds).

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The E-1 was brought out 8 years prior to the GH2 and that is a fairly sizable gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Both of these cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-1 being a Large SLR camera and the Panasonic GH2 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before going straight into a in depth comparison, below is a concise summation of how the E-1 grades vs the GH2 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-1 over the Panasonic GH2

 E-1 GH2 

Reasons to pick Panasonic GH2 over the Olympus E-1

 GH2 E-1 
ReleasedMarch 2011November 2003More recent by 89 months
Display typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating display
Display sizing3"1.8"Larger display (+1.2")
Display resolution460k134kCrisper display (+326k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Common features in the Olympus E-1 and Panasonic GH2

 E-1 GH2 
Manually focus Very precise focusing

Olympus E-1 vs Panasonic GH2 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is going to lug around your camera frequently, you're going to have to consider its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-1 features outside dimensions 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 GH2 has measurements of 124mm x 90mm x 76mm (4.9" x 3.5" x 3.0") along with a weight of 442 grams (0.97 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus E-1 vs Panasonic GH2 in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary depending on the lens you choose at that time. Following is the front view over all size comparison of the E-1 compared to the GH2.

Olympus E-1 vs Panasonic GH2 size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-1 and GH2 is 59 and 70 respectively.

Olympus E-1 vs Panasonic GH2 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-1 vs Panasonic GH2 Sensor Comparison

Normally, it's difficult to imagine the contrast in sensor measurements only by going through a spec sheet. The graphic below should offer you a clearer sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-1 and GH2.

Clearly, the 2 cameras offer the same exact sensor sizing but different megapixels. You should expect to see the Panasonic GH2 to provide extra detail having its extra 11MP. Greater resolution will also enable you to crop pics a little more aggressively. The older E-1 will be disadvantaged with regard to sensor innovation.

Olympus E-1 vs Panasonic GH2 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-1 vs Panasonic GH2 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-1 vs Panasonic GH2 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-1 Portrait photography information
Panasonic GH2 Portrait photography information
46
manual focus
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
no liveview feature
resolution not great (5MP)
70
you can focus manually
MP count good (16 megapixels)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
offers face detect autofocus
exports RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-1 Street photography factors
Panasonic GH2 Street photography factors
57
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
environment proof
lighter than competitors (735g)
screen does not articulate
does not have image stabilization
68
fully articulated screen
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
lack of image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-1 Sports photography information
Panasonic GH2 Sports photography information
40
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
environment proof
comes with phase detect AF
no liveview feature
max fps very slow (3.0 fps)
does not have image stabilization
resolution not great (5MP)
46
MP count good (16MP)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
offers tracking focus
painfully slow continuous shooting (3.0 frames/s)
lack of image stabilization
low battery power (330 CIPA)
doesn't have phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-1 Travel photography highlights
Panasonic GH2 Travel photography highlights
47
lighter than competitors (735 grams)
environment proof
does not have Timelapse mode
resolution not great (5MP)
display isn't selfie friendly
62
MP count good (16MP)
built-in flash
screen is selfie friendly
doesn't have Timelapse mode
low battery power (330 CIPA)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-1 as a Landscape photography camera
Panasonic GH2 as a Landscape photography camera
46
manual focus
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
environment proof
small screen (1.8")
no liveview feature
does not have image stabilization
resolution not great (5MP)
does not have Timelapse mode
60
you can focus manually
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
pretty good screen size (3")
MP count good (16 megapixels)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
lack of image stabilization
low battery power (330 per charge)
doesn't have Timelapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-1 Vlogging factors
Panasonic GH2 Vlogging factors
9
lack of video recording
71
screen is selfie friendly
touchscreen enabled
offers face detect autofocus
high res video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
includes microphone support
lack of image stabilization
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Olympus E-1 vs Panasonic GH2 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-1 and Panasonic GH2
 Olympus E-1Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH2
General Information
Brand Olympus Panasonic
Model type Olympus E-1 Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH2
Class Pro DSLR Advanced Mirrorless
Announced 2003-11-29 2011-03-23
Physical type Large SLR SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Processor - Venus Engine FHD
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds Four Thirds
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 17.3 x 13mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 224.9mm²
Sensor resolution 5 megapixel 16 megapixel
Anti alias 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
Min native ISO 100 160
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
AF continuous
Single AF
AF tracking
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Total focus points 3 23
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds Micro Four Thirds
Available lenses 45 107
Focal length multiplier 2.1 2.1
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fully Articulated
Display size 1.8 inches 3 inches
Display resolution 134 thousand dots 460 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Display tech - TFT Color LCD with wide-viewing angle
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentaprism) Electronic
Viewfinder coverage 100% 100%
Viewfinder magnification 0.48x 0.71x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 secs 60 secs
Highest shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/4000 secs
Continuous shooting rate 3.0 frames per sec 3.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance no built-in flash 15.60 m
Flash modes Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync
External flash
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Highest flash synchronize 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 (24, 30, 60fps) 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30fps), 320 x 240 (30fps)
Maximum video resolution None 1920x1080
Video format - AVCHD, Motion JPEG
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 735 gr (1.62 lb) 442 gr (0.97 lb)
Dimensions 141 x 104 x 81mm (5.6" x 4.1" x 3.2") 124 x 90 x 76mm (4.9" x 3.5" x 3.0")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating not tested 60
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 21.2
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 11.3
DXO Low light rating not tested 655
Other
Battery life - 330 photographs
Battery style - Battery Pack
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage Compact Flash (Type I or II) SD/SDHC/SDXC
Card slots 1 1
Retail cost $1,700 $1,000