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Olympus E-1 vs Panasonic GH4

Portability
59
Imaging
38
Features
36
Overall
37
Olympus E-1 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH4 front
Portability
66
Imaging
53
Features
88
Overall
67

Olympus E-1 vs Panasonic GH4 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
  • Successor is Olympus E-3
Panasonic GH4
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 4096 x 2160 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 560g - 133 x 93 x 84mm
  • Launched February 2014
  • Older Model is Panasonic GH3
  • Replacement is Panasonic GH5
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Olympus E-1 vs Panasonic GH4 Overview

Here is a extended overview of the Olympus E-1 and Panasonic GH4, former being a Pro DSLR while the latter is a Pro Mirrorless by companies Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a substantial gap among the image resolutions of the E-1 (5MP) and GH4 (16MP) but both cameras boast the same sensor sizes (Four Thirds).

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The E-1 was released 11 years before the GH4 and that is a fairly big difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of the cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-1 being a Large SLR camera and the Panasonic GH4 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before going right into a thorough comparison, here is a simple summary of how the E-1 grades against the GH4 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-1 over the Panasonic GH4

 E-1 GH4 

Reasons to pick Panasonic GH4 over the Olympus E-1

 GH4 E-1 
LaunchedFebruary 2014November 2003Fresher by 124 months
Screen typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating screen
Screen dimensions3"1.8"Bigger screen (+1.2")
Screen resolution1036k134kClearer screen (+902k dot)
Selfie screen Take selfies
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Common features in the Olympus E-1 and Panasonic GH4

 E-1 GH4 
Manually focus More accurate focusing

Olympus E-1 vs Panasonic GH4 Physical Comparison

For those who are intending to carry your camera regularly, you have to take into account its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-1 has physical measurements of 141mm x 104mm x 81mm (5.6" x 4.1" x 3.2") along with a weight of 735 grams (1.62 lbs) and the Panasonic GH4 has proportions of 133mm x 93mm x 84mm (5.2" x 3.7" x 3.3") with a weight of 560 grams (1.23 lbs).

Check the Olympus E-1 and Panasonic GH4 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you are utilizing at that time. Here is a front view physical size comparison of the E-1 versus the GH4.

Olympus E-1 vs Panasonic GH4 size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-1 and GH4 is 59 and 66 respectively.

Olympus E-1 vs Panasonic GH4 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-1 vs Panasonic GH4 Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, it can be hard to visualise the gap in sensor sizing purely by going through a spec sheet. The photograph underneath will provide you a greater sense of the sensor measurements in the E-1 and GH4.

Clearly, each of the cameras have the same sensor dimensions albeit not the same MP. You can count on the Panasonic GH4 to show greater detail as a result of its extra 11MP. Higher resolution can also enable you to crop shots a bit more aggressively. The older E-1 will be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor innovation.

Olympus E-1 vs Panasonic GH4 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-1 vs Panasonic GH4 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-1 vs Panasonic GH4 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-1 Portrait photography details
Panasonic GH4 Portrait photography details
46
manual focus
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
no liveview feature
low megapixels (5 megapixels)
71
you can focus manually
good resolution (16 megapixels)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
provides face detect focus
saves RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-1 as a Street photography camera
Panasonic GH4 as a Street photography camera
57
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
environment sealing
lighter than others in class (735g)
no moving screen
does not have image stabilization
71
screen can move to multiple angles
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
includes touch to focus
weather proof
lighter than competitors (560 grams)
great ISO range (25,600)
no image stabilization
Photography Glossary

Sports Comparison

Olympus E-1 Sports photography details
Panasonic GH4 Sports photography details
40
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
environment sealing
comes with phase detect AF
no liveview feature
low fps (3.0 frames per second)
does not have image stabilization
low megapixels (5 megapixels)
62
max shutter speed is good (1/8,000s)
good resolution (16MP)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
provides tracking focus
weather proof
no image stabilization
does not have phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-1 Travel photography highlights
Panasonic GH4 Travel photography highlights
47
lighter than others in class (735g)
environment sealing
lack of Time Lapse mode
low megapixels (5MP)
does not contain selfie friendly display
77
lighter than competitors (560g)
weather proof
includes touch to focus
good resolution (16 megapixels)
flash built-in
screen is selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-1 as a Landscape photography camera
Panasonic GH4 as a Landscape photography camera
46
manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
environment sealing
screen is small (1.8 inches)
no liveview feature
does not have image stabilization
low megapixels (5 megapixels)
lack of Time Lapse mode
72
you can focus manually
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inches)
good resolution (16 megapixels)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
great ISO range (25,600)
saves RAW files
weather proof
no image stabilization
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-1 as a Vlogging camera
Panasonic GH4 as a Vlogging camera
9
lack of video recording
71
screen is selfie friendly
touchscreen capability
provides face detect focus
high res video (4096 x 2160 pixels)
has mic support
lighter than competitors (560 grams)
no image stabilization
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Olympus E-1 vs Panasonic GH4 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-1 and Panasonic GH4
 Olympus E-1Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH4
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Panasonic
Model Olympus E-1 Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH4
Class Pro DSLR Pro Mirrorless
Announced 2003-11-29 2014-02-07
Physical type Large SLR SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Processor - Venus Engine IX
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds Four Thirds
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 17.3 x 13mm
Sensor surface 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
Full resolution 2560 x 1920 4608 x 3456
Max native ISO 3200 25600
Min native ISO 100 200
RAW data
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Number of focus points 3 49
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds Micro Four Thirds
Available lenses 45 107
Crop factor 2.1 2.1
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fully Articulated
Display size 1.8 inch 3 inch
Resolution of display 134 thousand dots 1,036 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Display technology - OLED
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentaprism) Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 2,359 thousand dots
Viewfinder coverage 100% 100%
Viewfinder magnification 0.48x 0.67x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60s 60s
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000s 1/8000s
Continuous shooting rate 3.0 frames/s 12.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range no built-in flash 17.00 m (at ISO 200)
Flash modes Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Auto, auto/redeye reduction, forced on, forced on/redeye reduction, slow sync, slow sync/redeye reduction, forced off
External flash
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Maximum flash synchronize 1/180s 1/250s
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions - 4096 x 2160 (24p), 3840 x 2160 (24p, 25p, 30p), 1920 x 1080 (24p, 25p, 30p, 50p, 60p), 1280 x 720 (24p, 25p, 30p), 640 x 480 (25p, 30p)
Max video resolution None 4096x2160
Video data format - MPEG-4, AVCHD
Mic support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 735 grams (1.62 lbs) 560 grams (1.23 lbs)
Physical dimensions 141 x 104 x 81mm (5.6" x 4.1" x 3.2") 133 x 93 x 84mm (5.2" x 3.7" x 3.3")
DXO scores
DXO All around score not tested 74
DXO Color Depth score not tested 23.2
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 12.8
DXO Low light score not tested 791
Other
Battery life - 500 pictures
Battery style - Battery Pack
Battery model - DMW-BLF19
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 secs (single or three-shot))
Time lapse recording
Type of storage Compact Flash (Type I or II) SD/SDHC/SDXC
Card slots Single Single
Cost at launch $1,700 $1,500