Olympus E-510 vs Panasonic GH2

Below is a extended assessment of the Olympus E-510 versus Panasonic GH2, former being a Advanced DSLR while the latter is a Advanced Mirrorless by manufacturers Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a noticeable gap among the image resolutions of the E-510 (10MP) and GH2 (16MP) but both cameras offer the identical sensor size (Four Thirds).

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The E-510 was introduced 4 years prior to the GH2 and that is a fairly sizable difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-510 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Panasonic GH2 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before delving into a full comparison, here is a brief highlight of how the E-510 matches up vs the GH2 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

The following is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus E-510 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH2. The whole galleries are provided at Olympus E-510 Gallery & Panasonic GH2 Gallery.

If you're intending to lug around your camera regularly, you'll have to think about its weight and size. The Olympus E-510 comes with outside dimensions of 136mm x 92mm x 68mm (5.4" x 3.6" x 2.7") along with a weight of 490 grams (1.08 lbs) whilst the Panasonic GH2 has specifications of 124mm x 90mm x 76mm (4.9" x 3.5" x 3.0") having a weight of 442 grams (0.97 lbs).

Check out the Olympus E-510 versus Panasonic GH2 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you are utilizing during that time. Below is a front view proportions comparison of the E-510 compared to the GH2.

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-510 and GH2 is 69 and 70 respectively.

Quite often, it is difficult to envision the difference in sensor measurements simply by seeing technical specs. The graphic here will help give you a stronger sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-510 and GH2.

As you can tell, each of these cameras feature the identical sensor size albeit not the same resolution. You can expect the Panasonic GH2 to produce greater detail using its extra 6 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also help you crop pictures way more aggressively. The older E-510 will be behind when it comes to sensor innovation.