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Olympus E-M1 vs Panasonic GF2

Portability
71
Imaging
53
Features
85
Overall
65
Olympus OM-D E-M1 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF2 front
Portability
88
Imaging
48
Features
50
Overall
48

Olympus E-M1 vs Panasonic GF2 Key Specs

Olympus E-M1
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 497g - 130 x 94 x 63mm
  • Introduced October 2013
  • Newer Model is Olympus E-M1 II
Panasonic GF2
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 310g - 113 x 68 x 33mm
  • Revealed February 2011
  • Old Model is Panasonic GF1
  • Replacement is Panasonic GF3
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Olympus E-M1 vs Panasonic GF2 Overview

Its time to take a closer look at the Olympus E-M1 and Panasonic GF2, former is a Pro Mirrorless while the other is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by companies Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a noticeable gap between the resolutions of the E-M1 (16MP) and GF2 (12MP) but both cameras have the identical sensor sizes (Four Thirds).

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The E-M1 was released 2 years after the GF2 which is quite a sizable difference as far as technology is concerned. Each of the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-M1 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic GF2 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before diving into a detailed comparison, here is a concise view of how the E-M1 scores versus the GF2 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-M1 over the Panasonic GF2

 E-M1 GF2 
RevealedOctober 2013February 2011More modern by 33 months
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display resolution1037k460kSharper display (+577k dot)

Reasons to pick Panasonic GF2 over the Olympus E-M1

 GF2 E-M1 

Common features in the Olympus E-M1 and Panasonic GF2

 E-M1 GF2 
Manually focus More accurate focusing
Display size3"3"Same display dimensions
Selfie screen Neither includes selfie screen
Touch display Easily navigate

Olympus E-M1 vs Panasonic GF2 Physical Comparison

If you're intending to carry around your camera often, you have to consider its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-M1 features physical dimensions of 130mm x 94mm x 63mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.5") accompanied by a weight of 497 grams (1.10 lbs) whilst the Panasonic GF2 has measurements of 113mm x 68mm x 33mm (4.4" x 2.7" x 1.3") accompanied by a weight of 310 grams (0.68 lbs).

Check out the Olympus E-M1 and Panasonic GF2 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you select during that time. Below is a front view over all size comparison of the E-M1 and the GF2.

Olympus E-M1 vs Panasonic GF2 size comparison

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-M1 and GF2 is 71 and 88 respectively.

Olympus E-M1 vs Panasonic GF2 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-M1 vs Panasonic GF2 Sensor Comparison

More often than not, it is difficult to see the difference between sensor sizes purely by reading specifications. The pic underneath should give you a better sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-M1 and GF2.

To sum up, both of these cameras come with the identical sensor size but not the same MP. You can expect to see the Olympus E-M1 to offer more detail as a result of its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also help you crop photos a good deal more aggressively. The younger E-M1 is going to have a benefit with regard to sensor technology.

Olympus E-M1 vs Panasonic GF2 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-M1 vs Panasonic GF2 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-M1 vs Panasonic GF2 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-M1 as a Portrait photography camera
Panasonic GF2 as a Portrait photography camera
71
you can focus manually
above average flash sync speed (1/320s)
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
provides face detection focusing
delivers RAW files
60
you can focus manually
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
includes face detection autofocus
saves RAW files
resolution not great (12 megapixels)
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus E-M1
Street photography with Panasonic GF2
78
tilting screen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW files
supports focus by touch
environment proof
lighter than competition in class (497 grams)
good ISO range (25,600)
65
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
fixed screen
does not have image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-M1 Sports photography highlights
Panasonic GF2 Sports photography highlights
70
great max shutter speed (1/8,000s)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
provides tracking autofocus
environment proof
supports phase detect AF
bad battery life (350 CIPA)
38
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
includes tracking autofocus
low fps (3.0 frames/s)
does not have image stabilization
resolution not great (12MP)
not so great battery (300 shots)
doesn't have phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-M1 as a Travel photography camera
Panasonic GF2 as a Travel photography camera
65
lighter than competition in class (497g)
environment proof
supports focus by touch
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
bad battery life (350 CIPA)
does not have selfie friendly screen
52
has built in flash
no Timelapse recording
not so great battery (300 per charge)
resolution not great (12MP)
doesn't have a selfie friendly display
Photography Glossary

Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-M1 Landscape photography features
Panasonic GF2 Landscape photography features
73
you can focus manually
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
megapixel count decent (16MP)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
good ISO range (25,600)
delivers RAW files
environment proof
bad battery life (350 shots)
55
you can focus manually
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
nice screen size (3 inch)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
does not have image stabilization
resolution not great (12MP)
not so great battery (300 CIPA)
no Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus E-M1
Vlogging with Panasonic GF2
36
touchscreen enabled
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
provides face detection focusing
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
comes with external mic jack
lighter than competition in class (497g)
does not have selfie friendly screen
32
screen is touchscreen
includes face detection autofocus
high res video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
doesn't have a selfie friendly display
does not have image stabilization
no external microphone socket
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Olympus E-M1 vs Panasonic GF2 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M1 and Panasonic GF2
 Olympus OM-D E-M1Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF2
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Panasonic
Model Olympus OM-D E-M1 Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF2
Type Pro Mirrorless Entry-Level Mirrorless
Introduced 2013-10-28 2011-02-24
Physical type SLR-style mirrorless Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Powered by TruePIC VII Venus Engine FHD
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds Four Thirds
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 17.3 x 13mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 224.9mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixel 12 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 4608 x 3456 4000 x 3000
Maximum native ISO 25600 6400
Lowest native ISO 100 100
RAW format
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
Continuous AF
AF single
Tracking AF
AF selectice
AF center weighted
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Number of focus points 81 23
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds Micro Four Thirds
Number of lenses 107 107
Crop factor 2.1 2.1
Screen
Type of display Tilting Fixed Type
Display sizing 3 inches 3 inches
Resolution of display 1,037 thousand dots 460 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Display tech - TFT Color LCD with wide-viewing angle
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic None
Viewfinder resolution 2,360 thousand dots -
Viewfinder coverage 100% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.74x -
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60s 60s
Maximum shutter speed 1/8000s 1/4000s
Continuous shooting rate 10.0fps 3.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range no built-in flash 6.00 m
Flash modes Flash Auto, Redeye, Fill-in, Flash Off, Red-eye Slow sync (1st curtain), Slow sync (1st curtain), Slow sync (2nd curtain), Manual Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Maximum flash synchronize 1/320s 1/160s
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1280 x 720p (60, 30 fps), 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video data format H.264, Motion JPEG AVCHD, Motion JPEG
Microphone port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In None
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 497g (1.10 lbs) 310g (0.68 lbs)
Physical dimensions 130 x 94 x 63mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.5") 113 x 68 x 33mm (4.4" x 2.7" x 1.3")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 73 54
DXO Color Depth score 23.0 21.2
DXO Dynamic range score 12.7 10.3
DXO Low light score 757 506
Other
Battery life 350 photos 300 photos
Form of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model BLN-1 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 secs, custom) Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10 sec (3 images))
Time lapse recording
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC
Card slots 1 1
Price at launch $799 $330