Olympus E-M1 vs Panasonic GF2
71 Imaging
52 Features
85 Overall
65
88 Imaging
47 Features
50 Overall
48
Olympus E-M1 vs Panasonic GF2 Key Specs
(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
(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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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).
Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music videoThe 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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The following is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus OM-D E-M1 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF2. The complete galleries are viewable at Olympus E-M1 Gallery & Panasonic GF2 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus E-M1 over the Panasonic GF2
| E-M1 | GF2 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revealed | October 2013 | February 2011 | More modern by 33 months | |
| Display type | Tilting | Fixed | Tilting display | |
| Display resolution | 1037k | 460k | Sharper 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 size | 3" | 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.
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.

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 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 Screen and ViewFinder
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Olympus E-M1 vs Panasonic GF2 Specifications
| Olympus OM-D E-M1 | Panasonic 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 |