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Olympus E-M1 vs Panasonic GH2

Portability
71
Imaging
53
Features
85
Overall
65
Olympus OM-D E-M1 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH2 front
Portability
70
Imaging
51
Features
65
Overall
56

Olympus E-M1 vs Panasonic GH2 Key Specs

Olympus E-M1
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • 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
  • Renewed by Olympus E-M1 II
Panasonic GH2
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 160 - 12800
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 442g - 124 x 90 x 76mm
  • Announced March 2011
  • Earlier Model is Panasonic GH1
  • Newer Model is Panasonic GH3
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Olympus E-M1 vs Panasonic GH2 Overview

Its time to look a bit more closely at the Olympus E-M1 versus Panasonic GH2, one being a Pro Mirrorless and the latter is a Advanced Mirrorless by competitors Olympus and Panasonic. The image resolution of the E-M1 (16MP) and the GH2 (16MP) is relatively well matched and both cameras have the same sensor sizing (Four Thirds).

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The E-M1 was announced 2 years later than the GH2 and that is quite a large gap as far as tech is concerned. Each of these cameras have the same body design (SLR-style mirrorless).

Before getting right into a in depth comparison, here is a short highlight of how the E-M1 grades versus the GH2 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-M1 over the Panasonic GH2

 E-M1 GH2 
AnnouncedOctober 2013March 2011More recent by 32 months
Screen resolution1037k460kCrisper screen (+577k dot)

Reasons to pick Panasonic GH2 over the Olympus E-M1

 GH2 E-M1 
Screen typeFully ArticulatedTiltingFully Articulating screen
Selfie screen Take selfies

Common features in the Olympus E-M1 and Panasonic GH2

 E-M1 GH2 
Focus manually Very exact focus
Screen dimensions3"3"Equal screen measurement
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Olympus E-M1 vs Panasonic GH2 Physical Comparison

When you are intending to lug around your camera, you'll need to think about its weight and size. The Olympus E-M1 features physical dimensions of 130mm x 94mm x 63mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.5") and a weight of 497 grams (1.10 lbs) while the Panasonic GH2 has specifications of 124mm x 90mm x 76mm (4.9" x 3.5" x 3.0") with a weight of 442 grams (0.97 lbs).

See the Olympus E-M1 versus Panasonic GH2 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you are working with at that time. Below is a front view size comparison of the E-M1 versus the GH2.

Olympus E-M1 vs Panasonic GH2 size comparison

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability grade of the E-M1 and GH2 is 71 and 70 respectively.

Olympus E-M1 vs Panasonic GH2 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-M1 vs Panasonic GH2 Sensor Comparison

Generally, it can be tough to imagine the gap between sensor measurements simply by looking at specifications. The graphic below should provide you a much better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-M1 and GH2.

To sum up, the two cameras provide the same sensor dimensions and the exact same resolution so you should expect similar quality of photos but you should always take the production date of the products into consideration. The more recent E-M1 should have an edge when it comes to sensor technology.

Olympus E-M1 vs Panasonic GH2 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-M1 vs Panasonic GH2 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-M1 vs Panasonic GH2 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus E-M1
Portrait photography with Panasonic GH2
71
has manual focus
high flash sync (1/320 seconds)
MP count decent (16MP)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
offers face detection autofocus
supports RAW formats
70
has manual focus
decent sensor resolution (16 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
offers face detect focus
delivers RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-M1 Street photography information
Panasonic GH2 Street photography information
78
has a tilting screen
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
has touch focus
environment sealing
lighter than competition in class (497g)
good high ISO (25,600)
68
screen articulates
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW files
lack of image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-M1 Sports photography details
Panasonic GH2 Sports photography details
70
maximum shutter speed is high (1/8,000s)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
MP count decent (16 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
offers tracking autofocus
environment sealing
has phase detect autofocus
bad battery pack (350 CIPA)
46
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
offers tracking focus
very slow continuous shooting (3.0 frames/s)
lack of image stabilization
not so great battery life (330 CIPA)
lack of phase detect auto focus
Photography Glossary

Travel Comparison

Olympus E-M1 Travel photography information
Panasonic GH2 Travel photography information
65
lighter than competition in class (497 grams)
environment sealing
has touch focus
MP count decent (16 megapixels)
bad battery pack (350 CIPA)
screen is not selfie friendly
62
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
built-in flash
selfie friendly display
lack of Timelapse function
not so great battery life (330 CIPA)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-M1 Landscape photography features
Panasonic GH2 Landscape photography features
73
has manual focus
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is decent (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
MP count decent (16 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
good high ISO (25,600)
supports RAW formats
environment sealing
bad battery pack (350 per charge)
60
has manual focus
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inch)
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW files
lack of image stabilization
not so great battery life (330 per charge)
lack of Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-M1 Vlogging info
Panasonic GH2 Vlogging info
36
has touchscreen
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
offers face detection autofocus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
has external mic jack
lighter than competition in class (497 grams)
screen is not selfie friendly
71
selfie friendly display
touch screen
offers face detect focus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
has microphone socket
lack of image stabilization
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Olympus E-M1 vs Panasonic GH2 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M1 and Panasonic GH2
 Olympus OM-D E-M1Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH2
General Information
Company Olympus Panasonic
Model Olympus OM-D E-M1 Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH2
Category Pro Mirrorless Advanced Mirrorless
Introduced 2013-10-28 2011-03-23
Physical type SLR-style mirrorless SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Processor Chip 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 megapixels 16 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 4608 x 3456 4608 x 3456
Highest native ISO 25600 12800
Min native ISO 100 160
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
Continuous AF
Single AF
AF tracking
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Number of focus points 81 23
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds Micro Four Thirds
Total lenses 107 107
Focal length multiplier 2.1 2.1
Screen
Screen type Tilting Fully Articulated
Screen sizing 3" 3"
Screen resolution 1,037k dots 460k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Screen tech - TFT Color LCD with wide-viewing angle
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic Electronic
Viewfinder resolution 2,360k dots -
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification 0.74x 0.71x
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60s 60s
Fastest shutter speed 1/8000s 1/4000s
Continuous shutter rate 10.0 frames per second 3.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range no built-in flash 15.60 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
AEB
White balance bracketing
Fastest flash synchronize 1/320s 1/160s
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 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)
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video file 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
Environmental sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 497g (1.10 lb) 442g (0.97 lb)
Physical dimensions 130 x 94 x 63mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.5") 124 x 90 x 76mm (4.9" x 3.5" x 3.0")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score 73 60
DXO Color Depth score 23.0 21.2
DXO Dynamic range score 12.7 11.3
DXO Low light score 757 655
Other
Battery life 350 shots 330 shots
Style of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model BLN-1 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 secs, custom) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC
Card slots 1 1
Launch cost $799 $1,000