Olympus E-M1 vs Panasonic L1

Below is a in depth comparison of the Olympus E-M1 vs Panasonic L1, former being a Pro Mirrorless while the other is a Advanced DSLR by manufacturers Olympus and Panasonic. There is a substantial difference among the sensor resolutions of the E-M1 (16MP) and L1 (7MP) but they come with the same exact sensor size (Four Thirds).

Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide

The E-M1 was brought out 6 years later than the L1 and that is a fairly big difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-M1 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic L1 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before we go through a full comparison, below is a short introduction of how the E-M1 matches up against the L1 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Following is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus OM-D E-M1 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-L1. The entire galleries are available at Olympus E-M1 Gallery & Panasonic L1 Gallery.

For anyone who is aiming to lug around your camera often, you have to take into account its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-M1 provides outside measurements of 130mm x 94mm x 63mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.5") along with a weight of 497 grams (1.10 lbs) while the Panasonic L1 has measurements of 146mm x 87mm x 77mm (5.7" x 3.4" x 3.0") with a weight of 606 grams (1.34 lbs).

See the Olympus E-M1 vs Panasonic L1 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you are using at the time. Here is the front view dimensions comparison of the E-M1 compared to the L1.

Using size and weight, the portability rating of the E-M1 and L1 is 71 and 65 respectively.

Generally, its hard to see the contrast in sensor measurements just by researching specs. The visual below should provide you a better sense of the sensor measurements in the E-M1 and L1.

As you can plainly see, both of these cameras enjoy the same exact sensor sizing but not the same megapixels. You can expect to see the Olympus E-M1 to result in extra detail having its extra 9MP. Greater resolution will let you crop pics far more aggressively. The younger E-M1 will have an edge in sensor innovation.