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Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic GF1

Portability
80
Imaging
54
Features
84
Overall
66
Olympus OM-D E-M5 II front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1 front
Portability
85
Imaging
47
Features
47
Overall
47

Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic GF1 Key Specs

Olympus E-M5 II
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 469g - 124 x 85 x 45mm
  • Announced February 2015
  • Older Model is Olympus E-M5
  • Updated by Olympus E-M5 III
Panasonic GF1
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 385g - 119 x 71 x 36mm
  • Launched October 2009
  • Replacement is Panasonic GF2
Photography Glossary

Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic GF1 Overview

Let's look more closely at the Olympus E-M5 II versus Panasonic GF1, one being a Advanced Mirrorless and the other is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by competitors Olympus and Panasonic. There is a crucial difference among the resolutions of the E-M5 II (16MP) and GF1 (12MP) but both cameras have the identical sensor size (Four Thirds).

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The E-M5 II was revealed 5 years later than the GF1 and that is a fairly serious gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Both of the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-M5 II being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic GF1 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before going right into a full comparison, here is a concise overview of how the E-M5 II matches up against the GF1 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-M5 II over the Panasonic GF1

 E-M5 II GF1 
LaunchedFebruary 2015October 2009Fresher by 65 months
Display typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating display
Display resolution1037k460kSharper display (+577k dot)
Selfie screen Take selfies
Touch display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Panasonic GF1 over the Olympus E-M5 II

 GF1 E-M5 II 

Common features in the Olympus E-M5 II and Panasonic GF1

 E-M5 II GF1 
Manual focus Very accurate focus
Display size3"3"Same display size

Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic GF1 Physical Comparison

If you're aiming to carry your camera frequently, you'll need to factor in its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-M5 II enjoys outer measurements of 124mm x 85mm x 45mm (4.9" x 3.3" x 1.8") along with a weight of 469 grams (1.03 lbs) whilst the Panasonic GF1 has dimensions of 119mm x 71mm x 36mm (4.7" x 2.8" x 1.4") with a weight of 385 grams (0.85 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus E-M5 II versus Panasonic GF1 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Always remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change depending on the lens you have chosen at the time. Underneath is a front view measurement comparison of the E-M5 II versus the GF1.

Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic GF1 size comparison

Using size and weight, the portability grade of the E-M5 II and GF1 is 80 and 85 respectively.

Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic GF1 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic GF1 Sensor Comparison

Often, its tough to envision the gap in sensor sizing only by going through technical specs. The photograph here will help offer you a much better sense of the sensor sizing in the E-M5 II and GF1.

As you can tell, each of the cameras come with the identical sensor size but not the same MP. You should anticipate the Olympus E-M5 II to show more detail because of its extra 4MP. Greater resolution can also enable you to crop images a good deal more aggressively. The newer E-M5 II will have an edge with regard to sensor innovation.

Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic GF1 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic GF1 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic GF1 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-M5 II Portrait photography factors
Panasonic GF1 Portrait photography factors
72
manual focus
good MP (16MP)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
supports face detect focusing
supports RAW formats
60
manual focus
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
offers face detect focus
exports RAW formats
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus E-M5 II
Street photography with Panasonic GF1
82
screen articulates
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
comes with touch to focus
environment sealing
great ISO range (25,600)
64
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
screen is fixed
lack of image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-M5 II Sports photography features
Panasonic GF1 Sports photography features
65
maximum shutter speed is high (1/8,000s)
quiet shutter (1/16,000s)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good MP (16MP)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
supports tracking focus
environment sealing
not so great battery pack (310 CIPA)
has no phase detect AF
44
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
offers tracking focus
good battery power (380 per charge)
painfully slow continuous shooting (3.0 frames per second)
lack of image stabilization
megapixel count low (12MP)
lacks phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-M5 II Travel photography info
Panasonic GF1 Travel photography info
74
environment sealing
comes with touch to focus
good MP (16MP)
selfie friendly display
not so great battery pack (310 CIPA)
59
good battery power (380 shots)
built-in flash
doesn't have Time Lapse function
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
screen is not selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus E-M5 II
Landscape photography with Panasonic GF1
74
manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
good sized screen (3 inches)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good MP (16MP)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
great ISO range (25,600)
supports RAW formats
environment sealing
not so great battery pack (310 shots)
60
manual focus
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is decent (3 inch)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
good battery power (380 per charge)
lack of image stabilization
megapixel count low (12MP)
doesn't have Time Lapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-M5 II as a Vlogging camera
Panasonic GF1 as a Vlogging camera
82
selfie friendly display
built-in touchscreen
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
supports face detect focusing
high res video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
does have mic support
25
offers face detect focus
screen is not selfie friendly
lack of image stabilization
video res low (1280 x 720 pxls)
doesn't have mic socket
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Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic GF1 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M5 II and Panasonic GF1
 Olympus OM-D E-M5 IIPanasonic Lumix DMC-GF1
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Panasonic
Model type Olympus OM-D E-M5 II Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1
Class Advanced Mirrorless Entry-Level Mirrorless
Announced 2015-02-06 2009-10-14
Physical type SLR-style mirrorless Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Processor TruePic VII Venus Engine HD
Sensor type MOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds Four Thirds
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 17.3 x 13mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 224.9mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixels 12 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Highest resolution 4608 x 3456 4000 x 3000
Highest native ISO 25600 3200
Minimum native ISO 200 100
RAW format
Minimum boosted ISO 100 -
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Tracking autofocus
Autofocus selectice
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Total focus points 81 23
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds Micro Four Thirds
Available lenses 107 107
Focal length multiplier 2.1 2.1
Screen
Type of screen Fully Articulated Fixed Type
Screen diagonal 3 inches 3 inches
Screen resolution 1,037k dots 460k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Screen technology - TFT Color LCD with wide-viewing angle
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic None
Viewfinder resolution 2,360k dots -
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.74x -
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 secs 60 secs
Highest shutter speed 1/8000 secs 1/4000 secs
Highest silent shutter speed 1/16000 secs -
Continuous shooting rate 10.0fps 3.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance no built-in flash 6.00 m
Flash modes Auto, redeye, fill, off, redeye slow sync, slow sync, 2nd-curtain slow sync, manual Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Highest flash synchronize 1/250 secs 1/160 secs
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60p, 50p, 30p, 25p, 24p), 1280 x 720 (60p, 50p, 30p, 25p, 24p), 640 x 480 (30p) 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video format MPEG-4, H.264, Motion JPEG AVCHD Lite
Mic 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 proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 469 gr (1.03 lb) 385 gr (0.85 lb)
Physical dimensions 124 x 85 x 45mm (4.9" x 3.3" x 1.8") 119 x 71 x 36mm (4.7" x 2.8" x 1.4")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 73 54
DXO Color Depth rating 23.0 21.2
DXO Dynamic range rating 12.4 10.3
DXO Low light rating 896 513
Other
Battery life 310 photos 380 photos
Battery type Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLN-1 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 secs, custom) Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10 sec (3 images))
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/MMC
Card slots Single Single
Pricing at launch $699 $400