Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic GH2
Portability
80 Imaging
53 Features
84 Overall
65
80 Imaging
53 Features
84 Overall
65
Portability
70 Imaging
51 Features
65 Overall
56
70 Imaging
51 Features
65 Overall
56
Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic GH2 Key Specs
Olympus E-M5 II
(Full Review)
(Full Review)
- 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
- 3" Fully Articulated Screen
- ISO 200 - 25600
- Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
- 1/8000s Max Shutter
- 1920 x 1080 video
- Micro Four Thirds Mount
- 469g - 124 x 85 x 45mm
- Introduced February 2015
- Earlier Model is Olympus E-M5
- Later Model is Olympus E-M5 III
Panasonic GH2
(Full Review)
(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
- Launched March 2011
- Succeeded the Panasonic GH1
- Later Model is Panasonic GH3
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Lets take a closer look at the Olympus E-M5 II and Panasonic GH2, both Advanced Mirrorless cameras by rivals Olympus and Panasonic. The image resolution of the E-M5 II (16MP) and the GH2 (16MP) is pretty close and they feature the same exact sensor dimensions (Four Thirds).
Photobucket discusses licensing 13 billion images with AI firmsThe E-M5 II was revealed 3 years later than the GH2 and that is a fairly serious difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Each of these cameras offer the identical body type (SLR-style mirrorless).
Before we go in to a step-by-step comparison, below is a brief summation of how the E-M5 II matches up versus the GH2 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.
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Below is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus OM-D E-M5 II & Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH2. The full galleries are provided at Olympus E-M5 II Gallery & Panasonic GH2 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus E-M5 II over the Panasonic GH2
| E-M5 II | GH2 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Launched | February 2015 |  | March 2011 | Fresher by 48 months |
| Screen resolution | 1037k |  | 460k | Crisper screen (+577k dot) |
Reasons to pick Panasonic GH2 over the Olympus E-M5 II
| GH2 | E-M5 II |
|---|
Common features in the Olympus E-M5 II and Panasonic GH2
| E-M5 II | GH2 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Focus manually |  | Very precise focus | ||
| Screen type | Fully Articulated |  | Fully Articulated | Fully Articulated screen |
| Screen sizing | 3" |  | 3" | Equivalent screen sizing |
| Selfie screen |  | Both are selfie friendly | ||
| Touch screen |  | Quickly navigate |
Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic GH2 Physical Comparison
For anyone who is aiming to carry your camera often, you'll need to consider its weight and size. The Olympus E-M5 II has physical dimensions of 124mm x 85mm x 45mm (4.9" x 3.3" x 1.8") accompanied by a weight of 469 grams (1.03 lbs) and the Panasonic GH2 has specifications of 124mm x 90mm x 76mm (4.9" x 3.5" x 3.0") accompanied by a weight of 442 grams (0.97 lbs).
Check out the Olympus E-M5 II and Panasonic GH2 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you are utilizing at the time. The following is the front view overall size comparison of the E-M5 II compared to the GH2.
Looking at size and weight, the portability score of the E-M5 II and GH2 is 80 and 70 respectively.
Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic GH2 Sensor Comparison
Often, it can be hard to visualise the difference in sensor sizing merely by researching technical specs. The graphic below will help provide you a greater sense of the sensor sizes in the E-M5 II and GH2.
As you can tell, each of the cameras offer the same exact sensor sizing and the same exact resolution and you can expect comparable quality of images although you will want to factor the age of the cameras into account. The younger E-M5 II will have an edge when it comes to sensor innovation.
Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic GH2 Screen and ViewFinder
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Portrait Comparison
Olympus E-M5 II Portrait photography highlights
Panasonic GH2 Portrait photography highlights
focusing manually
MP count decent (16 megapixels)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
provides face detection autofocus
saves RAW files
focusing manually
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
provides face detection autofocus
saves RAW formats
Photography GlossaryStreet Comparison
Olympus E-M5 II Street photography advice
Panasonic GH2 Street photography advice
fully articulated screen
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
features focus by touch
environment proofing
great ISO range (25,600)
screen can move to multiple angles
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
lack of image stabilization
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Olympus E-M5 II as a Sports photography camera
Panasonic GH2 as a Sports photography camera
max shutter speed is good (1/8,000 seconds)
silent shooting (1/16,000 seconds)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
MP count decent (16 megapixels)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
provides tracking autofocus
environment proofing
terrible battery (310 per charge)
has no phase detect autofocus
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
provides tracking autofocus
continuous shooting slow (3.0 frames/s)
lack of image stabilization
bad battery (330 per charge)
has no phase detect autofocus
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Olympus E-M5 II as a Travel photography camera
Panasonic GH2 as a Travel photography camera
environment proofing
features focus by touch
MP count decent (16MP)
screen is selfie friendly
terrible battery (310 CIPA)
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
flash built-in
selfie friendly screen
missing Time Lapse mode
bad battery (330 shots)
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Olympus E-M5 II Landscape photography factors
Panasonic GH2 Landscape photography factors
focusing manually
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
nice screen size (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
MP count decent (16MP)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
great ISO range (25,600)
saves RAW files
environment proofing
terrible battery (310 per charge)
focusing manually
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
nice screen size (3 inch)
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
lack of image stabilization
bad battery (330 shots)
missing Time Lapse mode
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Olympus E-M5 II as a Vlogging camera
Panasonic GH2 as a Vlogging camera
screen is selfie friendly
touch screen
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
provides face detection autofocus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
comes with external microphone support
selfie friendly screen
touchscreen
provides face detection autofocus
great video quality (1920 x 1080 pixels)
includes external mic socket
lack of image stabilization
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Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic GH2 Specifications
| Olympus OM-D E-M5 II | Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH2 | |
|---|---|---|
| General Information | ||
| Brand | Olympus | Panasonic |
| Model type | Olympus OM-D E-M5 II | Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH2 |
| Class | Advanced Mirrorless | Advanced Mirrorless |
| Introduced | 2015-02-06 | 2011-03-23 |
| Physical type | SLR-style mirrorless | SLR-style mirrorless |
| Sensor Information | ||
| Chip | TruePic VII | Venus Engine FHD |
| 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 megapixel | 16 megapixel |
| Anti alias 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 | 4608 x 3456 |
| Maximum native ISO | 25600 | 12800 |
| Min native ISO | 200 | 160 |
| RAW images | ||
| Min boosted ISO | 100 | - |
| Autofocusing | ||
| Manual focusing | ||
| AF touch | ||
| AF continuous | ||
| AF single | ||
| AF tracking | ||
| Selective AF | ||
| AF center weighted | ||
| Multi area AF | ||
| AF live view | ||
| Face detection AF | ||
| Contract detection AF | ||
| Phase detection AF | ||
| Total focus points | 81 | 23 |
| Lens | ||
| Lens mount type | Micro Four Thirds | Micro Four Thirds |
| Amount of lenses | 107 | 107 |
| Focal length multiplier | 2.1 | 2.1 |
| Screen | ||
| Type of screen | Fully Articulated | Fully Articulated |
| Screen size | 3" | 3" |
| Screen resolution | 1,037k dots | 460k dots |
| Selfie friendly | ||
| Liveview | ||
| Touch display | ||
| Screen technology | - | TFT Color LCD with wide-viewing angle |
| Viewfinder Information | ||
| Viewfinder type | Electronic | Electronic |
| Viewfinder resolution | 2,360k dots | - |
| Viewfinder coverage | 100 percent | 100 percent |
| Viewfinder magnification | 0.74x | 0.71x |
| Features | ||
| Slowest shutter speed | 60 secs | 60 secs |
| Maximum shutter speed | 1/8000 secs | 1/4000 secs |
| Maximum silent shutter speed | 1/16000 secs | - |
| Continuous shooting rate | 10.0 frames/s | 3.0 frames/s |
| Shutter priority | ||
| Aperture priority | ||
| Expose Manually | ||
| Exposure compensation | Yes | Yes |
| Set WB | ||
| Image stabilization | ||
| Built-in flash | ||
| Flash distance | no built-in flash | 15.60 m |
| Flash settings | 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 | ||
| WB bracketing | ||
| Maximum 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 | ||
| Supported video resolutions | 1920 x 1080 (60p, 50p, 30p, 25p, 24p), 1280 x 720 (60p, 50p, 30p, 25p, 24p), 640 x 480 (30p) | 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) |
| Maximum video resolution | 1920x1080 | 1920x1080 |
| Video file format | MPEG-4, H.264, Motion JPEG | AVCHD, Motion JPEG |
| 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 grams (1.03 lb) | 442 grams (0.97 lb) |
| Dimensions | 124 x 85 x 45mm (4.9" x 3.3" x 1.8") | 124 x 90 x 76mm (4.9" x 3.5" x 3.0") |
| DXO scores | ||
| DXO All around rating | 73 | 60 |
| DXO Color Depth rating | 23.0 | 21.2 |
| DXO Dynamic range rating | 12.4 | 11.3 |
| DXO Low light rating | 896 | 655 |
| Other | ||
| Battery life | 310 shots | 330 shots |
| Battery type | Battery Pack | Battery Pack |
| Battery ID | BLN-1 | - |
| Self timer | Yes (2 or 10 secs, custom) | Yes (2 or 10 sec) |
| Time lapse feature | ||
| Storage type | SD/SDHC/SDXC | SD/SDHC/SDXC |
| Card slots | 1 | 1 |
| Price at launch | $699 | $1,000 |