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Olympus E-M5 III vs Panasonic GH1

Portability
80
Imaging
62
Features
88
Overall
72
Olympus OM-D E-M5 III front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1 front
Portability
81
Imaging
49
Features
57
Overall
52

Olympus E-M5 III vs Panasonic GH1 Key Specs

Olympus E-M5 III
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 4096 x 2160 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 414g - 125 x 85 x 50mm
  • Launched October 2019
  • Replaced the Olympus E-M5 II
  • Newer Model is OM System OM-5
Panasonic GH1
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 100 - 1600 (Push to 3200)
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 385g - 124 x 90 x 45mm
  • Announced July 2009
  • Updated by Panasonic GH2
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Olympus E-M5 III vs Panasonic GH1 Overview

Its time to look a bit more in depth at the Olympus E-M5 III vs Panasonic GH1, both Advanced Mirrorless cameras by companies Olympus and Panasonic. There is a considerable difference among the sensor resolutions of the E-M5 III (20MP) and GH1 (12MP) but they come with the exact same sensor dimensions (Four Thirds).

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The E-M5 III was brought out 10 years after the GH1 which is a fairly large difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Each of the cameras come with the identical body type (SLR-style mirrorless).

Before delving through a thorough comparison, below is a concise introduction of how the E-M5 III matches up versus the GH1 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-M5 III over the Panasonic GH1

 E-M5 III GH1 
AnnouncedOctober 2019July 2009Newer by 126 months
Screen resolution1040k460kClearer screen (+580k dot)
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Panasonic GH1 over the Olympus E-M5 III

 GH1 E-M5 III 

Common features in the Olympus E-M5 III and Panasonic GH1

 E-M5 III GH1 
Manual focus More precise focusing
Screen typeFully ArticulatedFully ArticulatedFully Articulated screen
Screen dimension3"3"Identical screen sizing
Selfie screen Both good for selfies

Olympus E-M5 III vs Panasonic GH1 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is intending to travel with your camera often, you will have to take into account its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-M5 III enjoys outside measurements of 125mm x 85mm x 50mm (4.9" x 3.3" x 2.0") along with a weight of 414 grams (0.91 lbs) whilst the Panasonic GH1 has proportions of 124mm x 90mm x 45mm (4.9" x 3.5" x 1.8") having a weight of 385 grams (0.85 lbs).

Examine the Olympus E-M5 III vs Panasonic GH1 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into account, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you use at that moment. Following is the front view measurement comparison of the E-M5 III and the GH1.

Olympus E-M5 III vs Panasonic GH1 size comparison

Looking at size and weight, the portability grade of the E-M5 III and GH1 is 80 and 81 respectively.

Olympus E-M5 III vs Panasonic GH1 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-M5 III vs Panasonic GH1 Sensor Comparison

Often, it is very tough to visualise the contrast in sensor dimensions simply by checking out specs. The pic below may give you a more clear sense of the sensor measurements in the E-M5 III and GH1.

As you can plainly see, both of these cameras have got the exact same sensor measurements albeit not the same resolution. You can count on the Olympus E-M5 III to produce more detail having its extra 8MP. Higher resolution can also help you crop shots much more aggressively. The newer E-M5 III is going to have an edge with regard to sensor innovation.

Olympus E-M5 III vs Panasonic GH1 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-M5 III vs Panasonic GH1 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-M5 III vs Panasonic GH1 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus E-M5 III
Portrait photography with Panasonic GH1
77
focusing manually
good resolution (20MP)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
provides face detection autofocus
delivers RAW files
59
has manual focus
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
low megapixels (12MP)
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus E-M5 III
Street photography with Panasonic GH1
83
fully articulated screen
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW files
features focus via touch
environment sealing
good high ISO (25,600)
72
screen articulates fully
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
does not have image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-M5 III as a Sports photography camera
Panasonic GH1 as a Sports photography camera
76
great max shutter speed (1/8,000s)
quiet mode (1/32,000s)
high frames per second (30.0 frames/s)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good resolution (20MP)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
provides tracking autofocus
environment sealing
supports phase detect autofocus
terrible battery life (310 shots)
32
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
low fps (3.0 frames per second)
does not have image stabilization
low megapixels (12MP)
not so great battery pack (320 CIPA)
has no phase detect AF
Photography Glossary

Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus E-M5 III
Travel photography with Panasonic GH1
77
environment sealing
supports bluetooth
features focus via touch
good resolution (20 megapixels)
screen is selfie friendly
terrible battery life (310 per charge)
58
flash built-in
screen is selfie friendly
no Timelapse mode
not so great battery pack (320 per charge)
low megapixels (12MP)
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus E-M5 III
Landscape photography with Panasonic GH1
77
focusing manually
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen is a good size (3 inches)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good resolution (20 megapixels)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
good high ISO (25,600)
delivers RAW files
environment sealing
terrible battery life (310 shots)
55
has manual focus
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
decent sized screen (3")
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
does not have image stabilization
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
not so great battery pack (320 shots)
no Timelapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-M5 III Vlogging advice
Panasonic GH1 Vlogging advice
84
screen is selfie friendly
touchscreen enabled
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
provides face detection autofocus
high video quality (4096 x 2160 pixels)
comes with external mic jack
72
screen is selfie friendly
high video quality (1920 x 1080 resolution)
has external microphone support
does not have image stabilization
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Olympus E-M5 III vs Panasonic GH1 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M5 III and Panasonic GH1
 Olympus OM-D E-M5 IIIPanasonic Lumix DMC-GH1
General Information
Make Olympus Panasonic
Model type Olympus OM-D E-M5 III Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1
Class Advanced Mirrorless Advanced Mirrorless
Launched 2019-10-17 2009-07-10
Physical type SLR-style mirrorless SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Chip TruePic VIII Venus Engine HD
Sensor type MOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds Four Thirds
Sensor measurements 17.4 x 13mm 18.89 x 14.48mm
Sensor surface area 226.2mm² 273.5mm²
Sensor resolution 20MP 12MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Max resolution 5184 x 3888 4000 x 3000
Max native ISO 25600 1600
Max enhanced ISO - 3200
Lowest native ISO 200 100
RAW photos
Lowest enhanced ISO 64 -
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch focus
Continuous AF
AF single
Tracking AF
AF selectice
AF center weighted
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Total focus points 121 -
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds Micro Four Thirds
Amount of lenses 107 107
Crop factor 2.1 1.9
Screen
Screen type Fully Articulated Fully Articulated
Screen diagonal 3 inch 3 inch
Screen resolution 1,040k dots 460k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic Electronic
Viewfinder resolution 2,360k dots -
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification 0.68x -
Features
Min shutter speed 60 secs 60 secs
Max shutter speed 1/8000 secs 1/4000 secs
Max silent shutter speed 1/32000 secs -
Continuous shutter rate 30.0fps 3.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance no built-in flash 10.50 m
Flash modes Auto, redeye, fill, off, redeye slow sync, slow sync, 2nd-curtain slow sync, manual Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync
External flash
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Max flash synchronize 1/250 secs 1/160 secs
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 4096 x 2160 @ 24p / 237 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1280 x 720 (60 fps), 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Max video resolution 4096x2160 1920x1080
Video data format MPEG-4, H.264 AVCHD
Microphone support
Headphone support
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 proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 414 gr (0.91 lbs) 385 gr (0.85 lbs)
Dimensions 125 x 85 x 50mm (4.9" x 3.3" x 2.0") 124 x 90 x 45mm (4.9" x 3.5" x 1.8")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating not tested 64
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 21.6
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 11.6
DXO Low light rating not tested 772
Other
Battery life 310 images 320 images
Battery style Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLN-1 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 secs, custom) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-II supported) SD/SDHC
Card slots One One
Cost at release $1,199 $949