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Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic G9

Portability
81
Imaging
52
Features
70
Overall
59
Olympus OM-D E-M5 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DC-G9 front
Portability
62
Imaging
61
Features
90
Overall
72

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic G9 Key Specs

Olympus E-M5
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 425g - 122 x 89 x 43mm
  • Announced April 2012
  • Successor is Olympus E-M5 II
Panasonic G9
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 658g - 137 x 97 x 92mm
  • Revealed November 2017
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Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic G9 Overview

Lets look more closely at the Olympus E-M5 versus Panasonic G9, former is a Advanced Mirrorless while the latter is a Pro Mirrorless by rivals Olympus and Panasonic. The sensor resolution of the E-M5 (16MP) and the G9 (20MP) is pretty close and they come with the same exact sensor sizes (Four Thirds).

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The E-M5 was brought out 6 years earlier than the G9 which is a fairly serious difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of these cameras offer the identical body type (SLR-style mirrorless).

Before delving through a step-by-step comparison, below is a simple highlight of how the E-M5 scores versus the G9 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-M5 over the Panasonic G9

 E-M5 G9 

Reasons to pick Panasonic G9 over the Olympus E-M5

 G9 E-M5 
RevealedNovember 2017April 2012More modern by 67 months
Screen typeFully ArticulatedTiltingFully Articulating screen
Screen resolution1040k610kClearer screen (+430k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies

Common features in the Olympus E-M5 and Panasonic G9

 E-M5 G9 
Manual focus More exact focusing
Screen sizing3"3"Equivalent screen dimensions
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic G9 Physical Comparison

If you're planning to carry around your camera regularly, you will want to consider its weight and size. The Olympus E-M5 provides outer dimensions of 122mm x 89mm x 43mm (4.8" x 3.5" x 1.7") and a weight of 425 grams (0.94 lbs) while the Panasonic G9 has specifications of 137mm x 97mm x 92mm (5.4" x 3.8" x 3.6") and a weight of 658 grams (1.45 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus E-M5 versus Panasonic G9 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you are utilizing during that time. Underneath is the front view measurements comparison of the E-M5 vs the G9.

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic G9 size comparison

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-M5 and G9 is 81 and 62 respectively.

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic G9 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic G9 Sensor Comparison

Normally, it is difficult to imagine the contrast in sensor sizes merely by researching a spec sheet. The picture here will help provide you a far better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-M5 and G9.

Clearly, the 2 cameras enjoy the same exact sensor sizing albeit different MP. You can expect the Panasonic G9 to result in extra detail having its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also enable you to crop pictures far more aggressively. The more aged E-M5 will be behind when it comes to sensor technology.

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic G9 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic G9 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic G9 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photography Glossary

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-M5 Portrait photography information
Panasonic G9 Portrait photography information
71
manual focus
sensor resolution is decent (16MP)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
includes face detect autofocus
exports RAW formats
76
you can focus manually
good megapixels (20MP)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
provides face detect focusing
supports RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-M5 as a Street photography camera
Panasonic G9 as a Street photography camera
82
screen tilts
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
comes with focus via touch
environment proof
good ISO range (25,600)
75
screen articulates
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
includes focus by touch
weather sealing
great ISO range (25,600)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-M5 Sports photography information
Panasonic G9 Sports photography information
67
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor resolution is decent (16MP)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
includes tracking focus
environment proof
lack of phase detect autofocus
70
max shutter speed is good (1/8,000s)
quiet mode (1/32,000s)
high fps (20.0 fps)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good megapixels (20 megapixels)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
provides tracking focus
weather sealing
not so great battery pack (400 shots)
lacks phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-M5 as a Travel photography camera
Panasonic G9 as a Travel photography camera
66
environment proof
comes with focus via touch
sensor resolution is decent (16MP)
lack of Time Lapse function
doesn't feature selfie friendly screen
70
weather sealing
connects via bluetooth
includes focus by touch
good megapixels (20MP)
selfie friendly screen
not so great battery pack (400 CIPA)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-M5 Landscape photography features
Panasonic G9 Landscape photography features
73
manual focus
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is decent (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
good ISO range (25,600)
exports RAW formats
environment proof
lack of Time Lapse function
76
you can focus manually
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
nice screen size (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good megapixels (20 megapixels)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
doesnt have low pass filter
great ISO range (25,600)
supports RAW formats
weather sealing
2 card slots
not so great battery pack (400 shots)
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-M5 Vlogging features
Panasonic G9 Vlogging features
34
touchscreen enabled
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
includes face detect autofocus
high res video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
doesn't feature selfie friendly screen
lack of mic jack
77
selfie friendly screen
has touchscreen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
provides face detect focusing
video res high (3840 x 2160 pixels)
has mic support
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Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic G9 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M5 and Panasonic G9
 Olympus OM-D E-M5Panasonic Lumix DC-G9
General Information
Make Olympus Panasonic
Model type Olympus OM-D E-M5 Panasonic Lumix DC-G9
Type Advanced Mirrorless Pro Mirrorless
Announced 2012-04-30 2017-11-08
Physical type SLR-style mirrorless SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Processor TruePic VI -
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds Four Thirds
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 17.3 x 13mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 224.9mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixel 20 megapixel
Anti alias 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 5184 x 3888
Highest native ISO 25600 25600
Min native ISO 200 200
RAW data
Min enhanced ISO 100 100
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Continuous autofocus
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Total focus points 35 225
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds Micro Four Thirds
Available lenses 107 107
Crop factor 2.1 2.1
Screen
Display type Tilting Fully Articulated
Display sizing 3 inches 3 inches
Resolution of display 610k dots 1,040k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Display technology Touch control in electrostatic capacitance type OLED monitor -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic Electronic
Viewfinder resolution 1,440k dots 3,680k dots
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification 0.58x 0.83x
Features
Min shutter speed 60 secs 60 secs
Max shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/8000 secs
Max quiet shutter speed - 1/32000 secs
Continuous shutter rate 9.0 frames/s 20.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance no built-in flash no built-in flash
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync (2), Manual (3 levels) Auto, Auto/Red-eye Reduction, Forced On, Forced On/Red-eye Reduction, Slow Sync., Slow Sync./Red-eye Reduction, Forced Off
External flash
AEB
White balance bracketing
Max flash synchronize 1/250 secs -
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 3840 x 2160 @ 60p / 150 Mbps, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 3840x2160
Video format H.264, Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264
Mic support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless Eye-Fi Connected Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 3.0 (5 GBit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 425 grams (0.94 lb) 658 grams (1.45 lb)
Dimensions 122 x 89 x 43mm (4.8" x 3.5" x 1.7") 137 x 97 x 92mm (5.4" x 3.8" x 3.6")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 71 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 22.8 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 12.3 not tested
DXO Low light rating 826 not tested
Other
Battery life 360 photos 400 photos
Type of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLN-1 DMW-BLF19
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC slots (UHS-II supported)
Card slots Single Two
Cost at release $799 $1,500