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Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic GX9

Portability
81
Imaging
52
Features
70
Overall
59
Olympus OM-D E-M5 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DC-GX9 front
Portability
82
Imaging
60
Features
80
Overall
68

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic GX9 Key Specs

Olympus E-M5
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 425g - 122 x 89 x 43mm
  • Revealed April 2012
  • Later Model is Olympus E-M5 II
Panasonic GX9
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 407g - 124 x 72 x 47mm
  • Released February 2018
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Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic GX9 Overview

Lets look a bit more closely at the Olympus E-M5 versus Panasonic GX9, both Advanced Mirrorless digital cameras by rivals Olympus and Panasonic. The image resolution of the E-M5 (16MP) and the GX9 (20MP) is pretty similar and both cameras provide the same sensor size (Four Thirds).

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The E-M5 was launched 6 years before the GX9 and that is quite a serious gap as far as technology is concerned. Both the cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-M5 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic GX9 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before delving right into a in depth comparison, here is a brief overview of how the E-M5 scores against the GX9 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-M5 over the Panasonic GX9

 E-M5 GX9 

Reasons to pick Panasonic GX9 over the Olympus E-M5

 GX9 E-M5 
ReleasedFebruary 2018April 2012Fresher by 70 months
Screen resolution1240k610kClearer screen (+630k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-M5 and Panasonic GX9

 E-M5 GX9 
Focus manually Very exact focusing
Screen typeTiltingTiltingTilting screen
Screen dimensions3"3"Equal screen size
Selfie screen Neither contains selfie screen
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic GX9 Physical Comparison

If you are going to carry your camera, you will want to factor in its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-M5 has got exterior dimensions of 122mm x 89mm x 43mm (4.8" x 3.5" x 1.7") along with a weight of 425 grams (0.94 lbs) whilst the Panasonic GX9 has measurements of 124mm x 72mm x 47mm (4.9" x 2.8" x 1.9") and a weight of 407 grams (0.90 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-M5 versus Panasonic GX9 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ dependant on the lens you have chosen at that time. Underneath is a front view measurement comparison of the E-M5 against the GX9.

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic GX9 size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-M5 and GX9 is 81 and 82 respectively.

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic GX9 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic GX9 Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, it's hard to visualize the gap between sensor sizing merely by reading specifications. The graphic underneath will provide you a stronger sense of the sensor sizes in the E-M5 and GX9.

Plainly, both of the cameras provide the same sensor dimensions albeit different megapixels. You should expect the Panasonic GX9 to offer extra detail utilizing its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also make it easier to crop photographs more aggressively. The older E-M5 is going to be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor technology.

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic GX9 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic GX9 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic GX9 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-M5 as a Portrait photography camera
Panasonic GX9 as a Portrait photography camera
71
has manual focus
good MP (16MP)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
offers face detect focus
delivers RAW formats
76
has manual focus
decent sensor resolution (20MP)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
has face detect focusing
supports RAW formats
Photography Glossary

Street Comparison

Olympus E-M5 as a Street photography camera
Panasonic GX9 as a Street photography camera
82
screen tilts
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
has focus via touch
environment proof
great high ISO (25,600)
84
has a tilting screen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
offers touch focus
great high ISO (25,600)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-M5 Sports photography details
Panasonic GX9 Sports photography details
67
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good MP (16MP)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
offers tracking focus
environment proof
lack of phase detect auto focus
72
silent shutter (1/16,000 seconds)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent sensor resolution (20MP)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
has tracking focus
sensor has phase detect AF
low battery pack (260 per charge)
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-M5 as a Travel photography camera
Panasonic GX9 as a Travel photography camera
66
environment proof
has focus via touch
good MP (16MP)
does not have Timelapse recording
does not posses selfie friendly display
71
supports bluetooth
offers touch focus
decent sensor resolution (20MP)
has built in flash
low battery pack (260 CIPA)
screen is not selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus E-M5
Landscape photography with Panasonic GX9
73
has manual focus
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
good sized screen (3 inches)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good MP (16MP)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
great high ISO (25,600)
delivers RAW formats
environment proof
does not have Timelapse recording
77
has manual focus
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen is a decent size (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent sensor resolution (20MP)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
doesnt have anti aliasing filter
great high ISO (25,600)
supports RAW formats
low battery pack (260 per charge)
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus E-M5
Vlogging with Panasonic GX9
34
screen is touchscreen
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
offers face detect focus
great video quality (1920 x 1080 resolution)
does not posses selfie friendly display
does not have microphone support
35
built-in touchscreen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
has face detect focusing
high quality video (3840 x 2160 pixels)
screen is not selfie friendly
doesn't have mic support
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Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic GX9 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M5 and Panasonic GX9
 Olympus OM-D E-M5Panasonic Lumix DC-GX9
General Information
Company Olympus Panasonic
Model type Olympus OM-D E-M5 Panasonic Lumix DC-GX9
Type Advanced Mirrorless Advanced Mirrorless
Revealed 2012-04-30 2018-02-13
Physical type SLR-style mirrorless Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Processor Chip TruePic VI Venus Engine
Sensor type CMOS 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 16MP 20MP
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 4608 x 3456 5184 x 3888
Max native ISO 25600 25600
Min native ISO 200 200
RAW support
Min enhanced ISO 100 100
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch focus
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Tracking autofocus
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Total focus points 35 49
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds Micro Four Thirds
Total lenses 107 107
Crop factor 2.1 2.1
Screen
Type of screen Tilting Tilting
Screen diagonal 3 inch 3 inch
Resolution of screen 610k dots 1,240k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Screen technology Touch control in electrostatic capacitance type OLED monitor -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic Electronic
Viewfinder resolution 1,440k dots 2,760k dots
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification 0.58x 0.7x
Features
Min shutter speed 60 secs 60 secs
Max shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/4000 secs
Max silent shutter speed - 1/16000 secs
Continuous shutter rate 9.0 frames/s 9.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance no built-in flash 6.00 m (at ISO 200)
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync (2), Manual (3 levels) Auto, auto w/redeye reduction, forced on, forced on w/redeye reduction, slow sync, slow sync w/redeye reduction, forced off
Hot shoe
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
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) -
Max video resolution 1920x1080 3840x2160
Video data 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) Yes
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 425g (0.94 lb) 407g (0.90 lb)
Physical dimensions 122 x 89 x 43mm (4.8" x 3.5" x 1.7") 124 x 72 x 47mm (4.9" x 2.8" x 1.9")
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 photographs 260 photographs
Battery style Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLN-1 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 secs, 3 photos over 10 secs)
Time lapse recording
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC card (UHS-I supported)
Card slots Single Single
Price at release $799 $1,000