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Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic G1

Portability
81
Imaging
52
Features
70
Overall
59
Olympus OM-D E-M5 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1 front
Portability
82
Imaging
46
Features
50
Overall
47

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic G1 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
  • Renewed by Olympus E-M5 II
Panasonic G1
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 100 - 1600 (Increase to 3200)
  • No Video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 360g - 124 x 84 x 45mm
  • Launched January 2009
  • Successor is Panasonic G2
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Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic G1 Overview

Let's examine more closely at the Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic G1, former being a Advanced Mirrorless while the latter is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by manufacturers Olympus and Panasonic. There is a noticeable difference between the sensor resolutions of the E-M5 (16MP) and G1 (12MP) but they use the exact same sensor size (Four Thirds).

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The E-M5 was revealed 3 years later than the G1 and that is quite a sizable difference as far as tech is concerned. Both of these cameras come with the identical body type (SLR-style mirrorless).

Before going straight into a detailed comparison, below is a quick highlight of how the E-M5 grades vs the G1 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-M5 over the Panasonic G1

 E-M5 G1 
LaunchedApril 2012January 2009Fresher by 40 months
Screen resolution610k460kSharper screen (+150k dot)
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Panasonic G1 over the Olympus E-M5

 G1 E-M5 
Screen typeFully ArticulatedTiltingFully Articulating screen
Selfie screen Easy selfies

Common features in the Olympus E-M5 and Panasonic G1

 E-M5 G1 
Focus manually Dial exact focus
Screen dimension3"3"Identical screen size

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic G1 Physical Comparison

If you are intending to carry your camera regularly, you will want to factor in its weight and size. The Olympus E-M5 enjoys physical dimensions of 122mm x 89mm x 43mm (4.8" x 3.5" x 1.7") with a weight of 425 grams (0.94 lbs) and the Panasonic G1 has specifications of 124mm x 84mm x 45mm (4.9" x 3.3" x 1.8") along with a weight of 360 grams (0.79 lbs).

See the Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic G1 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you have chosen at that moment. Underneath is the front view measurements comparison of the E-M5 and the G1.

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic G1 size comparison

Factoring in size and weight, the portability score of the E-M5 and G1 is 81 and 82 respectively.

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic G1 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic G1 Sensor Comparison

Often, it's hard to picture the contrast between sensor sizing just by reviewing specs. The photograph underneath might offer you a clearer sense of the sensor sizes in the E-M5 and G1.

As you can plainly see, the two cameras posses the exact same sensor measurements albeit different megapixels. You can count on the Olympus E-M5 to deliver more detail because of its extra 4MP. Higher resolution can also make it easier to crop pictures somewhat more aggressively. The more recent E-M5 should have an edge in sensor tech.

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic G1 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic G1 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic G1 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-M5 Portrait photography advice
Panasonic G1 Portrait photography advice
71
has manual focus
decent sensor resolution (16 megapixels)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
supports face detect focusing
delivers RAW formats
57
manual focus
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-M5 Street photography highlights
Panasonic G1 Street photography highlights
82
screen tilts up and down
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
comes with touch to focus
environment proofing
very good ISO range (25,600)
72
screen articulates
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
no image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus E-M5
Sports photography with Panasonic G1
67
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent sensor resolution (16 megapixels)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
supports tracking focus
environment proofing
lack of phase detect AF
33
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
low frames per second (3.0 fps)
no image stabilization
low megapixels (12MP)
does not have phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-M5 Travel photography highlights
Panasonic G1 Travel photography highlights
66
environment proofing
comes with touch to focus
decent sensor resolution (16 megapixels)
missing Timelapse function
screen is not selfie friendly
62
has built in flash
display is selfie friendly
does not have Time Lapse recording
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
Photography Glossary

Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-M5 Landscape photography info
Panasonic G1 Landscape photography info
73
has manual focus
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is good (3")
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
very good ISO range (25,600)
delivers RAW formats
environment proofing
missing Timelapse function
57
manual focus
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
decent sized screen (3 inches)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
no image stabilization
low megapixels (12MP)
does not have Time Lapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus E-M5
Vlogging with Panasonic G1
34
has touchscreen
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
supports face detect focusing
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
screen is not selfie friendly
missing microphone port
18
no video recording
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Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic G1 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M5 and Panasonic G1
 Olympus OM-D E-M5Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1
General Information
Brand Olympus Panasonic
Model type Olympus OM-D E-M5 Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1
Category Advanced Mirrorless Entry-Level Mirrorless
Revealed 2012-04-30 2009-01-19
Physical type SLR-style mirrorless SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Processor Chip TruePic VI -
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 12MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 4608 x 3456 4000 x 3000
Maximum native ISO 25600 1600
Maximum boosted ISO - 3200
Minimum native ISO 200 100
RAW images
Minimum boosted ISO 100 -
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Total focus points 35 -
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds Micro Four Thirds
Total lenses 107 107
Focal length multiplier 2.1 2.1
Screen
Screen type Tilting Fully Articulated
Screen size 3 inch 3 inch
Screen resolution 610 thousand dots 460 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Screen technology Touch control in electrostatic capacitance type OLED monitor -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic Electronic
Viewfinder resolution 1,440 thousand dots -
Viewfinder coverage 100% 100%
Viewfinder magnification 0.58x -
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 seconds 60 seconds
Highest shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Continuous shooting rate 9.0fps 3.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance no built-in flash 10.50 m
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync (2), Manual (3 levels) Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync
External flash
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Highest flash synchronize 1/250 seconds 1/160 seconds
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) -
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 None
Video format H.264, Motion JPEG -
Mic port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless Eye-Fi Connected 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 425 grams (0.94 pounds) 360 grams (0.79 pounds)
Dimensions 122 x 89 x 43mm (4.8" x 3.5" x 1.7") 124 x 84 x 45mm (4.9" x 3.3" x 1.8")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 71 53
DXO Color Depth rating 22.8 21.1
DXO Dynamic range rating 12.3 10.3
DXO Low light rating 826 463
Other
Battery life 360 photos 330 photos
Battery type Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLN-1 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/MMC/SDHC card
Card slots 1 1
Launch price $799 $0