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Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic L1

Portability
81
Imaging
52
Features
70
Overall
59
Olympus OM-D E-M5 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-L1 front
Portability
65
Imaging
42
Features
38
Overall
40

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic L1 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
  • New Model is Olympus E-M5 II
Panasonic L1
(Full Review)
  • 7MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 2.5" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 1600
  • No Video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 606g - 146 x 87 x 77mm
  • Released April 2007
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Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic L1 Overview

Here, we are evaluating the Olympus E-M5 and Panasonic L1, one being a Advanced Mirrorless and the other is a Advanced DSLR by manufacturers Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a significant gap among the resolutions of the E-M5 (16MP) and L1 (7MP) but both cameras offer the identical sensor dimensions (Four Thirds).

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The E-M5 was brought out 5 years later than the L1 and that is a fairly sizable gap as far as camera technology is concerned. The two cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-M5 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic L1 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before going into a thorough comparison, here is a concise highlight of how the E-M5 scores versus the L1 for portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-M5 over the Panasonic L1

 E-M5 L1 
ReleasedApril 2012April 2007More recent by 62 months
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display size3"2.5"Larger display (+0.5")
Display resolution610k207kSharper display (+403k dot)
Touch display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Panasonic L1 over the Olympus E-M5

 L1 E-M5 

Common features in the Olympus E-M5 and Panasonic L1

 E-M5 L1 
Manual focus Very exact focusing
Selfie screen No selfie screen

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic L1 Physical Comparison

In case you're looking to lug around your camera frequently, you will need to take into account its weight and volume. The Olympus E-M5 comes with exterior dimensions of 122mm x 89mm x 43mm (4.8" x 3.5" x 1.7") accompanied by a weight of 425 grams (0.94 lbs) whilst the Panasonic L1 has sizing of 146mm x 87mm x 77mm (5.7" x 3.4" x 3.0") along with a weight of 606 grams (1.34 lbs).

Look at the Olympus E-M5 and Panasonic L1 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you select at that moment. Underneath is a front view overall size comparison of the E-M5 versus the L1.

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic L1 size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-M5 and L1 is 81 and 65 respectively.

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic L1 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic L1 Sensor Comparison

Typically, it's tough to picture the contrast in sensor measurements merely by viewing specifications. The visual underneath may offer you a greater sense of the sensor sizes in the E-M5 and L1.

To sum up, each of these cameras feature the identical sensor size but different megapixels. You should expect to see the Olympus E-M5 to provide you with extra detail having its extra 9MP. Greater resolution will also make it easier to crop photos way more aggressively. The younger E-M5 should have an edge when it comes to sensor tech.

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic L1 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic L1 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic L1 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-M5 Portrait photography info
Panasonic L1 Portrait photography info
71
manual focus
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
supports face detect autofocus
exports RAW formats
55
manual focus
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW files
megapixel count low (7 megapixels)
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-M5 as a Street photography camera
Panasonic L1 as a Street photography camera
82
has a tilting screen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
offers touch focus
weather proof
great high ISO (25,600)
58
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW files
lighter than competition in class (606 grams)
screen is fixed
lack of image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-M5 Sports photography features
Panasonic L1 Sports photography features
67
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
supports tracking focus
weather proof
no phase detect autofocus
41
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
supports phase detect auto focus
max frames per second low (3.0 fps)
lack of image stabilization
megapixel count low (7MP)
Photography Glossary

Travel Comparison

Olympus E-M5 Travel photography factors
Panasonic L1 Travel photography factors
66
weather proof
offers touch focus
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
no Timelapse function
doesn't offer selfie friendly screen
50
lighter than competition in class (606g)
built-in flash
missing Time Lapse recording
megapixel count low (7 megapixels)
screen isn't selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-M5 as a Landscape photography camera
Panasonic L1 as a Landscape photography camera
73
manual focus
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is decent (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
great high ISO (25,600)
exports RAW formats
weather proof
no Timelapse function
48
manual focus
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW files
small screen (2.5")
lack of image stabilization
megapixel count low (7 megapixels)
missing Time Lapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-M5 Vlogging features
Panasonic L1 Vlogging features
34
touchscreen functionality
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
supports face detect autofocus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
doesn't offer selfie friendly screen
no microphone support
9
lack of video recording
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Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic L1 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M5 and Panasonic L1
 Olympus OM-D E-M5Panasonic Lumix DMC-L1
General Information
Brand Olympus Panasonic
Model Olympus OM-D E-M5 Panasonic Lumix DMC-L1
Type Advanced Mirrorless Advanced DSLR
Revealed 2012-04-30 2007-04-11
Body design SLR-style mirrorless Mid-size SLR
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 megapixels 7 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 4608 x 3456 3136 x 2352
Highest native ISO 25600 1600
Minimum native ISO 200 100
RAW photos
Minimum enhanced ISO 100 -
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Tracking autofocus
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Number of focus points 35 3
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds Micro Four Thirds
Available lenses 107 45
Focal length multiplier 2.1 2.1
Screen
Screen type Tilting Fixed Type
Screen diagonal 3" 2.5"
Screen resolution 610k dot 207k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Screen technology Touch control in electrostatic capacitance type OLED monitor -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic Optical (pentamirror)
Viewfinder resolution 1,440k dot -
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent 95 percent
Viewfinder magnification 0.58x 0.46x
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60 secs 60 secs
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/4000 secs
Continuous shutter speed 9.0fps 3.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range no built-in flash 13.00 m
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync (2), Manual (3 levels) Auto, Red-Eye Auto, On, Red-Eye On, Red-Eye Slow Sync, Off, Slow Sync (1&2)
Hot shoe
AEB
White balance bracketing
Fastest flash sync 1/250 secs 1/160 secs
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) -
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 None
Video format H.264, Motion JPEG -
Mic input
Headphone input
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 seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 425 grams (0.94 lb) 606 grams (1.34 lb)
Physical dimensions 122 x 89 x 43mm (4.8" x 3.5" x 1.7") 146 x 87 x 77mm (5.7" x 3.4" x 3.0")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score 71 not tested
DXO Color Depth score 22.8 not tested
DXO Dynamic range score 12.3 not tested
DXO Low light score 826 not tested
Other
Battery life 360 pictures -
Type of battery Battery Pack -
Battery model BLN-1 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/MMC card
Storage slots One One
Pricing at release $799 $1,500