Clicky

Olympus E-P1 vs Panasonic G2

Portability
86
Imaging
47
Features
42
Overall
45
Olympus PEN E-P1 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-G2 front
Portability
72
Imaging
47
Features
60
Overall
52

Olympus E-P1 vs Panasonic G2 Key Specs

Olympus E-P1
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 355g - 121 x 70 x 36mm
  • Launched July 2009
  • Renewed by Olympus E-P2
Panasonic G2
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Display
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 428g - 124 x 84 x 74mm
  • Released July 2010
  • Succeeded the Panasonic G1
  • Refreshed by Panasonic G3
Snapchat Adds Watermarks to AI-Created Images

Olympus E-P1 vs Panasonic G2 Overview

Lets look more in depth at the Olympus E-P1 vs Panasonic G2, both Entry-Level Mirrorless cameras by competitors Olympus and Panasonic. The image resolution of the E-P1 (12MP) and the G2 (12MP) is fairly close and both cameras provide the identical sensor size (Four Thirds).

Samsung Releases Faster Versions of EVO MicroSD Cards

The E-P1 was released 11 months before the G2 which means that they are both of a similar generation. Both cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-P1 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic G2 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before going right into a comprehensive comparison, here is a simple overview of how the E-P1 matches up against the G2 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Photography Glossary
	
	

Reasons to pick Olympus E-P1 over the Panasonic G2

 E-P1 G2 

Reasons to pick Panasonic G2 over the Olympus E-P1

 G2 E-P1 
ReleasedJuly 2010July 2009Fresher by 11 months
Display typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating display
Display resolution460k230kCrisper display (+230k dot)
Selfie screen Take selfies
Touch display Easily navigate

Common features in the Olympus E-P1 and Panasonic G2

 E-P1 G2 
Manually focus Dial exact focusing
Display size3"3"Same display size

Olympus E-P1 vs Panasonic G2 Physical Comparison

When you are aiming to carry your camera regularly, you'll need to factor in its weight and volume. The Olympus E-P1 provides exterior dimensions of 121mm x 70mm x 36mm (4.8" x 2.8" x 1.4") having a weight of 355 grams (0.78 lbs) and the Panasonic G2 has sizing of 124mm x 84mm x 74mm (4.9" x 3.3" x 2.9") with a weight of 428 grams (0.94 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus E-P1 vs Panasonic G2 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ dependant on the lens you are working with at that moment. Here is a front view proportions comparison of the E-P1 versus the G2.

Olympus E-P1 vs Panasonic G2 size comparison

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-P1 and G2 is 86 and 72 respectively.

Olympus E-P1 vs Panasonic G2 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-P1 vs Panasonic G2 Sensor Comparison

Quite often, it can be hard to imagine the contrast in sensor sizing merely by researching technical specs. The graphic below might provide you a greater sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-P1 and G2.

As you can tell, both of these cameras come with the identical sensor size and the identical megapixels therefore you should expect comparable quality of photographs though you may want to take the production date of the cameras into account. The older E-P1 will be behind when it comes to sensor innovation.

Olympus E-P1 vs Panasonic G2 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-P1 vs Panasonic G2 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-P1 vs Panasonic G2 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photobucket discusses licensing 13 billion images with AI firms

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-P1 Portrait photography information
Panasonic G2 Portrait photography information
60
has manual focus
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
supports face detection focusing
saves RAW formats
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
60
focusing manually
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
comes with face detect focus
supports RAW files
low resolution (12MP)
President Biden pushes bill mandating TikTok sale or ban

Street Comparison

Olympus E-P1 Street photography information
Panasonic G2 Street photography information
74
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
screen is fixed
65
fully articulated screen
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
offers focus by touch
does not have image stabilization
more heavy than average in class (428g)
Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide

Sports Comparison

Olympus E-P1 as a Sports photography camera
Panasonic G2 as a Sports photography camera
40
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
max fps low (3.0 fps)
megapixel count low (12MP)
bad battery (300 per charge)
lacks phase detect AF
40
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
comes with tracking focus
max frames per second low (3.0 frames per second)
does not have image stabilization
low resolution (12 megapixels)
has no phase detect auto focus
Meta to Introduce 'AI-Generated' Labels for Media starting next month

Travel Comparison

Olympus E-P1 Travel photography advice
Panasonic G2 Travel photography advice
43
missing Timelapse recording
bad battery (300 CIPA)
megapixel count low (12MP)
doesn't posses selfie friendly screen
58
offers focus by touch
built-in flash
selfie friendly screen
doesn't have Timelapse mode
more heavy than average in class (428g)
low resolution (12 megapixels)
Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music video

Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-P1 Landscape photography details
Panasonic G2 Landscape photography details
60
has manual focus
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
megapixel count low (12MP)
bad battery (300 shots)
missing Timelapse recording
57
focusing manually
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is good (3 inch)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
does not have image stabilization
low resolution (12 megapixels)
doesn't have Timelapse mode
Apple Innovates by Creating Next-Level Optical Stabilization for iPhone

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-P1 Vlogging advice
Panasonic G2 Vlogging advice
29
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
supports face detection focusing
doesn't posses selfie friendly screen
video resolution low (1280 x 720 pxls)
missing external microphone socket
61
selfie friendly screen
has touchscreen
comes with face detect focus
includes microphone jack
does not have image stabilization
video quality not great (1280 x 720 pxls)
more heavy than average in class (428g)
Japan-exclusive Leica Leitz Phone 3 features big sensor and new modes

Olympus E-P1 vs Panasonic G2 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-P1 and Panasonic G2
 Olympus PEN E-P1Panasonic Lumix DMC-G2
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Panasonic
Model Olympus PEN E-P1 Panasonic Lumix DMC-G2
Class Entry-Level Mirrorless Entry-Level Mirrorless
Launched 2009-07-29 2010-07-12
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Processor Chip TruePic V Venus Engine HD II
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds Four Thirds
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 17.3 x 13mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 224.9mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixels 12 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 4032 x 3024 4000 x 3000
Highest native ISO 6400 6400
Minimum native ISO 100 100
RAW files
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Continuous AF
Single AF
AF tracking
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Number of focus points 11 -
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds Micro Four Thirds
Total lenses 107 107
Focal length multiplier 2.1 2.1
Screen
Range of display Fixed Type Fully Articulated
Display diagonal 3" 3"
Display resolution 230k dot 460k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Display tech HyperCrystal LCD with AR(Anti-Reflective) coating TFT Color LCD with wide-viewing angle
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 1,440k dot
Viewfinder coverage - 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.55x
Features
Min shutter speed 60s 60s
Max shutter speed 1/4000s 1/4000s
Continuous shutter speed 3.0 frames/s 3.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range no built-in flash 11.00 m
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync
External flash
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Max flash sync 1/180s 1/160s
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution 1280x720 1280x720
Video format Motion JPEG AVCHD Lite, Motion JPEG
Microphone input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless None 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 355g (0.78 lbs) 428g (0.94 lbs)
Physical dimensions 121 x 70 x 36mm (4.8" x 2.8" x 1.4") 124 x 84 x 74mm (4.9" x 3.3" x 2.9")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score 55 53
DXO Color Depth score 21.4 21.2
DXO Dynamic range score 10.4 10.3
DXO Low light score 536 493
Other
Battery life 300 shots 360 shots
Battery format Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model BLS-1 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD/SDHC card SD/SDHC/SDXC
Storage slots One One
Retail cost $182 $1,000