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Olympus E-P1 vs Panasonic G5

Portability
86
Imaging
47
Features
42
Overall
45
Olympus PEN E-P1 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-G5 front
Portability
74
Imaging
52
Features
66
Overall
57

Olympus E-P1 vs Panasonic G5 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
  • Announced July 2009
  • Later Model is Olympus E-P2
Panasonic G5
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 160 - 12800
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 396g - 120 x 83 x 71mm
  • Announced July 2012
  • Previous Model is Panasonic G3
  • Updated by Panasonic G6
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Olympus E-P1 vs Panasonic G5 Overview

The following is a in-depth review of the Olympus E-P1 vs Panasonic G5, both Entry-Level Mirrorless cameras by competitors Olympus and Panasonic. There is a significant difference among the resolutions of the E-P1 (12MP) and G5 (16MP) but both cameras provide the same sensor sizes (Four Thirds).

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The E-P1 was introduced 4 years earlier than the G5 which is a fairly sizable gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Both of these cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-P1 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic G5 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before delving straight to a detailed comparison, here is a concise view of how the E-P1 grades against the G5 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-P1 over the Panasonic G5

 E-P1 G5 

Reasons to pick Panasonic G5 over the Olympus E-P1

 G5 E-P1 
AnnouncedJuly 2012July 2009Newer by 36 months
Screen typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating screen
Screen resolution920k230kCrisper screen (+690k dot)
Selfie screen Take selfies
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Common features in the Olympus E-P1 and Panasonic G5

 E-P1 G5 
Focus manually More accurate focus
Screen dimensions3"3"Equal screen dimensions

Olympus E-P1 vs Panasonic G5 Physical Comparison

If you are planning to travel with your camera frequently, you're going to have to factor in its weight and volume. The Olympus E-P1 provides external measurements of 121mm x 70mm x 36mm (4.8" x 2.8" x 1.4") accompanied by a weight of 355 grams (0.78 lbs) whilst the Panasonic G5 has sizing of 120mm x 83mm x 71mm (4.7" x 3.3" x 2.8") with a weight of 396 grams (0.87 lbs).

Check the Olympus E-P1 vs Panasonic G5 in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary depending on the lens you have at the time. Below is a front view overall size comparison of the E-P1 against the G5.

Olympus E-P1 vs Panasonic G5 size comparison

Using size and weight, the portability score of the E-P1 and G5 is 86 and 74 respectively.

Olympus E-P1 vs Panasonic G5 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-P1 vs Panasonic G5 Sensor Comparison

Usually, its hard to see the difference in sensor dimensions just by looking through specs. The pic below may offer you a much better sense of the sensor measurements in the E-P1 and G5.

All in all, the two cameras provide the same sensor dimensions albeit not the same megapixels. You should expect the Panasonic G5 to provide you with more detail using its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution will make it easier to crop pictures more aggressively. The more aged E-P1 will be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor innovation.

Olympus E-P1 vs Panasonic G5 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-P1 vs Panasonic G5 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-P1 vs Panasonic G5 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photography Glossary

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-P1 as a Portrait photography camera
Panasonic G5 as a Portrait photography camera
60
focusing manually
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
includes face detect focusing
supports RAW formats
MP count low (12 megapixels)
71
has manual focus
good MP (16MP)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
includes face detection focus
delivers RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-P1 Street photography details
Panasonic G5 Street photography details
74
image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
no moving screen
66
screen articulates fully
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW files
has focus by touch
no image stabilization
more heavy than competition (396g)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-P1 Sports photography advice
Panasonic G5 Sports photography advice
40
image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
very slow continuous shooting (3.0 fps)
MP count low (12 megapixels)
bad battery pack (300 per charge)
has no phase detect AF
51
good MP (16 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
includes tracking autofocus
slow continuous shooting (6.0 fps)
no image stabilization
does not have phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-P1 as a Travel photography camera
Panasonic G5 as a Travel photography camera
43
lack of Time Lapse function
bad battery pack (300 per charge)
MP count low (12MP)
does not offer selfie friendly screen
66
has focus by touch
good MP (16 megapixels)
flash built-in
selfie friendly screen
no Timelapse function
more heavy than competition (396 grams)
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus E-P1
Landscape photography with Panasonic G5
60
focusing manually
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is good (3")
image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
MP count low (12MP)
bad battery pack (300 shots)
lack of Time Lapse function
65
has manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is good (3")
good MP (16MP)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW files
no image stabilization
no Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-P1 Vlogging highlights
Panasonic G5 Vlogging highlights
29
image stabilization (Sensor based)
includes face detect focusing
does not offer selfie friendly screen
video res low (1280 x 720 resolution)
lack of mic socket
62
selfie friendly screen
touchscreen enabled
includes face detection focus
high video quality (1920 x 1080 resolution)
no image stabilization
no external microphone socket
more heavy than competition (396 grams)
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Olympus E-P1 vs Panasonic G5 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-P1 and Panasonic G5
 Olympus PEN E-P1Panasonic Lumix DMC-G5
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Panasonic
Model Olympus PEN E-P1 Panasonic Lumix DMC-G5
Category Entry-Level Mirrorless Entry-Level Mirrorless
Announced 2009-07-29 2012-07-17
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Chip TruePic V Venus Engine VII FHD
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds Four Thirds
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 17.3 x 13mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 224.9mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixels 16 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 4608 x 3456
Highest native ISO 6400 12800
Minimum native ISO 100 160
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch focus
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Tracking autofocus
Autofocus selectice
Autofocus center weighted
Autofocus multi area
Live view autofocus
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Number of focus points 11 23
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds Micro Four Thirds
Amount of lenses 107 107
Crop factor 2.1 2.1
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fully Articulated
Display sizing 3" 3"
Display resolution 230 thousand dots 920 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Display tech HyperCrystal LCD with AR(Anti-Reflective) coating TFT Color LCD with wide-viewing angle
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 1,440 thousand dots
Viewfinder coverage - 100%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.7x
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60 seconds 60 seconds
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Continuous shutter rate 3.0 frames/s 6.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range no built-in flash 10.50 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
Fastest flash synchronize 1/180 seconds 1/160 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60, 50, 30, 25fps) 1280 x 720 (60, 50, 30, 25fps), 640 x 480 (30, 25fps
Highest video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video data format Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD
Microphone port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 355 gr (0.78 pounds) 396 gr (0.87 pounds)
Physical dimensions 121 x 70 x 36mm (4.8" x 2.8" x 1.4") 120 x 83 x 71mm (4.7" x 3.3" x 2.8")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score 55 61
DXO Color Depth score 21.4 21.4
DXO Dynamic range score 10.4 11.6
DXO Low light score 536 618
Other
Battery life 300 photos 320 photos
Battery type Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model BLS-1 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10 sec (3 images))
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage SD/SDHC card SD/SDHC/SDXC
Card slots Single Single
Retail price $182 $699