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Olympus E-P1 vs Panasonic GH4

Portability
86
Imaging
47
Features
42
Overall
45
Olympus PEN E-P1 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH4 front
Portability
66
Imaging
53
Features
88
Overall
67

Olympus E-P1 vs Panasonic GH4 Key Specs

Olympus E-P1
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 355g - 121 x 70 x 36mm
  • Announced July 2009
  • Refreshed by Olympus E-P2
Panasonic GH4
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 4096 x 2160 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 560g - 133 x 93 x 84mm
  • Announced February 2014
  • Previous Model is Panasonic GH3
  • Refreshed by Panasonic GH5
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Olympus E-P1 vs Panasonic GH4 Overview

The following is a detailed overview of the Olympus E-P1 vs Panasonic GH4, one is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the latter is a Pro Mirrorless by manufacturers Olympus and Panasonic. There is a significant difference between the sensor resolutions of the E-P1 (12MP) and GH4 (16MP) but both cameras provide the same sensor dimensions (Four Thirds).

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The E-P1 was unveiled 5 years before the GH4 which is quite a sizable gap as far as tech is concerned. Each of these cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-P1 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic GH4 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before delving right into a in-depth comparison, here is a quick synopsis of how the E-P1 scores vs the GH4 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-P1 over the Panasonic GH4

 E-P1 GH4 

Reasons to pick Panasonic GH4 over the Olympus E-P1

 GH4 E-P1 
AnnouncedFebruary 2014July 2009Newer by 55 months
Screen typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating screen
Screen resolution1036k230kClearer screen (+806k dot)
Selfie screen Take selfies
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Common features in the Olympus E-P1 and Panasonic GH4

 E-P1 GH4 
Focus manually Very exact focus
Screen dimensions3"3"Equal screen sizing

Olympus E-P1 vs Panasonic GH4 Physical Comparison

For anyone who is going to travel with your camera, you will need to consider its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-P1 has got physical measurements of 121mm x 70mm x 36mm (4.8" x 2.8" x 1.4") and a weight of 355 grams (0.78 lbs) whilst the Panasonic GH4 has measurements of 133mm x 93mm x 84mm (5.2" x 3.7" x 3.3") having a weight of 560 grams (1.23 lbs).

Check out the Olympus E-P1 vs Panasonic GH4 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Keep in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ dependant on the lens you choose during that time. Following is a front view dimension comparison of the E-P1 and the GH4.

Olympus E-P1 vs Panasonic GH4 size comparison

Using size and weight, the portability grade of the E-P1 and GH4 is 86 and 66 respectively.

Olympus E-P1 vs Panasonic GH4 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-P1 vs Panasonic GH4 Sensor Comparison

In many cases, it is difficult to picture the difference between sensor dimensions just by reading a spec sheet. The image below will give you a far better sense of the sensor sizing in the E-P1 and GH4.

Clearly, both of the cameras provide the same sensor dimensions albeit different MP. You should expect the Panasonic GH4 to offer extra detail having an extra 4MP. Higher resolution will also make it easier to crop pictures more aggressively. The more aged E-P1 is going to be disadvantaged in sensor tech.

Olympus E-P1 vs Panasonic GH4 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-P1 vs Panasonic GH4 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-P1 vs Panasonic GH4 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-P1 Portrait photography advice
Panasonic GH4 Portrait photography advice
60
focusing manually
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
features face detect autofocus
saves RAW formats
MP count low (12MP)
71
manual focus
decent megapixels (16MP)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
comes with face detection autofocus
delivers RAW files
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus E-P1
Street photography with Panasonic GH4
74
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
no moving screen
71
fully articulated screen
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW files
boasts focus by touch
weather proof
lighter than others in class (560g)
great ISO range (25,600)
lack of image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-P1 Sports photography details
Panasonic GH4 Sports photography details
40
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
max frames per second low (3.0 fps)
MP count low (12 megapixels)
bad battery (300 shots)
lacks phase detect autofocus
62
high shutter speed (1/8,000 seconds)
decent megapixels (16MP)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
comes with tracking autofocus
weather proof
lack of image stabilization
does not have phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-P1 as a Travel photography camera
Panasonic GH4 as a Travel photography camera
43
does not have Timelapse function
bad battery (300 per charge)
MP count low (12MP)
screen is not selfie friendly
77
lighter than others in class (560g)
weather proof
boasts focus by touch
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
built-in flash
display is selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-P1 Landscape photography factors
Panasonic GH4 Landscape photography factors
60
focusing manually
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
decent sized screen (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
MP count low (12MP)
bad battery (300 per charge)
does not have Timelapse function
72
manual focus
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen is a decent size (3")
decent megapixels (16MP)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
great ISO range (25,600)
delivers RAW files
weather proof
lack of image stabilization
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-P1 Vlogging advice
Panasonic GH4 Vlogging advice
29
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
features face detect autofocus
screen is not selfie friendly
video resolution low (1280 x 720 resolution)
does not have microphone jack
71
display is selfie friendly
touch screen
comes with face detection autofocus
good video quality (4096 x 2160 pxls)
includes external mic support
lighter than others in class (560g)
lack of image stabilization
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Olympus E-P1 vs Panasonic GH4 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-P1 and Panasonic GH4
 Olympus PEN E-P1Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH4
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Panasonic
Model Olympus PEN E-P1 Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH4
Class Entry-Level Mirrorless Pro Mirrorless
Announced 2009-07-29 2014-02-07
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Chip TruePic V Venus Engine IX
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 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
Max resolution 4032 x 3024 4608 x 3456
Max native ISO 6400 25600
Lowest native ISO 100 200
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch to focus
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Tracking autofocus
Autofocus selectice
Autofocus center weighted
Autofocus multi area
Live view autofocus
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Number of focus points 11 49
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds Micro Four Thirds
Amount of lenses 107 107
Crop factor 2.1 2.1
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Fully Articulated
Screen size 3 inches 3 inches
Screen resolution 230 thousand dots 1,036 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Screen technology HyperCrystal LCD with AR(Anti-Reflective) coating OLED
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 2,359 thousand dots
Viewfinder coverage - 100%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.67x
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60 secs 60 secs
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/8000 secs
Continuous shutter rate 3.0fps 12.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range no built-in flash 17.00 m (at ISO 200)
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) Auto, auto/redeye reduction, forced on, forced on/redeye reduction, slow sync, slow sync/redeye reduction, forced off
External flash
AEB
White balance bracketing
Fastest flash synchronize 1/180 secs 1/250 secs
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 4096 x 2160 (24p), 3840 x 2160 (24p, 25p, 30p), 1920 x 1080 (24p, 25p, 30p, 50p, 60p), 1280 x 720 (24p, 25p, 30p), 640 x 480 (25p, 30p)
Max video resolution 1280x720 4096x2160
Video file format Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD
Mic support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
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 grams (0.78 pounds) 560 grams (1.23 pounds)
Physical dimensions 121 x 70 x 36mm (4.8" x 2.8" x 1.4") 133 x 93 x 84mm (5.2" x 3.7" x 3.3")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score 55 74
DXO Color Depth score 21.4 23.2
DXO Dynamic range score 10.4 12.8
DXO Low light score 536 791
Other
Battery life 300 shots 500 shots
Form of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model BLS-1 DMW-BLF19
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 secs (single or three-shot))
Time lapse shooting
Storage type SD/SDHC card SD/SDHC/SDXC
Card slots 1 1
Price at release $182 $1,500