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Olympus E-PL1 vs Panasonic G9

Portability
86
Imaging
47
Features
43
Overall
45
Olympus PEN E-PL1 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DC-G9 front
Portability
62
Imaging
60
Features
90
Overall
72

Olympus E-PL1 vs Panasonic G9 Key Specs

Olympus E-PL1
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 334g - 115 x 72 x 42mm
  • Revealed May 2010
  • New Model is Olympus E-PL1s
Panasonic G9
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 658g - 137 x 97 x 92mm
  • Revealed November 2017
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Olympus E-PL1 vs Panasonic G9 Overview

On this page, we will be matching up the Olympus E-PL1 and Panasonic G9, one is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the latter is a Pro Mirrorless by brands Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a huge gap among the sensor resolutions of the E-PL1 (12MP) and G9 (20MP) but both cameras boast the same sensor measurements (Four Thirds).

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The E-PL1 was launched 8 years earlier than the G9 which is a fairly significant gap as far as camera technology is concerned. The two cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-PL1 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic G9 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before delving straight to a complete comparison, here is a quick highlight of how the E-PL1 scores vs the G9 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL1 over the Panasonic G9

 E-PL1 G9 

Reasons to pick Panasonic G9 over the Olympus E-PL1

 G9 E-PL1 
RevealedNovember 2017May 2010More modern by 91 months
Screen typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating screen
Screen dimensions3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution1040k230kClearer screen (+810k dot)
Selfie screen Take selfies
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Common features in the Olympus E-PL1 and Panasonic G9

 E-PL1 G9 
Manually focus Very precise focusing

Olympus E-PL1 vs Panasonic G9 Physical Comparison

When you are planning to carry around your camera often, you will want to think about its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-PL1 comes with outer dimensions of 115mm x 72mm x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") with a weight of 334 grams (0.74 lbs) and the Panasonic G9 has measurements of 137mm x 97mm x 92mm (5.4" x 3.8" x 3.6") along with a weight of 658 grams (1.45 lbs).

See the Olympus E-PL1 and Panasonic G9 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Do not forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ depending on the lens you are utilising at the time. Underneath is a front view dimension comparison of the E-PL1 compared to the G9.

Olympus E-PL1 vs Panasonic G9 size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-PL1 and G9 is 86 and 62 respectively.

Olympus E-PL1 vs Panasonic G9 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL1 vs Panasonic G9 Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, its difficult to see the difference in sensor sizes simply by going through technical specs. The picture below will give you a greater sense of the sensor sizes in the E-PL1 and G9.

As you can tell, both the cameras provide the same sensor dimensions albeit not the same megapixels. You should count on the Panasonic G9 to show more detail utilizing its extra 8MP. Higher resolution will also let you crop pictures more aggressively. The more aged E-PL1 will be disadvantaged with regard to sensor innovation.

Olympus E-PL1 vs Panasonic G9 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL1 vs Panasonic G9 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL1 vs Panasonic G9 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PL1 as a Portrait photography camera
Panasonic G9 as a Portrait photography camera
60
has manual focus
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
includes face detect autofocus
delivers RAW formats
sensor resolution not great (12MP)
76
manual focus
resolution is good (20MP)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
includes face detect focus
delivers RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus E-PL1
Street photography with Panasonic G9
74
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
fixed screen
75
screen can move to multiple angles
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
supports touch focus
environment sealing
good ISO range (25,600)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PL1 Sports photography information
Panasonic G9 Sports photography information
44
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
includes tracking focus
painfully slow continuous shooting (3.0 frames per second)
sensor resolution not great (12 megapixels)
not so great battery life (290 shots)
doesn't have phase detect autofocus
70
great max shutter speed (1/8,000 seconds)
quiet shooting (1/32,000 seconds)
fast continuous shooting (20.0 frames/s)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
resolution is good (20MP)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
includes tracking focus
environment sealing
terrible battery life (400 per charge)
lacks phase detect auto focus
Photography Glossary

Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL1 Travel photography highlights
Panasonic G9 Travel photography highlights
51
built-in flash
lack of Timelapse function
not so great battery life (290 CIPA)
sensor resolution not great (12MP)
does not offer selfie friendly screen
70
environment sealing
supports bluetooth
supports touch focus
resolution is good (20MP)
screen is selfie friendly
terrible battery life (400 per charge)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PL1 as a Landscape photography camera
Panasonic G9 as a Landscape photography camera
55
has manual focus
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
small screen (2.7")
sensor resolution not great (12MP)
not so great battery life (290 shots)
lack of Timelapse function
76
manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
resolution is good (20MP)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
doesnt have anti aliasing filter
good ISO range (25,600)
delivers RAW formats
environment sealing
has dual storage slots
terrible battery life (400 CIPA)
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL1 Vlogging information
Panasonic G9 Vlogging information
29
image stabilization (Sensor based)
includes face detect autofocus
does not offer selfie friendly screen
low quality video (1280 x 720 pixels)
lack of microphone support
76
screen is selfie friendly
screen is touchscreen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
includes face detect focus
high quality video (3840 x 2160 pxls)
comes with microphone jack
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Olympus E-PL1 vs Panasonic G9 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL1 and Panasonic G9
 Olympus PEN E-PL1Panasonic Lumix DC-G9
General Information
Company Olympus Panasonic
Model type Olympus PEN E-PL1 Panasonic Lumix DC-G9
Type Entry-Level Mirrorless Pro Mirrorless
Revealed 2010-05-17 2017-11-08
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Processor Chip Truepic V -
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 20 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Max resolution 4032 x 3024 5184 x 3888
Max native ISO 3200 25600
Minimum native ISO 100 200
RAW files
Minimum enhanced ISO - 100
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Autofocus touch
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Tracking autofocus
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Live view autofocus
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Total focus points 11 225
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds Micro Four Thirds
Total lenses 107 107
Focal length multiplier 2.1 2.1
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fully Articulated
Display diagonal 2.7 inch 3 inch
Display resolution 230k dot 1,040k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Display tech HyperCrystal LCD AR (Anti-Reflective) coating -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic (optional) Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 3,680k dot
Viewfinder coverage - 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.83x
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60s 60s
Fastest shutter speed 1/2000s 1/8000s
Fastest quiet shutter speed - 1/32000s
Continuous shutter speed 3.0 frames/s 20.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 10.00 m no built-in flash
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) Auto, Auto/Red-eye Reduction, Forced On, Forced On/Red-eye Reduction, Slow Sync., Slow Sync./Red-eye Reduction, Forced Off
Hot shoe
AEB
WB bracketing
Fastest flash sync 1/160s -
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 3840 x 2160 @ 60p / 150 Mbps, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM
Max video resolution 1280x720 3840x2160
Video data format Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264
Microphone input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 3.0 (5 GBit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 334 gr (0.74 lbs) 658 gr (1.45 lbs)
Physical dimensions 115 x 72 x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") 137 x 97 x 92mm (5.4" x 3.8" x 3.6")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 54 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 21.5 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 10.1 not tested
DXO Low light rating 487 not tested
Other
Battery life 290 shots 400 shots
Battery format Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLS-1 DMW-BLF19
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes
Time lapse feature
Storage media SD/SDHC card Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC slots (UHS-II supported)
Storage slots 1 2
Retail cost $288 $1,500