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Olympus E-PL1 vs Panasonic GH5

Portability
86
Imaging
47
Features
43
Overall
45
Olympus PEN E-PL1 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH5 front
Portability
59
Imaging
60
Features
89
Overall
71

Olympus E-PL1 vs Panasonic GH5 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
  • Released May 2010
  • Updated by Olympus E-PL1s
Panasonic GH5
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3.2" Fully Articulated Display
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 4096 x 2160 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 725g - 139 x 98 x 87mm
  • Announced January 2017
  • Replaced the Panasonic GH4
  • Updated by Panasonic GH5 II
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Olympus E-PL1 vs Panasonic GH5 Overview

The following is a thorough overview of the Olympus E-PL1 vs Panasonic GH5, former is a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the other is a Pro Mirrorless by rivals Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a sizable gap among the image resolutions of the E-PL1 (12MP) and GH5 (20MP) but both cameras offer the same sensor sizing (Four Thirds).

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The E-PL1 was introduced 7 years prior to the GH5 which is a fairly significant difference 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 GH5 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before going into a step-by-step comparison, here is a short overview of how the E-PL1 matches up against the GH5 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL1 over the Panasonic GH5

 E-PL1 GH5 

Reasons to pick Panasonic GH5 over the Olympus E-PL1

 GH5 E-PL1 
AnnouncedJanuary 2017May 2010Newer by 80 months
Display typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating display
Display dimensions3.2"2.7"Larger display (+0.5")
Display resolution1620k230kClearer display (+1390k dot)
Selfie screen Take selfies
Touch display Easily navigate

Common features in the Olympus E-PL1 and Panasonic GH5

 E-PL1 GH5 
Focus manually Very exact focus

Olympus E-PL1 vs Panasonic GH5 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is going to travel with your camera, you'll have to factor in its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-PL1 provides physical measurements 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 GH5 has dimensions of 139mm x 98mm x 87mm (5.5" x 3.9" x 3.4") accompanied by a weight of 725 grams (1.60 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus E-PL1 vs Panasonic GH5 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you have attached at that time. Below is a front view dimensions comparison of the E-PL1 against the GH5.

Olympus E-PL1 vs Panasonic GH5 size comparison

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-PL1 and GH5 is 86 and 59 respectively.

Olympus E-PL1 vs Panasonic GH5 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL1 vs Panasonic GH5 Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, it can be difficult to envision the gap in sensor dimensions merely by looking through specifications. The picture underneath will provide you a much better sense of the sensor measurements in the E-PL1 and GH5.

Plainly, each of the cameras have the same sensor dimensions but not the same megapixels. You can anticipate the Panasonic GH5 to provide you with more detail using its extra 8MP. Greater resolution will also allow you to crop images a bit more aggressively. The more aged E-PL1 will be disadvantaged in sensor technology.

Olympus E-PL1 vs Panasonic GH5 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL1 vs Panasonic GH5 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL1 vs Panasonic GH5 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PL1 Portrait photography information
Panasonic GH5 Portrait photography information
60
has manual focus
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
has face detect focusing
exports RAW files
low megapixels (12MP)
76
has manual focus
good MP (20MP)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
includes face detect focusing
saves RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus E-PL1
Street photography with Panasonic GH5
74
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
fixed screen
74
screen articulates fully
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
provides touch to focus
weather sealing
above average high ISO (25,600)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PL1 Sports photography advice
Panasonic GH5 Sports photography advice
44
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
has tracking focus
continuous shooting slow (3.0 frames per second)
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
not so great battery power (290 shots)
no phase detect AF
68
max shutter speed is good (1/8,000s)
quiet shooting (1/16,000s)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good MP (20MP)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
includes tracking focus
weather sealing
bad battery (410 CIPA)
does not have phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus E-PL1
Travel photography with Panasonic GH5
51
built-in flash
no Time Lapse recording
not so great battery power (290 per charge)
low megapixels (12MP)
doesn't have selfie friendly screen
68
weather sealing
supports bluetooth
provides touch to focus
good MP (20MP)
selfie friendly screen
bad battery (410 per charge)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PL1 as a Landscape photography camera
Panasonic GH5 as a Landscape photography camera
55
has manual focus
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
small screen (2.7")
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
not so great battery power (290 per charge)
no Time Lapse recording
75
has manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen is a good size (3.2")
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good MP (20MP)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
does not have low pass filter
above average high ISO (25,600)
saves RAW formats
weather sealing
two card slots
bad battery (410 shots)
Photography Glossary

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL1 Vlogging factors
Panasonic GH5 Vlogging factors
29
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
has face detect focusing
doesn't have selfie friendly screen
low video resolution (1280 x 720 resolution)
no mic port
75
selfie friendly screen
built-in touchscreen
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
includes face detect focusing
high quality video (4096 x 2160 pxls)
does have mic socket
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Olympus E-PL1 vs Panasonic GH5 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL1 and Panasonic GH5
 Olympus PEN E-PL1Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH5
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Panasonic
Model type Olympus PEN E-PL1 Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH5
Type Entry-Level Mirrorless Pro Mirrorless
Released 2010-05-17 2017-01-04
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Processor Chip Truepic V Venus Engine
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 megapixel 20 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Highest resolution 4032 x 3024 5184 x 3888
Highest native ISO 3200 25600
Min native ISO 100 200
RAW format
Min boosted ISO - 100
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch to focus
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Live view autofocus
Face detect autofocus
Contract detect autofocus
Phase detect autofocus
Total focus points 11 225
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds Micro Four Thirds
Total lenses 107 107
Crop factor 2.1 2.1
Screen
Type of display Fixed Type Fully Articulated
Display size 2.7 inches 3.2 inches
Resolution of display 230 thousand dots 1,620 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Display technology HyperCrystal LCD AR (Anti-Reflective) coating -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic (optional) Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 3,680 thousand dots
Viewfinder coverage - 100%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.76x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60s 60s
Maximum shutter speed 1/2000s 1/8000s
Maximum quiet shutter speed - 1/16000s
Continuous shooting rate 3.0fps 12.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 10.00 m no built-in flash
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) Auto, Auto/Redeye Reduction, Forced On, Forced On w/Redeye Reduction, Slow Sync, Slow Sync w/Redeye Reduction, Forced Off
External flash
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Maximum flash synchronize 1/160s -
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 4096 x 2160 (24p), 3840 x 2160 (60p, 50p, 30p, 25p, 24p), 1920 x 1080 (60p, 50p, 30p, 25p, 24p)
Highest video resolution 1280x720 4096x2160
Video format Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264
Mic port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 3.1 Gen 1(5 GBit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 334 gr (0.74 lb) 725 gr (1.60 lb)
Physical dimensions 115 x 72 x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") 139 x 98 x 87mm (5.5" x 3.9" x 3.4")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 54 77
DXO Color Depth rating 21.5 23.9
DXO Dynamic range rating 10.1 13.0
DXO Low light rating 487 807
Other
Battery life 290 pictures 410 pictures
Battery type Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLS-1 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 secs; 10 secs w/3 shots)
Time lapse shooting
Storage type SD/SDHC card Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-II compatible)
Card slots One 2
Cost at launch $288 $1,298