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Olympus E-PL1 vs Panasonic GX1

Portability
86
Imaging
47
Features
43
Overall
45
Olympus PEN E-PL1 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX1 front
Portability
87
Imaging
52
Features
54
Overall
52

Olympus E-PL1 vs Panasonic GX1 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
  • Newer Model is Olympus E-PL1s
Panasonic GX1
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 160 - 12800
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 318g - 116 x 68 x 39mm
  • Launched February 2012
  • Later Model is Panasonic GX7
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Olympus E-PL1 vs Panasonic GX1 Overview

Its time to look a bit more in depth at the Olympus E-PL1 versus Panasonic GX1, both Entry-Level Mirrorless cameras by brands Olympus and Panasonic. There is a sizeable difference among the resolutions of the E-PL1 (12MP) and GX1 (16MP) but they come with the exact same sensor sizes (Four Thirds).

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The E-PL1 was manufactured 21 months prior to the GX1 which makes the cameras a generation apart from each other. Each of the cameras come with the identical body type (Rangefinder-style mirrorless).

Before diving in to a full comparison, below is a short view of how the E-PL1 grades vs the GX1 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL1 over the Panasonic GX1

 E-PL1 GX1 

Reasons to pick Panasonic GX1 over the Olympus E-PL1

 GX1 E-PL1 
LaunchedFebruary 2012May 2010More recent by 21 months
Screen dimension3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution460k230kCrisper screen (+230k dot)
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Common features in the Olympus E-PL1 and Panasonic GX1

 E-PL1 GX1 
Focus manually Dial precise focusing
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Selfie screen No selfie screen

Olympus E-PL1 vs Panasonic GX1 Physical Comparison

In case you're intending to lug around your camera often, you need to consider its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-PL1 has physical measurements of 115mm x 72mm x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") and a weight of 334 grams (0.74 lbs) whilst the Panasonic GX1 has proportions of 116mm x 68mm x 39mm (4.6" x 2.7" x 1.5") and a weight of 318 grams (0.70 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-PL1 versus Panasonic GX1 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary based on the lens you have attached at that moment. Below is the front view measurement comparison of the E-PL1 against the GX1.

Olympus E-PL1 vs Panasonic GX1 size comparison

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability rating of the E-PL1 and GX1 is 86 and 87 respectively.

Olympus E-PL1 vs Panasonic GX1 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL1 vs Panasonic GX1 Sensor Comparison

Oftentimes, its difficult to visualise the difference in sensor measurements simply by looking through technical specs. The visual here should give you a far better sense of the sensor sizing in the E-PL1 and GX1.

As you have seen, each of the cameras have got the exact same sensor measurements albeit not the same MP. You should count on the Panasonic GX1 to render extra detail due to its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution will enable you to crop photographs much more aggressively. The older E-PL1 will be disadvantaged in sensor tech.

Olympus E-PL1 vs Panasonic GX1 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL1 vs Panasonic GX1 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL1 vs Panasonic GX1 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PL1 Portrait photography info
Panasonic GX1 Portrait photography info
60
focusing manually
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
comes with face detection autofocus
supports RAW files
low megapixels (12MP)
71
you can focus manually
good megapixels (16 megapixels)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
has face detection focusing
supports RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus E-PL1
Street photography with Panasonic GX1
74
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
no articulating screen
70
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
has touch to focus
no moving screen
does not have image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PL1 Sports photography highlights
Panasonic GX1 Sports photography highlights
44
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
comes with tracking autofocus
max fps very slow (3.0 fps)
low megapixels (12MP)
terrible battery pack (290 shots)
has no phase detect autofocus
47
good megapixels (16MP)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
has tracking autofocus
continuous shooting slow (4.0 frames per second)
does not have image stabilization
not so great battery pack (300 per charge)
lack of phase detect AF
Photography Glossary

Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL1 Travel photography highlights
Panasonic GX1 Travel photography highlights
51
has built in flash
doesn't have Time Lapse function
terrible battery pack (290 CIPA)
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
screen isn't selfie friendly
65
has touch to focus
good megapixels (16 megapixels)
has built in flash
doesn't have Time Lapse recording
not so great battery pack (300 shots)
display is not selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PL1 Landscape photography information
Panasonic GX1 Landscape photography information
55
focusing manually
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
tiny screen (2.7")
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
terrible battery pack (290 shots)
doesn't have Time Lapse function
62
you can focus manually
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
good sized screen (3")
good megapixels (16MP)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
does not have image stabilization
not so great battery pack (300 shots)
doesn't have Time Lapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus E-PL1
Vlogging with Panasonic GX1
29
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
comes with face detection autofocus
screen isn't selfie friendly
low video resolution (1280 x 720 resolution)
doesn't have external mic support
32
touchscreen
has face detection focusing
video res high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
display is not selfie friendly
does not have image stabilization
doesn't have external mic port
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Olympus E-PL1 vs Panasonic GX1 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL1 and Panasonic GX1
 Olympus PEN E-PL1Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX1
General Information
Company Olympus Panasonic
Model type Olympus PEN E-PL1 Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX1
Category Entry-Level Mirrorless Entry-Level Mirrorless
Released 2010-05-17 2012-02-14
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Chip Truepic V Venus Engine FHD
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds Four Thirds
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 17.3 x 13mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 224.9mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixels 16 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 4032 x 3024 4592 x 3448
Highest native ISO 3200 12800
Min native ISO 100 160
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
AF touch
AF continuous
AF single
AF tracking
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Total focus points 11 23
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds Micro Four Thirds
Amount of lenses 107 107
Focal length multiplier 2.1 2.1
Screen
Range of display Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display sizing 2.7 inches 3 inches
Display resolution 230 thousand dot 460 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Display technology HyperCrystal LCD AR (Anti-Reflective) coating TFT Color LCD with wide-viewing angle
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic (optional) Electronic (optional)
Features
Min shutter speed 60s 60s
Max shutter speed 1/2000s 1/4000s
Continuous shutter speed 3.0fps 4.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 10.00 m 7.60 m
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Max flash sync 1/160s 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) 1920 x 1080 (60 fps) 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30fps), 320 x 240 (30fps)
Highest video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video file format Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD
Mic jack
Headphone jack
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 proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 334 grams (0.74 pounds) 318 grams (0.70 pounds)
Dimensions 115 x 72 x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") 116 x 68 x 39mm (4.6" x 2.7" x 1.5")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 54 55
DXO Color Depth rating 21.5 20.8
DXO Dynamic range rating 10.1 10.6
DXO Low light rating 487 703
Other
Battery life 290 photographs 300 photographs
Battery form Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLS-1 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Storage media SD/SDHC card SD/SDHC/SDXC
Storage slots 1 1
Cost at release $288 $228