Olympus E-PL1s vs Panasonic GH4

Lets look a bit more in depth at the Olympus E-PL1s and Panasonic GH4, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the latter is a Pro Mirrorless by companies Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a huge gap among the sensor resolutions of the E-PL1s (12MP) and GH4 (16MP) but they come with the exact same sensor sizing (Four Thirds).

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The E-PL1s was announced 4 years before the GH4 and that is a fairly significant gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-PL1s being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic GH4 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before diving straight into a thorough comparison, below is a short highlight of how the E-PL1s scores versus the GH4 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Following is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus PEN E-PL1s and Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH4. The whole galleries are viewable at Olympus E-PL1s Gallery and Panasonic GH4 Gallery.

If you are planning to lug around your camera regularly, you'll have to consider its weight and volume. The Olympus E-PL1s has external measurements of 115mm x 72mm x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") having a weight of 334 grams (0.74 lbs) while the Panasonic GH4 has sizing of 133mm x 93mm x 84mm (5.2" x 3.7" x 3.3") and a weight of 560 grams (1.23 lbs).

Compare the Olympus E-PL1s and Panasonic GH4 in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary based on the lens you have during that time. Below is the front view physical size comparison of the E-PL1s vs the GH4.

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-PL1s and GH4 is 86 and 66 respectively.

Sometimes, it is tough to visualize the contrast in sensor measurements simply by researching a spec sheet. The graphic here should provide you a stronger sense of the sensor measurements in the E-PL1s and GH4.

As you can see, the 2 cameras posses the exact same sensor measurements albeit different megapixels. You should count on the Panasonic GH4 to provide you with greater detail with its extra 4MP. Higher resolution will also allow you to crop photographs somewhat more aggressively. The older E-PL1s will be disadvantaged with regard to sensor innovation.