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Olympus E-PL2 vs Panasonic GH2

Portability
85
Imaging
48
Features
47
Overall
47
Olympus PEN E-PL2 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH2 front
Portability
70
Imaging
51
Features
65
Overall
56

Olympus E-PL2 vs Panasonic GH2 Key Specs

Olympus E-PL2
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 362g - 114 x 72 x 42mm
  • Introduced February 2011
  • Older Model is Olympus E-PL1s
  • Refreshed by Olympus E-PL3
Panasonic GH2
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Display
  • ISO 160 - 12800
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 442g - 124 x 90 x 76mm
  • Released March 2011
  • Superseded the Panasonic GH1
  • Newer Model is Panasonic GH3
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Olympus E-PL2 vs Panasonic GH2 Overview

Lets look much closer at the Olympus E-PL2 and Panasonic GH2, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the other is a Advanced Mirrorless by rivals Olympus and Panasonic. There is a sizeable difference among the sensor resolutions of the E-PL2 (12MP) and GH2 (16MP) but both cameras boast the same sensor sizing (Four Thirds).

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The E-PL2 was revealed around the same time to the GH2 and they are both of a similar generation. Each of the cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-PL2 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic GH2 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before diving into a in-depth comparison, here is a short highlight of how the E-PL2 grades versus the GH2 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL2 over the Panasonic GH2

 E-PL2 GH2 

Reasons to pick Panasonic GH2 over the Olympus E-PL2

 GH2 E-PL2 
Display typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating display
Selfie screen Take selfies
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Common features in the Olympus E-PL2 and Panasonic GH2

 E-PL2 GH2 
ReleasedFebruary 2011March 2011Same generation
Focus manually Dial precise focus
Display dimensions3"3"Equal display measurement
Display resolution460k460kEqual display resolution

Olympus E-PL2 vs Panasonic GH2 Physical Comparison

For anyone who is planning to carry your camera, you need to think about its weight and size. The Olympus E-PL2 offers outer measurements of 114mm x 72mm x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") having a weight of 362 grams (0.80 lbs) while the Panasonic GH2 has specifications of 124mm x 90mm x 76mm (4.9" x 3.5" x 3.0") accompanied by a weight of 442 grams (0.97 lbs).

Check out the Olympus E-PL2 and Panasonic GH2 in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into account, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ depending on the lens you have at that moment. Here is a front view over all size comparison of the E-PL2 against the GH2.

Olympus E-PL2 vs Panasonic GH2 size comparison

Looking at size and weight, the portability rating of the E-PL2 and GH2 is 85 and 70 respectively.

Olympus E-PL2 vs Panasonic GH2 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL2 vs Panasonic GH2 Sensor Comparison

In many cases, its difficult to envision the difference in sensor sizing only by researching specs. The photograph here will help give you a clearer sense of the sensor sizing in the E-PL2 and GH2.

All in all, both of those cameras provide the same sensor dimensions but not the same resolution. You should anticipate the Panasonic GH2 to provide you with more detail because of its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also enable you to crop photos more aggressively.

Olympus E-PL2 vs Panasonic GH2 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL2 vs Panasonic GH2 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL2 vs Panasonic GH2 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PL2 as a Portrait photography camera
Panasonic GH2 as a Portrait photography camera
60
you can focus manually
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
features face detection autofocus
exports RAW formats
low MP (12MP)
70
focusing manually
good resolution (16MP)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
offers face detection focusing
supports RAW formats
Photography Glossary

Street Comparison

Olympus E-PL2 Street photography factors
Panasonic GH2 Street photography factors
73
image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
screen is fixed
68
screen can move to multiple angles
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
does not have image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PL2 Sports photography info
Panasonic GH2 Sports photography info
45
image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
features tracking autofocus
max frames per second low (3.0 fps)
low MP (12 megapixels)
not so great battery power (280 CIPA)
lack of phase detect autofocus
46
good resolution (16 megapixels)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
offers tracking autofocus
slow fps (3.0 frames per second)
does not have image stabilization
bad battery pack (330 CIPA)
doesn't have phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus E-PL2
Travel photography with Panasonic GH2
51
flash built-in
missing Time Lapse mode
not so great battery power (280 shots)
low MP (12 megapixels)
doesn't offer selfie friendly screen
62
good resolution (16 megapixels)
flash built-in
selfie friendly screen
missing Timelapse mode
bad battery pack (330 shots)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PL2 Landscape photography information
Panasonic GH2 Landscape photography information
61
you can focus manually
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
nice screen size (3")
image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
low MP (12MP)
not so great battery power (280 shots)
missing Time Lapse mode
60
focusing manually
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
nice screen size (3 inch)
good resolution (16MP)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
does not have image stabilization
bad battery pack (330 per charge)
missing Timelapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus E-PL2
Vlogging with Panasonic GH2
29
image stabilization (Sensor based)
features face detection autofocus
doesn't offer selfie friendly screen
low video resolution (1280 x 720 resolution)
missing external mic support
71
selfie friendly screen
touch screen
offers face detection focusing
good video quality (1920 x 1080 pxls)
does have external microphone socket
does not have image stabilization
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Olympus E-PL2 vs Panasonic GH2 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL2 and Panasonic GH2
 Olympus PEN E-PL2Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH2
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Panasonic
Model type Olympus PEN E-PL2 Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH2
Category Entry-Level Mirrorless Advanced Mirrorless
Introduced 2011-02-11 2011-03-23
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Powered by Truepic V Venus Engine FHD
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds Four Thirds
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 17.3 x 13mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 224.9mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixel 16 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 4032 x 3024 4608 x 3456
Highest native ISO 6400 12800
Minimum native ISO 100 160
RAW data
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch to focus
AF continuous
AF single
Tracking AF
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Total focus points 11 23
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds Micro Four Thirds
Number of lenses 107 107
Crop factor 2.1 2.1
Screen
Type of display Fixed Type Fully Articulated
Display sizing 3" 3"
Display resolution 460k dots 460k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Display tech HyperCrystal LCD AR(Anti-Reflective) coating TFT Color LCD with wide-viewing angle
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic (optional) Electronic
Viewfinder coverage - 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.71x
Features
Min shutter speed 60 seconds 60 seconds
Max shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Continuous shutter rate 3.0 frames per second 3.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 10.00 m 15.60 m
Flash modes 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 synchronize 1/160 seconds 1/160 seconds
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 (24, 30, 60fps) 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30fps), 320 x 240 (30fps)
Highest video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video file format Motion JPEG AVCHD, Motion JPEG
Microphone port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 362g (0.80 pounds) 442g (0.97 pounds)
Physical dimensions 114 x 72 x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") 124 x 90 x 76mm (4.9" x 3.5" x 3.0")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 55 60
DXO Color Depth rating 21.4 21.2
DXO Dynamic range rating 10.2 11.3
DXO Low light rating 573 655
Other
Battery life 280 shots 330 shots
Battery type Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLS-5 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Storage type SD/SDHC SD/SDHC/SDXC
Card slots 1 1
Retail price $0 $1,000