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Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic G1

Portability
88
Imaging
52
Features
72
Overall
60
Olympus PEN E-PL5 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1 front
Portability
82
Imaging
46
Features
50
Overall
47

Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic G1 Key Specs

Olympus E-PL5
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 325g - 111 x 64 x 38mm
  • Introduced September 2012
Panasonic G1
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 100 - 1600 (Boost to 3200)
  • No Video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 360g - 124 x 84 x 45mm
  • Announced January 2009
  • Replacement is Panasonic G2
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Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic G1 Overview

On this page, we will be evaluating the Olympus E-PL5 and Panasonic G1, both Entry-Level Mirrorless digital cameras by rivals Olympus and Panasonic. There is a large difference between the image resolutions of the E-PL5 (16MP) and G1 (12MP) but both cameras provide the same sensor dimensions (Four Thirds).

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The E-PL5 was released 3 years later than the G1 and that is quite a serious difference as far as tech is concerned. Both of these cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-PL5 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic G1 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before diving straight to a detailed comparison, here is a brief summation of how the E-PL5 matches up versus the G1 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL5 over the Panasonic G1

 E-PL5 G1 
AnnouncedSeptember 2012January 2009More recent by 45 months
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Panasonic G1 over the Olympus E-PL5

 G1 E-PL5 
Screen typeFully ArticulatedTiltingFully Articulating screen

Common features in the Olympus E-PL5 and Panasonic G1

 E-PL5 G1 
Manually focus Very accurate focusing
Screen dimensions3"3"Equal screen sizing
Screen resolution460k460kEqual screen resolution
Selfie screen Both are selfie friendly

Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic G1 Physical Comparison

For anyone who is aiming to lug around your camera regularly, you will want to take into account its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-PL5 comes with exterior dimensions of 111mm x 64mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.5") with a weight of 325 grams (0.72 lbs) while the Panasonic G1 has dimensions of 124mm x 84mm x 45mm (4.9" x 3.3" x 1.8") with a weight of 360 grams (0.79 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus E-PL5 and Panasonic G1 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into account, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you have attached at the time. Underneath is a front view measurement comparison of the E-PL5 vs the G1.

Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic G1 size comparison

Factoring in size and weight, the portability rating of the E-PL5 and G1 is 88 and 82 respectively.

Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic G1 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic G1 Sensor Comparison

In many cases, it is tough to envision the contrast between sensor measurements purely by reading through technical specs. The photograph below might offer you a more clear sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-PL5 and G1.

As you can tell, the two cameras have the same sensor dimensions albeit not the same MP. You can expect the Olympus E-PL5 to resolve extra detail as a result of its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also allow you to crop photographs a bit more aggressively. The fresher E-PL5 is going to have an advantage when it comes to sensor innovation.

Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic G1 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic G1 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic G1 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 as a Portrait photography camera
Panasonic G1 as a Portrait photography camera
71
manual focus
good MP (16MP)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
features face detect autofocus
delivers RAW formats
57
has manual focus
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
megapixel count low (12MP)
Photography Glossary

Street Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 as a Street photography camera
Panasonic G1 as a Street photography camera
85
screen tilts
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
boasts focus via touch
good ISO range (25,600)
72
screen articulates fully
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
does not have image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 as a Sports photography camera
Panasonic G1 as a Sports photography camera
66
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good MP (16 megapixels)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
features tracking focus
lacks phase detect autofocus
33
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
very slow continuous shooting (3.0 frames/s)
does not have image stabilization
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
lacks phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 Travel photography information
Panasonic G1 Travel photography information
75
boasts focus via touch
good MP (16MP)
display is selfie friendly
no Timelapse mode
62
flash built-in
selfie friendly display
no Timelapse mode
megapixel count low (12MP)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 Landscape photography features
Panasonic G1 Landscape photography features
74
manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen is a good size (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good MP (16 megapixels)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
good ISO range (25,600)
delivers RAW formats
no Timelapse mode
57
has manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is good (3 inch)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
does not have image stabilization
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
no Timelapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 Vlogging advice
Panasonic G1 Vlogging advice
78
display is selfie friendly
touchscreen
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
features face detect autofocus
high video quality (1920 x 1080 resolution)
no microphone jack
18
no video
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Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic G1 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL5 and Panasonic G1
 Olympus PEN E-PL5Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1
General Information
Company Olympus Panasonic
Model Olympus PEN E-PL5 Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1
Class Entry-Level Mirrorless Entry-Level Mirrorless
Introduced 2012-09-17 2009-01-19
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
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 16 megapixel 12 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Max resolution 4608 x 3456 4000 x 3000
Max native ISO 25600 1600
Max enhanced ISO - 3200
Min native ISO 200 100
RAW files
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch focus
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Number of focus points 35 -
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds Micro Four Thirds
Available lenses 107 107
Crop factor 2.1 2.1
Screen
Display type Tilting Fully Articulated
Display sizing 3 inch 3 inch
Resolution of display 460 thousand dot 460 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic (optional) Electronic
Viewfinder coverage - 100%
Features
Min shutter speed 60s 60s
Max shutter speed 1/4000s 1/4000s
Continuous shutter speed 8.0 frames/s 3.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 7.00 m (bundled FL-LM1) 10.50 m
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Max flash sync 1/250s 1/160s
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) -
Max video resolution 1920x1080 None
Video file format MPEG-4, H.264, Motion JPEG -
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless Eye-Fi Connected None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 325 gr (0.72 lb) 360 gr (0.79 lb)
Physical dimensions 111 x 64 x 38mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.5") 124 x 84 x 45mm (4.9" x 3.3" x 1.8")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score 72 53
DXO Color Depth score 22.8 21.1
DXO Dynamic range score 12.3 10.3
DXO Low light score 889 463
Other
Battery life 360 photos 330 photos
Style of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model BLS-5 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/MMC/SDHC card
Storage slots One One
Pricing at release $400 $0