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Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic GH1

Portability
88
Imaging
52
Features
72
Overall
60
Olympus PEN E-PL5 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1 front
Portability
81
Imaging
49
Features
57
Overall
52

Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic GH1 Key Specs

Olympus E-PL5
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 325g - 111 x 64 x 38mm
  • Released September 2012
Panasonic GH1
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 100 - 1600 (Push to 3200)
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 385g - 124 x 90 x 45mm
  • Launched July 2009
  • Renewed by Panasonic GH2
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Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic GH1 Overview

Below, we will be evaluating the Olympus E-PL5 and Panasonic GH1, one is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the latter is a Advanced Mirrorless by competitors Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a significant gap among the image resolutions of the E-PL5 (16MP) and GH1 (12MP) but they come with the exact same sensor sizes (Four Thirds).

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The E-PL5 was brought out 3 years after the GH1 which is a fairly sizable gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Both the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-PL5 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic GH1 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before delving through a step-by-step comparison, below is a short highlight of how the E-PL5 grades vs the GH1 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL5 over the Panasonic GH1

 E-PL5 GH1 
LaunchedSeptember 2012July 2009Newer by 39 months
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Panasonic GH1 over the Olympus E-PL5

 GH1 E-PL5 
Screen typeFully ArticulatedTiltingFully Articulating screen

Common features in the Olympus E-PL5 and Panasonic GH1

 E-PL5 GH1 
Focus manually Very exact focusing
Screen dimension3"3"Identical screen dimensions
Screen resolution460k460kSame screen resolution
Selfie screen Both good for selfies

Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic GH1 Physical Comparison

For anyone who is going to travel with your camera, you will want to factor its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-PL5 enjoys outside dimensions of 111mm x 64mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.5") with a weight of 325 grams (0.72 lbs) and the Panasonic GH1 has measurements of 124mm x 90mm x 45mm (4.9" x 3.5" x 1.8") having a weight of 385 grams (0.85 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-PL5 and Panasonic GH1 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary dependant on the lens you are working with at the time. Below is the front view sizing comparison of the E-PL5 and the GH1.

Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic GH1 size comparison

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-PL5 and GH1 is 88 and 81 respectively.

Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic GH1 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic GH1 Sensor Comparison

Normally, it's difficult to imagine the gap in sensor dimensions purely by viewing specifications. The image below should provide you a stronger sense of the sensor sizes in the E-PL5 and GH1.

Plainly, each of these cameras have got the exact same sensor measurements albeit different resolution. You should expect the Olympus E-PL5 to result in greater detail having its extra 4MP. Higher resolution will also let you crop shots much more aggressively. The more recent E-PL5 should have an advantage in sensor technology.

Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic GH1 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic GH1 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic GH1 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 as a Portrait photography camera
Panasonic GH1 as a Portrait photography camera
71
focusing manually
good resolution (16 megapixels)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
has face detection focus
exports RAW files
59
you can focus manually
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
sensor resolution not great (12MP)
Photography Glossary

Street Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 Street photography factors
Panasonic GH1 Street photography factors
85
tilting screen
image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
includes focus by touch
good high ISO (25,600)
72
screen articulates
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
no image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 Sports photography information
Panasonic GH1 Sports photography information
66
image stabilization (Sensor based)
good resolution (16 megapixels)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
has tracking autofocus
lacks phase detect auto focus
32
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
continuous shooting slow (3.0 frames per second)
no image stabilization
sensor resolution not great (12 megapixels)
bad battery (320 shots)
doesn't have phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 as a Travel photography camera
Panasonic GH1 as a Travel photography camera
75
includes focus by touch
good resolution (16 megapixels)
selfie friendly screen
missing Timelapse mode
58
has built in flash
selfie friendly screen
missing Timelapse mode
bad battery (320 per charge)
sensor resolution not great (12 megapixels)
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus E-PL5
Landscape photography with Panasonic GH1
74
focusing manually
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inches)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
good resolution (16 megapixels)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
good high ISO (25,600)
exports RAW files
missing Timelapse mode
55
you can focus manually
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
decent sized screen (3 inches)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
no image stabilization
sensor resolution not great (12 megapixels)
bad battery (320 per charge)
missing Timelapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus E-PL5
Vlogging with Panasonic GH1
78
selfie friendly screen
touchscreen
image stabilization (Sensor based)
has face detection focus
good video quality (1920 x 1080 pxls)
missing external microphone jack
72
selfie friendly screen
high res video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
includes external microphone support
no image stabilization
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Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic GH1 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL5 and Panasonic GH1
 Olympus PEN E-PL5Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Panasonic
Model Olympus PEN E-PL5 Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1
Class Entry-Level Mirrorless Advanced Mirrorless
Released 2012-09-17 2009-07-10
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Chip - Venus Engine HD
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds Four Thirds
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 18.89 x 14.48mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 273.5mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixels 12 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 4608 x 3456 4000 x 3000
Max native ISO 25600 1600
Max boosted ISO - 3200
Lowest native ISO 200 100
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Manual focus
AF touch
Continuous AF
AF single
AF tracking
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Number of focus points 35 -
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds Micro Four Thirds
Amount of lenses 107 107
Focal length multiplier 2.1 1.9
Screen
Type of screen Tilting Fully Articulated
Screen diagonal 3" 3"
Screen resolution 460k dots 460k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic (optional) Electronic
Viewfinder coverage - 100 percent
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60s 60s
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000s 1/4000s
Continuous shooting rate 8.0 frames per sec 3.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom WB
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
AEB
White balance bracketing
Maximum flash synchronize 1/250s 1/160s
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1280 x 720 (60 fps), 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Max video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video data format MPEG-4, H.264, Motion JPEG AVCHD
Microphone support
Headphone support
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
Environmental sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 325 grams (0.72 lb) 385 grams (0.85 lb)
Dimensions 111 x 64 x 38mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.5") 124 x 90 x 45mm (4.9" x 3.5" x 1.8")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 72 64
DXO Color Depth score 22.8 21.6
DXO Dynamic range score 12.3 11.6
DXO Low light score 889 772
Other
Battery life 360 images 320 images
Battery style Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model BLS-5 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC
Card slots 1 1
Pricing at launch $400 $949