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Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic GX1

Portability
88
Imaging
52
Features
72
Overall
60
Olympus PEN E-PL5 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX1 front
Portability
87
Imaging
52
Features
54
Overall
52

Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic GX1 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 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
  • Revealed February 2012
  • Successor is Panasonic GX7
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Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic GX1 Overview

Lets take a deeper look at the Olympus E-PL5 versus Panasonic GX1, both Entry-Level Mirrorless cameras by brands Olympus and Panasonic. The resolution of the E-PL5 (16MP) and the GX1 (16MP) is relatively close and they feature the exact same sensor size (Four Thirds).

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The E-PL5 was introduced 8 months later than the GX1 so they are both of a similar age. Each of the cameras come with the identical body type (Rangefinder-style mirrorless).

Before diving through a complete comparison, below is a quick overview of how the E-PL5 grades against the GX1 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL5 over the Panasonic GX1

 E-PL5 GX1 
RevealedSeptember 2012February 2012More recent by 8 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Selfie screen Easy selfies

Reasons to pick Panasonic GX1 over the Olympus E-PL5

 GX1 E-PL5 

Common features in the Olympus E-PL5 and Panasonic GX1

 E-PL5 GX1 
Manual focus More accurate focus
Screen dimension3"3"Identical screen size
Screen resolution460k460kThe same screen resolution
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic GX1 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is intending to lug around your camera frequently, you are going to need to think about its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-PL5 has got outer dimensions of 111mm x 64mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.5") and a weight of 325 grams (0.72 lbs) whilst the Panasonic GX1 has measurements of 116mm x 68mm x 39mm (4.6" x 2.7" x 1.5") with a weight of 318 grams (0.70 lbs).

See the Olympus E-PL5 versus Panasonic GX1 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you have during that time. The following is the front view dimension comparison of the E-PL5 against the GX1.

Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic GX1 size comparison

Looking at size and weight, the portability rating of the E-PL5 and GX1 is 88 and 87 respectively.

Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic GX1 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic GX1 Sensor Comparison

In many cases, it is very hard to visualize the gap in sensor measurements simply by viewing specs. The visual underneath should provide you a more clear sense of the sensor sizes in the E-PL5 and GX1.

As you can plainly see, both the cameras have got the exact same sensor measurements and the same exact megapixels so you can expect comparable quality of pictures but you need to take the launch date of the cameras into account. The fresher E-PL5 provides a benefit when it comes to sensor tech.

Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic GX1 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic GX1 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic GX1 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 Portrait photography details
Panasonic GX1 Portrait photography details
71
focusing manually
MP count decent (16 megapixels)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports face detect focus
delivers RAW files
71
focusing manually
good resolution (16 megapixels)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
offers face detection focus
exports RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 Street photography details
Panasonic GX1 Street photography details
85
screen tilts up and down
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW files
provides touch to focus
above average ISO range (25,600)
70
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
offers focus via touch
screen is fixed
lack of image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus E-PL5
Sports photography with Panasonic GX1
66
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
MP count decent (16MP)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports tracking focus
doesn't have phase detect auto focus
47
good resolution (16MP)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
offers tracking autofocus
continuous shooting slow (4.0 frames/s)
lack of image stabilization
bad battery power (300 shots)
lacks phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 Travel photography factors
Panasonic GX1 Travel photography factors
75
provides touch to focus
MP count decent (16MP)
selfie friendly display
lack of Timelapse recording
65
offers focus via touch
good resolution (16MP)
built-in flash
lack of Timelapse mode
bad battery power (300 CIPA)
display isn't selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 as a Landscape photography camera
Panasonic GX1 as a Landscape photography camera
74
focusing manually
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is good (3")
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
MP count decent (16MP)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
above average ISO range (25,600)
delivers RAW files
lack of Timelapse recording
62
focusing manually
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inch)
good resolution (16 megapixels)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
lack of image stabilization
bad battery power (300 per charge)
lack of Timelapse mode
Photography Glossary

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 as a Vlogging camera
Panasonic GX1 as a Vlogging camera
78
selfie friendly display
touchscreen capability
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
supports face detect focus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
lack of microphone socket
32
touchscreen enabled
offers face detection focus
video res high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
display isn't selfie friendly
lack of image stabilization
lack of external microphone socket
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Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic GX1 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL5 and Panasonic GX1
 Olympus PEN E-PL5Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX1
General Information
Company Olympus Panasonic
Model Olympus PEN E-PL5 Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX1
Category Entry-Level Mirrorless Entry-Level Mirrorless
Introduced 2012-09-17 2012-02-14
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Chip - 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 16 megapixels 16 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 4608 x 3456 4592 x 3448
Max native ISO 25600 12800
Min native ISO 200 160
RAW support
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch focus
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Number of focus points 35 23
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds Micro Four Thirds
Amount of lenses 107 107
Crop factor 2.1 2.1
Screen
Display type Tilting Fixed Type
Display size 3" 3"
Resolution of display 460k dots 460k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Display tech - TFT Color LCD with wide-viewing angle
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic (optional) Electronic (optional)
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 secs 60 secs
Highest shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/4000 secs
Continuous shooting rate 8.0 frames/s 4.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 7.00 m (bundled FL-LM1) 7.60 m
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Highest flash synchronize 1/250 secs 1/160 secs
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
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, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30fps), 320 x 240 (30fps)
Max video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video format MPEG-4, H.264, Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD
Microphone port
Headphone port
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 sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 325 grams (0.72 lb) 318 grams (0.70 lb)
Dimensions 111 x 64 x 38mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.5") 116 x 68 x 39mm (4.6" x 2.7" x 1.5")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 72 55
DXO Color Depth score 22.8 20.8
DXO Dynamic range score 12.3 10.6
DXO Low light score 889 703
Other
Battery life 360 images 300 images
Battery type Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model BLS-5 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC
Card slots 1 1
Pricing at launch $400 $228