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Olympus E-PL6 vs Panasonic GH4

Portability
88
Imaging
54
Features
77
Overall
63
Olympus PEN E-PL6 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH4 front
Portability
66
Imaging
53
Features
88
Overall
67

Olympus E-PL6 vs Panasonic GH4 Key Specs

Olympus E-PL6
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 325g - 111 x 64 x 38mm
  • Introduced August 2014
  • Newer Model is Olympus E-PL7
Panasonic GH4
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 4096 x 2160 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 560g - 133 x 93 x 84mm
  • Revealed February 2014
  • Replaced the Panasonic GH3
  • Newer Model is Panasonic GH5
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Olympus E-PL6 vs Panasonic GH4 Overview

In this article, we will be evaluating the Olympus E-PL6 vs Panasonic GH4, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the latter is a Pro Mirrorless by competitors Olympus and Panasonic. The resolution of the E-PL6 (16MP) and the GH4 (16MP) is pretty close and they enjoy the same exact sensor size (Four Thirds).

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The E-PL6 was brought out 6 months later than the GH4 so they are both of a similar generation. Both the cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-PL6 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic GH4 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before delving through a thorough comparison, below is a short introduction of how the E-PL6 grades against the GH4 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL6 over the Panasonic GH4

 E-PL6 GH4 

Reasons to pick Panasonic GH4 over the Olympus E-PL6

 GH4 E-PL6 
Screen typeFully ArticulatedTiltingFully Articulating screen
Screen resolution1036k460kSharper screen (+576k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-PL6 and Panasonic GH4

 E-PL6 GH4 
RevealedAugust 2014February 2014Same generation
Manual focus More accurate focusing
Screen sizing3"3"Equivalent screen size
Selfie screen Both good for selfies
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Olympus E-PL6 vs Panasonic GH4 Physical Comparison

When you are intending to lug around your camera frequently, you will need to think about its weight and size. The Olympus E-PL6 has got outer measurements 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 GH4 has specifications of 133mm x 93mm x 84mm (5.2" x 3.7" x 3.3") along with a weight of 560 grams (1.23 lbs).

Check the Olympus E-PL6 vs Panasonic GH4 in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you choose during that time. Below is the front view dimensions comparison of the E-PL6 vs the GH4.

Olympus E-PL6 vs Panasonic GH4 size comparison

Factoring in size and weight, the portability score of the E-PL6 and GH4 is 88 and 66 respectively.

Olympus E-PL6 vs Panasonic GH4 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL6 vs Panasonic GH4 Sensor Comparison

Generally, it can be difficult to envision the gap in sensor measurements simply by looking through technical specs. The graphic below will provide you a far better sense of the sensor sizing in the E-PL6 and GH4.

As you can tell, both cameras enjoy the same exact sensor sizing and the same exact MP so you should expect comparable quality of pictures however you will need to take the release date of the cameras into account.

Olympus E-PL6 vs Panasonic GH4 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL6 vs Panasonic GH4 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL6 vs Panasonic GH4 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PL6 Portrait photography info
Panasonic GH4 Portrait photography info
72
you can focus manually
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
has face detection focusing
delivers RAW files
71
you can focus manually
good megapixels (16MP)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
provides face detection autofocus
saves RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus E-PL6
Street photography with Panasonic GH4
85
tilting screen
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW files
features focus by touch
above average ISO range (25,600)
71
screen articulates fully
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
comes with focus via touch
weather sealing
lighter than competition (560 grams)
very good high ISO (25,600)
does not have image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PL6 Sports photography highlights
Panasonic GH4 Sports photography highlights
67
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
has tracking autofocus
has no phase detect AF
62
great max shutter speed (1/8,000 seconds)
good megapixels (16 megapixels)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
provides tracking autofocus
weather sealing
does not have image stabilization
doesn't have phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL6 Travel photography advice
Panasonic GH4 Travel photography advice
86
features focus by touch
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
selfie friendly display
77
lighter than competition (560g)
weather sealing
comes with focus via touch
good megapixels (16 megapixels)
built-in flash
selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PL6 Landscape photography advice
Panasonic GH4 Landscape photography advice
80
you can focus manually
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
decent sized screen (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
above average ISO range (25,600)
delivers RAW files
72
you can focus manually
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is good (3 inch)
good megapixels (16 megapixels)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
very good high ISO (25,600)
saves RAW formats
weather sealing
does not have image stabilization
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL6 Vlogging highlights
Panasonic GH4 Vlogging highlights
79
selfie friendly display
touchscreen functionality
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
has face detection focusing
great video quality (1920 x 1080 resolution)
does not have external mic socket
71
selfie friendly screen
touchscreen enabled
provides face detection autofocus
video res high (4096 x 2160 pixels)
does have external microphone port
lighter than competition (560 grams)
does not have image stabilization
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Olympus E-PL6 vs Panasonic GH4 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL6 and Panasonic GH4
 Olympus PEN E-PL6Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH4
General Information
Brand Olympus Panasonic
Model type Olympus PEN E-PL6 Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH4
Category Entry-Level Mirrorless Pro Mirrorless
Introduced 2014-08-01 2014-02-07
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Powered by TruePic VI Venus Engine IX
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 16MP 16MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 4608 x 3456 4608 x 3456
Maximum native ISO 25600 25600
Minimum native ISO 100 200
RAW support
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch 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 35 49
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds Micro Four Thirds
Number of lenses 107 107
Crop factor 2.1 2.1
Screen
Range of display Tilting Fully Articulated
Display size 3 inches 3 inches
Display resolution 460 thousand dot 1,036 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Display tech - OLED
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic (optional) Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 2,359 thousand dot
Viewfinder coverage - 100%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.67x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60s 60s
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000s 1/8000s
Continuous shooting speed 8.0 frames/s 12.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 7.00 m (bundled FL-LM1) 17.00 m (at ISO 200)
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) Auto, auto/redeye reduction, forced on, forced on/redeye reduction, slow sync, slow sync/redeye reduction, forced off
Hot shoe
AEB
WB bracketing
Maximum flash sync - 1/250s
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 4096 x 2160 (24p), 3840 x 2160 (24p, 25p, 30p), 1920 x 1080 (24p, 25p, 30p, 50p, 60p), 1280 x 720 (24p, 25p, 30p), 640 x 480 (25p, 30p)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 4096x2160
Video format MPEG-4, Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless Eye-Fi Connected Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 325 gr (0.72 lbs) 560 gr (1.23 lbs)
Dimensions 111 x 64 x 38mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.5") 133 x 93 x 84mm (5.2" x 3.7" x 3.3")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating not tested 74
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 23.2
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 12.8
DXO Low light rating not tested 791
Other
Battery life 360 pictures 500 pictures
Battery form Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLS-5 DMW-BLF19
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 secs (single or three-shot))
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC
Storage slots One One
Retail price $300 $1,500