Olympus E-PL7 vs Panasonic GH2

Lets take a deeper look at the Olympus E-PL7 and Panasonic GH2, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the latter is a Advanced Mirrorless by competitors Olympus and Panasonic. The image resolution of the E-PL7 (16MP) and the GH2 (16MP) is relatively close and both cameras provide the identical sensor sizing (Four Thirds).

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The E-PL7 was announced 3 years later than the GH2 and that is a fairly serious gap as far as camera technology is concerned. The two cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-PL7 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic GH2 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before diving straight to a thorough comparison, here is a short view of how the E-PL7 grades against the GH2 for portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

This is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus PEN E-PL7 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH2. The whole galleries are provided at Olympus E-PL7 Gallery and Panasonic GH2 Gallery.

When you are going to carry your camera often, you will have to think about its weight and volume. The Olympus E-PL7 enjoys exterior dimensions of 115mm x 67mm x 38mm (4.5" x 2.6" x 1.5") and a weight of 357 grams (0.79 lbs) whilst the Panasonic GH2 has sizing 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-PL7 and Panasonic GH2 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Keep in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change depending on the lens you are using at the time. The following is a front view over all size comparison of the E-PL7 versus the GH2.

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-PL7 and GH2 is 86 and 70 respectively.

Typically, its hard to visualise the gap in sensor sizing simply by looking through a spec sheet. The visual below will help give you a far better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-PL7 and GH2.

Clearly, both of these cameras come with the identical sensor size and the same MP and you should expect comparable quality of files but you will need to take the release date of the cameras into account. The fresher E-PL7 will have a benefit in sensor technology.