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Olympus E-PL7 vs Panasonic GH4

Portability
86
Imaging
53
Features
81
Overall
64
Olympus PEN E-PL7 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH4 front
Portability
66
Imaging
53
Features
88
Overall
67

Olympus E-PL7 vs Panasonic GH4 Key Specs

Olympus E-PL7
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 357g - 115 x 67 x 38mm
  • Announced September 2014
  • Superseded the Olympus E-PL6
  • Replacement is Olympus E-PL8
Panasonic GH4
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Display
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 4096 x 2160 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 560g - 133 x 93 x 84mm
  • Announced February 2014
  • Earlier Model is Panasonic GH3
  • Refreshed by Panasonic GH5
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Olympus E-PL7 vs Panasonic GH4 Overview

Below, we are comparing the Olympus E-PL7 and Panasonic GH4, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the other is a Pro Mirrorless by manufacturers Olympus and Panasonic. The sensor resolution of the E-PL7 (16MP) and the GH4 (16MP) is very close and they come with the exact same sensor sizing (Four Thirds).

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The E-PL7 was revealed 7 months later than the GH4 and they are both of a similar age. The two cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-PL7 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic GH4 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before we go through a in depth comparison, below is a brief overview of how the E-PL7 scores vs the GH4 for portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Photography Glossary
	
	

Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL7 over the Panasonic GH4

 E-PL7 GH4 
AnnouncedSeptember 2014February 2014More recent by 7 months
Display resolution1037k1036kCrisper display (+1k dot)

Reasons to pick Panasonic GH4 over the Olympus E-PL7

 GH4 E-PL7 
Display typeFully ArticulatedTiltingFully Articulating display

Common features in the Olympus E-PL7 and Panasonic GH4

 E-PL7 GH4 
Manual focus Very exact focus
Display dimension3"3"Identical display measurement
Selfie screen Both are selfie friendly
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Olympus E-PL7 vs Panasonic GH4 Physical Comparison

When you are planning to lug around your camera, you'll have to factor in its weight and volume. The Olympus E-PL7 enjoys outer measurements 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 GH4 has sizing of 133mm x 93mm x 84mm (5.2" x 3.7" x 3.3") along with a weight of 560 grams (1.23 lbs).

See the Olympus E-PL7 and Panasonic GH4 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you are using at the time. Underneath is the front view dimension comparison of the E-PL7 and the GH4.

Olympus E-PL7 vs Panasonic GH4 size comparison

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-PL7 and GH4 is 86 and 66 respectively.

Olympus E-PL7 vs Panasonic GH4 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL7 vs Panasonic GH4 Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, it can be hard to imagine the difference in sensor measurements only by researching a spec sheet. The visual below may provide you a more clear sense of the sensor sizing in the E-PL7 and GH4.

Clearly, the two cameras have got the exact same sensor measurements and the identical megapixels and you can expect comparable quality of files although you will want to consider the age of the cameras into account. The younger E-PL7 provides a benefit with regard to sensor technology.

Olympus E-PL7 vs Panasonic GH4 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL7 vs Panasonic GH4 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL7 vs Panasonic GH4 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PL7 Portrait photography info
Panasonic GH4 Portrait photography info
71
focusing manually
sensor resolution is decent (16MP)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports face detect focusing
delivers RAW formats
71
manual focus
decent sensor resolution (16 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
includes face detection focus
exports RAW files
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus E-PL7
Street photography with Panasonic GH4
84
screen tilts up and down
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
includes touch to focus
great ISO range (25,600)
71
fully articulated screen
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
has touch to focus
environment proofing
lighter than average (560g)
above average high ISO (25,600)
no image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PL7 Sports photography information
Panasonic GH4 Sports photography information
66
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor resolution is decent (16MP)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports tracking focus
has no phase detect AF
62
max shutter speed is good (1/8,000s)
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
includes tracking autofocus
environment proofing
no image stabilization
does not have phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL7 Travel photography details
Panasonic GH4 Travel photography details
85
includes touch to focus
sensor resolution is decent (16MP)
selfie friendly screen
77
lighter than average (560g)
environment proofing
has touch to focus
decent sensor resolution (16 megapixels)
flash built-in
selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PL7 as a Landscape photography camera
Panasonic GH4 as a Landscape photography camera
79
focusing manually
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is decent (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
great ISO range (25,600)
delivers RAW formats
72
manual focus
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
decent sized screen (3 inches)
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
above average high ISO (25,600)
exports RAW files
environment proofing
no image stabilization
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL7 Vlogging information
Panasonic GH4 Vlogging information
78
selfie friendly screen
touchscreen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
supports face detect focusing
high res video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
lack of mic support
71
selfie friendly screen
built-in touchscreen
includes face detection focus
video res high (4096 x 2160 resolution)
has external microphone socket
lighter than average (560 grams)
no image stabilization
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Olympus E-PL7 vs Panasonic GH4 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL7 and Panasonic GH4
 Olympus PEN E-PL7Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH4
General Information
Make Olympus Panasonic
Model Olympus PEN E-PL7 Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH4
Category Entry-Level Mirrorless Pro Mirrorless
Announced 2014-09-01 2014-02-07
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Chip TruePic VII Venus Engine IX
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds Four Thirds
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 17.3 x 13mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 224.9mm²
Sensor resolution 16MP 16MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 4608 x 3456 4608 x 3456
Max native ISO 25600 25600
Min native ISO 100 200
RAW images
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Number of focus points 81 49
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds Micro Four Thirds
Amount of lenses 107 107
Focal length multiplier 2.1 2.1
Screen
Screen type Tilting Fully Articulated
Screen sizing 3" 3"
Resolution of screen 1,037k dots 1,036k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Screen tech - OLED
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic (optional) Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 2,359k dots
Viewfinder coverage - 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.67x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60s 60s
Highest shutter speed 1/4000s 1/8000s
Continuous shooting rate 8.0fps 12.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range no built-in flash 17.00 m (at ISO 200)
Flash options no built-in flash Auto, auto/redeye reduction, forced on, forced on/redeye reduction, slow sync, slow sync/redeye reduction, forced off
External flash
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Highest flash synchronize - 1/250s
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30p), 1280 x 720 (30p), 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)
Max video resolution 1920x1080 4096x2160
Video data format H.264, Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD
Microphone port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In Built-In
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 357 gr (0.79 pounds) 560 gr (1.23 pounds)
Dimensions 115 x 67 x 38mm (4.5" x 2.6" x 1.5") 133 x 93 x 84mm (5.2" x 3.7" x 3.3")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 72 74
DXO Color Depth score 22.7 23.2
DXO Dynamic range score 12.4 12.8
DXO Low light score 873 791
Other
Battery life 350 photos 500 photos
Battery type Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model BLS-50 DMW-BLF19
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec, custom) Yes (2 or 10 secs (single or three-shot))
Time lapse feature
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC card SD/SDHC/SDXC
Card slots 1 1
Cost at launch $499 $1,500