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Olympus E-PL8 vs Panasonic GH1

Portability
86
Imaging
54
Features
76
Overall
62
Olympus PEN E-PL8 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1 front
Portability
81
Imaging
49
Features
57
Overall
52

Olympus E-PL8 vs Panasonic GH1 Key Specs

Olympus E-PL8
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 357g - 115 x 67 x 38mm
  • Revealed September 2016
  • Earlier Model is Olympus E-PL7
  • Successor is Olympus E-PL9
Panasonic GH1
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Display
  • ISO 100 - 1600 (Expand to 3200)
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 385g - 124 x 90 x 45mm
  • Released July 2009
  • Refreshed by Panasonic GH2
Photography Glossary

Olympus E-PL8 vs Panasonic GH1 Overview

In this article, we are comparing the Olympus E-PL8 versus Panasonic GH1, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the other is a Advanced Mirrorless by companies Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a big gap among the image resolutions of the E-PL8 (16MP) and GH1 (12MP) but they use the same exact sensor size (Four Thirds).

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The E-PL8 was announced 7 years later than the GH1 and that is a fairly big gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of these cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-PL8 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic GH1 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before going in to a step-by-step comparison, below is a quick synopsis of how the E-PL8 scores against the GH1 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL8 over the Panasonic GH1

 E-PL8 GH1 
ReleasedSeptember 2016July 2009More recent by 88 months
Display resolution1037k460kClearer display (+577k dot)
Touch display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Panasonic GH1 over the Olympus E-PL8

 GH1 E-PL8 
Display typeFully ArticulatedTiltingFully Articulating display
Selfie screen Easy selfies

Common features in the Olympus E-PL8 and Panasonic GH1

 E-PL8 GH1 
Focus manually More precise focus
Display sizing3"3"Equivalent display size

Olympus E-PL8 vs Panasonic GH1 Physical Comparison

If you're looking to lug around your camera, you need to factor its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-PL8 comes with physical dimensions of 115mm x 67mm x 38mm (4.5" x 2.6" x 1.5") along with a weight of 357 grams (0.79 lbs) whilst the Panasonic GH1 has measurements of 124mm x 90mm x 45mm (4.9" x 3.5" x 1.8") accompanied by a weight of 385 grams (0.85 lbs).

See the Olympus E-PL8 versus Panasonic GH1 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ based on the lens you use at the time. Below is the front view size comparison of the E-PL8 vs the GH1.

Olympus E-PL8 vs Panasonic GH1 size comparison

Using dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-PL8 and GH1 is 86 and 81 respectively.

Olympus E-PL8 vs Panasonic GH1 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL8 vs Panasonic GH1 Sensor Comparison

Quite often, it is very hard to imagine the gap in sensor measurements only by looking through specifications. The graphic underneath may offer you a better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-PL8 and GH1.

To sum up, each of the cameras enjoy the same exact sensor sizing but different megapixels. You should expect to see the Olympus E-PL8 to provide you with more detail with its extra 4MP. Greater resolution will enable you to crop images far more aggressively. The fresher E-PL8 provides an advantage with regard to sensor innovation.

Olympus E-PL8 vs Panasonic GH1 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL8 vs Panasonic GH1 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL8 vs Panasonic GH1 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PL8 as a Portrait photography camera
Panasonic GH1 as a Portrait photography camera
72
has manual focus
MP count decent (16MP)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
provides face detection focusing
supports RAW files
59
you can focus manually
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-PL8 as a Street photography camera
Panasonic GH1 as a Street photography camera
84
screen tilts up and down
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
supports touch to focus
good ISO range (25,600)
72
fully articulated screen
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
lack of image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus E-PL8
Sports photography with Panasonic GH1
67
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
MP count decent (16MP)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
provides tracking autofocus
doesn't have phase detect AF
32
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
max fps very slow (3.0 frames per second)
lack of image stabilization
sensor resolution low (12MP)
low battery power (320 CIPA)
doesn't have phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL8 Travel photography features
Panasonic GH1 Travel photography features
71
supports touch to focus
MP count decent (16 megapixels)
does not contain selfie friendly screen
58
flash built-in
selfie friendly screen
lack of Timelapse recording
low battery power (320 shots)
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PL8 as a Landscape photography camera
Panasonic GH1 as a Landscape photography camera
80
has manual focus
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
decent sized screen (3")
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
MP count decent (16 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
good ISO range (25,600)
supports RAW files
55
you can focus manually
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen is a good size (3")
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
lack of image stabilization
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
low battery power (320 CIPA)
lack of Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL8 Vlogging factors
Panasonic GH1 Vlogging factors
35
touchscreen capability
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
provides face detection focusing
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
does not contain selfie friendly screen
no external mic jack
72
selfie friendly screen
video res high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
has microphone port
lack of image stabilization
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Olympus E-PL8 vs Panasonic GH1 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL8 and Panasonic GH1
 Olympus PEN E-PL8Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Panasonic
Model type Olympus PEN E-PL8 Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1
Category Entry-Level Mirrorless Advanced Mirrorless
Revealed 2016-09-19 2009-07-10
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Processor Chip TruePic VII 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 16MP 12MP
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 4000 x 3000
Maximum native ISO 25600 1600
Maximum boosted ISO - 3200
Min native ISO 200 100
RAW data
Min boosted ISO 100 -
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
AF touch
AF continuous
Single AF
AF tracking
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Total focus points 81 -
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds Micro Four Thirds
Total lenses 107 107
Focal length multiplier 2.1 1.9
Screen
Range of display Tilting Fully Articulated
Display diagonal 3 inch 3 inch
Display resolution 1,037k dot 460k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic (optional) Electronic
Viewfinder coverage - 100 percent
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 secs 60 secs
Highest shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/4000 secs
Continuous shooting speed 8.0 frames/s 3.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance no built-in flash 10.50 m
Flash options no built-in flash Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Highest flash sync - 1/160 secs
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30p), 1280 x 720 (30p), 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)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video data format H.264, Motion JPEG AVCHD
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 357 grams (0.79 lbs) 385 grams (0.85 lbs)
Dimensions 115 x 67 x 38mm (4.5" x 2.6" x 1.5") 124 x 90 x 45mm (4.9" x 3.5" x 1.8")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating not tested 64
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 21.6
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 11.6
DXO Low light rating not tested 772
Other
Battery life 350 pictures 320 pictures
Battery form Battery Pack Battery Pack
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec, custom) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC card SD/SDHC
Storage slots One One
Retail cost $500 $949