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Olympus E-PM2 vs Panasonic G9

Portability
89
Imaging
53
Features
63
Overall
57
Olympus PEN E-PM2 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DC-G9 front
Portability
62
Imaging
61
Features
90
Overall
72

Olympus E-PM2 vs Panasonic G9 Key Specs

Olympus E-PM2
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 269g - 110 x 64 x 34mm
  • Announced May 2013
  • Replaced the Olympus E-PM1
Panasonic G9
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 658g - 137 x 97 x 92mm
  • Revealed November 2017
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Olympus E-PM2 vs Panasonic G9 Overview

Here, we will be reviewing the Olympus E-PM2 and Panasonic G9, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Pro Mirrorless by companies Olympus and Panasonic. The sensor resolution of the E-PM2 (16MP) and the G9 (20MP) is pretty well matched and both cameras provide the identical sensor sizing (Four Thirds).

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The E-PM2 was unveiled 5 years earlier than the G9 and that is quite a serious difference as far as technology is concerned. Each of these cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-PM2 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic G9 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before going straight to a comprehensive comparison, here is a short summation of how the E-PM2 scores versus the G9 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PM2 over the Panasonic G9

 E-PM2 G9 

Reasons to pick Panasonic G9 over the Olympus E-PM2

 G9 E-PM2 
RevealedNovember 2017May 2013Fresher by 54 months
Screen typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating screen
Screen resolution1040k460kClearer screen (+580k dot)
Selfie screen Take selfies

Common features in the Olympus E-PM2 and Panasonic G9

 E-PM2 G9 
Manually focus Very exact focus
Screen size3"3"Same screen measurement
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Olympus E-PM2 vs Panasonic G9 Physical Comparison

When you are looking to carry your camera frequently, you will want to take into account its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-PM2 comes with outer measurements of 110mm x 64mm x 34mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.3") with a weight of 269 grams (0.59 lbs) while the Panasonic G9 has measurements of 137mm x 97mm x 92mm (5.4" x 3.8" x 3.6") with a weight of 658 grams (1.45 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus E-PM2 and Panasonic G9 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you are using at the time. Underneath is a front view dimension comparison of the E-PM2 vs the G9.

Olympus E-PM2 vs Panasonic G9 size comparison

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-PM2 and G9 is 89 and 62 respectively.

Olympus E-PM2 vs Panasonic G9 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PM2 vs Panasonic G9 Sensor Comparison

Normally, it can be difficult to visualize the contrast between sensor sizing just by checking a spec sheet. The photograph below will help provide you a better sense of the sensor sizing in the E-PM2 and G9.

Clearly, both cameras come with the identical sensor size albeit different resolution. You can expect the Panasonic G9 to give you more detail having an extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also let you crop photographs a good deal more aggressively. The older E-PM2 is going to be behind with regard to sensor innovation.

Olympus E-PM2 vs Panasonic G9 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PM2 vs Panasonic G9 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PM2 vs Panasonic G9 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus E-PM2
Portrait photography with Panasonic G9
71
has manual focus
decent MP (16 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
comes with face detect focus
saves RAW files
76
focusing manually
good resolution (20MP)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
provides face detect autofocus
exports RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-PM2 Street photography details
Panasonic G9 Street photography details
79
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
has touch to focus
good ISO range (25,600)
no moving screen
75
fully articulated screen
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
has focus by touch
environment sealing
very good ISO range (25,600)
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus E-PM2
Sports photography with Panasonic G9
66
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent MP (16 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
comes with tracking focus
does not have phase detect auto focus
70
max shutter speed is good (1/8,000 seconds)
quiet shutter (1/32,000 seconds)
high max fps (20.0 frames per second)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good resolution (20 megapixels)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
provides tracking focus
environment sealing
not so great battery power (400 per charge)
lacks phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PM2 as a Travel photography camera
Panasonic G9 as a Travel photography camera
66
has touch to focus
decent MP (16 megapixels)
missing Time Lapse mode
screen isn't selfie friendly
70
environment sealing
has bluetooth
has focus by touch
good resolution (20 megapixels)
selfie friendly display
not so great battery power (400 CIPA)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PM2 Landscape photography details
Panasonic G9 Landscape photography details
74
has manual focus
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen is a decent size (3")
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent MP (16MP)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
good ISO range (25,600)
saves RAW files
missing Time Lapse mode
76
focusing manually
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
nice screen size (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good resolution (20MP)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
doesnt have low pass filter
very good ISO range (25,600)
exports RAW formats
environment sealing
has double storage slots
not so great battery power (400 shots)
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PM2 Vlogging details
Panasonic G9 Vlogging details
36
built-in touchscreen
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
comes with face detect focus
good video quality (1920 x 1080 pxls)
screen isn't selfie friendly
missing mic jack
77
selfie friendly display
touchscreen functionality
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
provides face detect autofocus
video res high (3840 x 2160 resolution)
has mic port
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Olympus E-PM2 vs Panasonic G9 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PM2 and Panasonic G9
 Olympus PEN E-PM2Panasonic Lumix DC-G9
General Information
Make Olympus Panasonic
Model type Olympus PEN E-PM2 Panasonic Lumix DC-G9
Class Entry-Level Mirrorless Pro Mirrorless
Announced 2013-05-21 2017-11-08
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds Four Thirds
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 17.3 x 13mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 224.9mm²
Sensor resolution 16MP 20MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 4608 x 3456 5184 x 3888
Max native ISO 25600 25600
Min native ISO 200 200
RAW files
Min boosted ISO - 100
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Total focus points 35 225
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds Micro Four Thirds
Total lenses 107 107
Focal length multiplier 2.1 2.1
Screen
Range of display Fixed Type Fully Articulated
Display sizing 3" 3"
Resolution of display 460k dot 1,040k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic (optional) Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 3,680k dot
Viewfinder coverage - 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.83x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 secs 60 secs
Highest shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/8000 secs
Highest quiet shutter speed - 1/32000 secs
Continuous shooting speed 8.0fps 20.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 7.00 m (bundled FL-LM1) no built-in flash
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) Auto, Auto/Red-eye Reduction, Forced On, Forced On/Red-eye Reduction, Slow Sync., Slow Sync./Red-eye Reduction, Forced Off
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Highest flash sync 1/250 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) 3840 x 2160 @ 60p / 150 Mbps, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM
Max video resolution 1920x1080 3840x2160
Video file format MPEG-4, H.264, Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264
Mic jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless Eye-Fi Connected Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 3.0 (5 GBit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 269g (0.59 pounds) 658g (1.45 pounds)
Physical dimensions 110 x 64 x 34mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.3") 137 x 97 x 92mm (5.4" x 3.8" x 3.6")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 72 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 22.7 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 12.2 not tested
DXO Low light rating 932 not tested
Other
Battery life 360 photos 400 photos
Battery form Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLS-5 DMW-BLF19
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC slots (UHS-II supported)
Storage slots One Two
Retail pricing $448 $1,500