Olympus PEN-F vs Panasonic GF1

Below is a extended review of the Olympus PEN-F versus Panasonic GF1, former being a Advanced Mirrorless while the latter is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by competitors Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a considerable gap between the sensor resolutions of the PEN-F (20MP) and GF1 (12MP) but both cameras provide the same sensor measurements (Four Thirds).

Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide

The PEN-F was revealed 6 years later than the GF1 and that is quite a large difference as far as technology is concerned. Both of these cameras have the same body design (Rangefinder-style mirrorless).

Before going straight to a complete comparison, here is a concise overview of how the PEN-F matches up vs the GF1 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Below is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus PEN-F & Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1. The full galleries are available at Olympus PEN-F Gallery & Panasonic GF1 Gallery.

If you are going to lug around your camera regularly, you will want to factor in its weight and size. The Olympus PEN-F offers external measurements of 125mm x 72mm x 37mm (4.9" x 2.8" x 1.5") with a weight of 427 grams (0.94 lbs) while the Panasonic GF1 has specifications of 119mm x 71mm x 36mm (4.7" x 2.8" x 1.4") accompanied by a weight of 385 grams (0.85 lbs).

Compare the Olympus PEN-F versus Panasonic GF1 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you choose at that time. Following is a front view overall size comparison of the PEN-F compared to the GF1.

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the PEN-F and GF1 is 84 and 85 respectively.

Sometimes, its difficult to see the contrast between sensor measurements only by reading through technical specs. The visual here should provide you a greater sense of the sensor measurements in the PEN-F and GF1.

As you can tell, each of these cameras provide the same sensor dimensions albeit not the same resolution. You can count on the Olympus PEN-F to resolve extra detail because of its extra 8MP. Higher resolution can also enable you to crop pictures more aggressively. The more modern PEN-F will have an advantage in sensor technology.