Olympus 5010 vs Panasonic GH2

The following is a comprehensive assessment of the Olympus 5010 vs Panasonic GH2, former is a Ultracompact while the latter is a Advanced Mirrorless by rivals Olympus and Panasonic. The sensor resolution of the 5010 (14MP) and the GH2 (16MP) is pretty comparable but the 5010 (1/2.3") and GH2 (Four Thirds) provide different sensor sizes.

Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide

The 5010 was introduced 14 months before the GH2 which makes them a generation away from each other. Both cameras feature different body design with the Olympus 5010 being a Ultracompact camera and the Panasonic GH2 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before going into a comprehensive comparison, here is a brief view of how the 5010 matches up vs the GH2 for portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Here is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus Stylus 5010 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH2. The whole galleries are viewable at Olympus 5010 Gallery & Panasonic GH2 Gallery.

For anyone who is planning to travel with your camera regularly, you need to think about its weight and dimensions. The Olympus 5010 enjoys physical dimensions of 95mm x 56mm x 20mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.8") along with a weight of 126 grams (0.28 lbs) whilst the Panasonic GH2 has dimensions of 124mm x 90mm x 76mm (4.9" x 3.5" x 3.0") with a weight of 442 grams (0.97 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus 5010 vs Panasonic GH2 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you have chosen at that moment. Here is a front view measurement comparison of the 5010 and the GH2.

Factoring in size and weight, the portability score of the 5010 and GH2 is 96 and 70 respectively.

Oftentimes, its hard to picture the difference in sensor dimensions purely by checking out specs. The image below might give you a more clear sense of the sensor dimensions in the 5010 and GH2.

As you can plainly see, both of the cameras feature different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The 5010 with its smaller sensor is going to make getting shallow depth of field tougher and the Panasonic GH2 will show extra detail using its extra 2MP. Higher resolution can also let you crop shots way more aggressively. The more aged 5010 will be behind when it comes to sensor innovation.