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Olympus VG-120 vs Panasonic GH2

Portability
96
Imaging
37
Features
24
Overall
31
Olympus VG-120 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH2 front
Portability
70
Imaging
51
Features
65
Overall
56

Olympus VG-120 vs Panasonic GH2 Key Specs

Olympus VG-120
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 1600
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 26-130mm (F2.8-6.5) lens
  • 120g - 96 x 57 x 19mm
  • Announced January 2011
Panasonic GH2
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 160 - 12800
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 442g - 124 x 90 x 76mm
  • Released March 2011
  • Succeeded the Panasonic GH1
  • Refreshed by Panasonic GH3
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Olympus VG-120 vs Panasonic GH2 Overview

Below, we will be evaluating the Olympus VG-120 versus Panasonic GH2, one is a Ultracompact and the latter is a Advanced Mirrorless by rivals Olympus and Panasonic. The resolution of the VG-120 (14MP) and the GH2 (16MP) is relatively comparable but the VG-120 (1/2.3") and GH2 (Four Thirds) feature different sensor dimensions.

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The VG-120 was introduced 2 months earlier than the GH2 which means that they are of a similar generation. The two cameras come with different body type with the Olympus VG-120 being a Ultracompact camera and the Panasonic GH2 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before going in to a thorough comparison, below is a concise synopsis of how the VG-120 scores vs the GH2 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Photography Glossary
	
	

Reasons to pick Olympus VG-120 over the Panasonic GH2

 VG-120 GH2 

Reasons to pick Panasonic GH2 over the Olympus VG-120

 GH2 VG-120 
Manually focus More accurate focus
Screen typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating screen
Screen resolution460k230kCrisper screen (+230k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Common features in the Olympus VG-120 and Panasonic GH2

 VG-120 GH2 
ReleasedJanuary 2011March 2011Same generation
Screen dimension3"3"Identical screen sizing

Olympus VG-120 vs Panasonic GH2 Physical Comparison

When you are intending to travel with your camera regularly, you will have to consider its weight and dimensions. The Olympus VG-120 provides external measurements of 96mm x 57mm x 19mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.7") having a weight of 120 grams (0.26 lbs) and the Panasonic GH2 has dimensions of 124mm x 90mm x 76mm (4.9" x 3.5" x 3.0") and a weight of 442 grams (0.97 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus VG-120 versus Panasonic GH2 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Do not forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change depending on the lens you use at the time. Here is the front view measurements comparison of the VG-120 compared to the GH2.

Olympus VG-120 vs Panasonic GH2 size comparison

Looking at size and weight, the portability rating of the VG-120 and GH2 is 96 and 70 respectively.

Olympus VG-120 vs Panasonic GH2 top view buttons comparison

Olympus VG-120 vs Panasonic GH2 Sensor Comparison

Usually, it's hard to picture the gap in sensor dimensions merely by going through specs. The picture underneath should provide you a greater sense of the sensor measurements in the VG-120 and GH2.

All in all, both of those cameras posses different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The VG-120 with its smaller sensor is going to make getting shallower depth of field tougher and the Panasonic GH2 will produce extra detail using its extra 2MP. Higher resolution can also make it easier to crop shots somewhat more aggressively.

Olympus VG-120 vs Panasonic GH2 sensor size comparison

Olympus VG-120 vs Panasonic GH2 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus VG-120 vs Panasonic GH2 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus VG-120 as a Portrait photography camera
Panasonic GH2 as a Portrait photography camera
33
MP count decent (14MP)
provides face detection autofocus
lack of manual focus
no manual control
can't use external flash
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
70
has manual focus
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
includes face detect focus
exports RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus VG-120 as a Street photography camera
Panasonic GH2 as a Street photography camera
48
screen is fixed
lack of image stabilization
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
68
fully articulated screen
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
lack of image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Olympus VG-120 Sports photography information
Panasonic GH2 Sports photography information
26
MP count decent (14MP)
no shutter priority mode
lack of image stabilization
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
bad battery pack (160 per charge)
doesn't have phase detect autofocus
46
resolution is good (16MP)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
includes tracking focus
low fps (3.0 frames/s)
lack of image stabilization
low battery power (330 CIPA)
lack of phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus VG-120 Travel photography highlights
Panasonic GH2 Travel photography highlights
62
MP count decent (14 megapixels)
flash built-in
pretty wide (26mm)
no Time Lapse function
bad battery pack (160 shots)
screen isn't selfie friendly
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
62
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
has built in flash
screen is selfie friendly
doesn't have Time Lapse function
low battery power (330 per charge)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus VG-120 as a Landscape photography camera
Panasonic GH2 as a Landscape photography camera
36
pretty wide (26mm)
nice screen size (3 inch)
MP count decent (14 megapixels)
lack of manual focus
cannot swap lenses (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
no manual control
lack of image stabilization
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
bad battery pack (160 shots)
no Time Lapse function
60
has manual focus
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is good (3")
resolution is good (16MP)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
lack of image stabilization
low battery power (330 per charge)
doesn't have Time Lapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus VG-120
Vlogging with Panasonic GH2
28
pretty wide (26mm)
provides face detection autofocus
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
screen isn't selfie friendly
lack of image stabilization
video quality not great (1280 x 720 resolution)
no external mic support
71
screen is selfie friendly
has touchscreen
includes face detect focus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
does have mic support
lack of image stabilization
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Olympus VG-120 vs Panasonic GH2 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus VG-120 and Panasonic GH2
 Olympus VG-120Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH2
General Information
Brand Olympus Panasonic
Model Olympus VG-120 Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH2
Type Ultracompact Advanced Mirrorless
Announced 2011-01-06 2011-03-23
Physical type Ultracompact SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Processor Chip TruePic III Venus Engine FHD
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" Four Thirds
Sensor dimensions 6.17 x 4.55mm 17.3 x 13mm
Sensor area 28.1mm² 224.9mm²
Sensor resolution 14 megapixels 16 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 4288 x 3216 4608 x 3456
Max native ISO 1600 12800
Minimum native ISO 80 160
RAW data
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch focus
Continuous AF
Single AF
Tracking AF
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Number of focus points - 23
Lens
Lens mounting type fixed lens Micro Four Thirds
Lens focal range 26-130mm (5.0x) -
Maximum aperture f/2.8-6.5 -
Macro focus range 7cm -
Total lenses - 107
Crop factor 5.8 2.1
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fully Articulated
Display diagonal 3 inches 3 inches
Display resolution 230k dots 460k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Display technology TFT Color LCD TFT Color LCD with wide-viewing angle
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None Electronic
Viewfinder coverage - 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.71x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 4 secs 60 secs
Highest shutter speed 1/2000 secs 1/4000 secs
Continuous shooting rate - 3.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation - Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 4.40 m 15.60 m
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Highest flash synchronize - 1/160 secs
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30, 15fps), 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15fps) 1920 x 1080 (24, 30, 60fps) 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30fps), 320 x 240 (30fps)
Max video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video file format Motion JPEG AVCHD, Motion JPEG
Mic support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 120 gr (0.26 pounds) 442 gr (0.97 pounds)
Dimensions 96 x 57 x 19mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.7") 124 x 90 x 76mm (4.9" x 3.5" x 3.0")
DXO scores
DXO All around score not tested 60
DXO Color Depth score not tested 21.2
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 11.3
DXO Low light score not tested 655
Other
Battery life 160 shots 330 shots
Style of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model LI-70B -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD/SDHC SD/SDHC/SDXC
Card slots 1 1
Retail price $190 $1,000