Olympus VG-145 vs Panasonic GH1

Its time to look a little more closely at the Olympus VG-145 vs Panasonic GH1, one being a Ultracompact and the other is a Advanced Mirrorless by competitors Olympus and Panasonic. The image resolution of the VG-145 (14MP) and the GH1 (12MP) is fairly well matched but the VG-145 (1/2.3") and GH1 (Four Thirds) offer different sensor size.

Photography Glossary

The VG-145 was revealed 2 years later than the GH1 and that is quite a sizable gap as far as technology is concerned. The two cameras have different body design with the Olympus VG-145 being a Ultracompact camera and the Panasonic GH1 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before getting into a complete comparison, here is a short introduction of how the VG-145 grades vs the GH1 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Below is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus VG-145 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1. The full galleries are viewable at Olympus VG-145 Gallery and Panasonic GH1 Gallery.

When you are aiming to lug around your camera frequently, you are going to need to factor its weight and volume. The Olympus VG-145 offers outer dimensions of 96mm x 57mm x 19mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.7") having a weight of 120 grams (0.26 lbs) while the Panasonic GH1 has sizing of 124mm x 90mm x 45mm (4.9" x 3.5" x 1.8") having a weight of 385 grams (0.85 lbs).

Check out the Olympus VG-145 vs Panasonic GH1 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ based on the lens you have attached at that moment. The following is a front view dimensions comparison of the VG-145 compared to the GH1.

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the VG-145 and GH1 is 96 and 81 respectively.

Quite often, it's difficult to picture the contrast between sensor measurements only by checking specs. The graphic underneath might offer you a stronger sense of the sensor dimensions in the VG-145 and GH1.

As you can plainly see, both of these cameras provide different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The VG-145 with its tinier sensor is going to make achieving shallow depth of field tougher and the Olympus VG-145 will give greater detail because of its extra 2MP. Greater resolution can also let you crop pics more aggressively. The younger VG-145 should have a benefit in sensor innovation.