Canon PowerShot
G1X
 vs
Olympus OM-D
E-M5

Canon PowerShot G1X

74

  
Olympus OM-D E-M5

54

  

Reasons to buy the Canon PowerShot G1X

Wide angle
 Wide angle lens
28 mm
Image stabilization
 Image stabilization
Lens
Supports 24p
 24p movies
For that film look
Screen flips out
 Flip-out screen
Great for movies
HDR
 In-camera HDR
Combines multiple exposures
Battery life
 Great battery life
700 shots
 
Runner-up

Olympus OM-D E-M5

Reasons to buy the Olympus OM-D E-M5

Image stabilization
 Image stabilization
Sensor shift
Light sensitivity
 High ISO
25,600 ISO
Touch screen
 Touch screen
Less buttons
Weather sealed
 Weather sealed
Shoot in extreme weather
Startup delay
 Almost no delay when powering up
1100 ms startup delay
Color depth
 Great color depth
22.8 bits
 

differences

Advantages of the Canon G1X
Supports 24p Supports 24p Yes vs No
Help
 Get that real film feel
HDR Has in-camera HDR Yes vs No
Help
 Combines multiple exposures to capture high dynamic range
Battery life Longer battery life 700 shots vs 500 shots
Help
 40% more shots per battery charge
Image stabilization Better image stabilization Lens vs Sensor shift
Help
 Less risk of blur
Built-in flash Built-in flash Yes vs No
Help
 A built-in flash is useful for taking indoor shots where there is little light
Sensor size Slightly larger sensor Four thirds 18.7x14.0mm vs Four thirds 17.3x13.0mm
Help
 Around 20% larger sensor
Weight Slightly lighter 390 g vs 425 g
Help
 Around 10% lighter
Lowest price Cheaper $649.00 vs $999.00
Help
 The best price we've seen is $350 cheaper (around 40% less)
Canon PowerShot G1X Learn more about
the Canon G1X

Advantages of the Olympus E-M5
Screen type Has an OLED screen OLED vs LCD
Help
 OLED screens are often brighter and more vibrant than typical LCD screens
Touch screen Has a touch screen Yes vs No
Help
 Fewer buttons to worry about and direct interaction with camera menus
3D Takes 3D photos Yes vs No
Help
 Combines multiple photos into a 3D image
Overall image quality Better image quality 71.0 vs 60.0
Help
 Around 20% better image quality
Dynamic range More dynamic range 12.3 EV vs 10.8 EV
Help
 1.5 f-stops more dynamic range
Light sensitivity Better maximum light sensitivity 25,600 ISO vs 12,800 ISO
Help
 The E-M5's maximum light sensitivity is 1 f-stop better
Panorama Can create panoramas in-camera Yes vs No
Help
 Stitches together multiple photos for a wide perspective
Interchangeable lenses Has interchangeable lenses Yes vs No
Help
 Can take advantage of a variety of lenses
Continuous shooting Shoots faster 9 fps vs 1.9 fps
Help
 More than 4.5x faster continuous shooting
Startup delay Less startup delay 1100 ms vs 1900 ms
Help
 More than 40% less delay when turning on
Color depth Better color depth 22.8 bits vs 21.7 bits
Help
 Distinguishes 1.1 more bits of color
Size Smaller 122x89x43 mm vs 117x81x65 mm
Help
 More than 20% smaller
True resolution Higher true resolution 15.9 MP vs 14.2 MP
Help
 Capture more than 10% more detail in your photos
Thickness Thinner 1.7" vs 2.6"
Help
 More than 30% thinner
Low light performance Slightly lower noise at high ISO 826 ISO vs 644 ISO
Help
 The E-M5 has a slight edge (0.4 f-stops) in low noise, high ISO performance
Olympus OM-D E-M5 Learn more about
the Olympus E-M5
vs

recommendations

Relative to the best recent digital cameras, and ignoring price

Canon PowerShot G1X Canon PowerShot G1X
74 vs 54
Explain scores
Olympus OM-D E-M5 Olympus OM-D E-M5
Green arrow Snapsort recommends the Canon PowerShot G1X. This recommendation, however, should be taken with a grain of salt since it doesn't always make sense to compare a boutique with a mirrorless interchangeable-lens.

similarities

Compared to recent digital cameras

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
Screen flips out Flip-out screens Help
Great for movies
Light sensitivity Very good maximum light sensitivity Help
G1X:12,800 ISO
E-M5:25,600 ISO
Battery life Great battery life Help
G1X:700 shots
E-M5:500 shots
True resolution Capture very high resolution images Help
G1X:14.2 MP
E-M5:15.9 MP
Supports RAW Supports RAW Help
Better editing
Sensor size Large sensors Help
G1X:Four thirds 18.7x14.0mm
E-M5:Four thirds 17.3x13.0mm
External flash Support external flash Help
Better lighting
Viewfinder Viewfinders Help
G1X:Tunnel
E-M5:Digital
Sensor type Better sensor types Help
Better in low light
Longest exposure Long exposures Help
60 seconds
Fastest shutter speed Fast max shutter speeds Help
1/4000 of a second

Snapsort is not aware of any interesting weaknesses shared by these two products.

dxomark

DXOMark

competitors

Shared Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Olympus PEN E-PL5

Olympus PEN E-PL5

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$782 with 14-42mm lens
Startup delay Has slightly less startup delay
Viewfinder Doesn't have a viewfinder
Battery life Has a slightly shorter battery life
Compare the PEN E-PL5 vs the PowerShot G1X
Compare the PEN E-PL5 vs the OM-D E-M5
Sony NEX-7

Sony NEX-7

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$948 body only

$1,098 with 18-55mm lens
Overall image quality Has slightly better image quality
Size Is slightly smaller
Longest exposure Slightly shorter exposures
Image stabilization Doesn't have image stabilization
Compare the NEX-7 vs the PowerShot G1X
Compare the NEX-7 vs the OM-D E-M5
Fujifilm FinePix X100

Fujifilm FinePix X100

Boutique

$1,565
Aperture Has a significantly wider aperture
Sensor size Has a marginally larger sensor
Longest exposure Slightly shorter exposures
Lowest price Is slightly more expensive
Compare the FinePix X100 vs the PowerShot G1X
Compare the FinePix X100 vs the OM-D E-M5
Sony NEX-5N

Sony NEX-5N

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$650 - $699 with 18-55mm lens
Size Is slightly smaller
Sensor size Has a marginally larger sensor
Longest exposure Slightly shorter exposures
Viewfinder Doesn't have a viewfinder
Compare the NEX-5N vs the PowerShot G1X
Compare the NEX-5N vs the OM-D E-M5
Fujifilm FinePix X100s

Fujifilm FinePix X100s

Boutique

$1,299 - $1,300
Aperture Has a significantly wider aperture
Sensor size Has a marginally larger sensor
Longest exposure Slightly shorter exposures
Lowest price Is slightly more expensive
Compare the FinePix X100s vs the PowerShot G1X
Compare the FinePix X100s vs the OM-D E-M5
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX1

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX1

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$239 - $249 body only

$399 - $419 with 14-42mm lens
Movie continuous focus Can focus continuously while recording movies
Viewfinder Doesn't have a viewfinder
Battery life Has a slightly shorter battery life
Compare the Lumix DMC-GX1 vs the PowerShot G1X
Compare the Lumix DMC-GX1 vs the OM-D E-M5
Canon Rebel T3i

Canon Rebel T3i

Entry-level DSLR

$549 body only

$599 - $649 with 18-55mm lens
True resolution Takes slightly higher resolution photos
Viewfinder size Slightly larger viewfinder
Longest exposure Slightly shorter exposures
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the Rebel T3i vs the PowerShot G1X
Compare the Rebel T3i vs the OM-D E-M5

Canon PowerShot G1X Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Canon PowerShot G12

Canon PowerShot G12

Pro digicam

$971
Macro focus Much better macro capability
Size Smaller
Movie format Lower resolution movies
Overall image quality Worse image quality
Compare the PowerShot G12 vs the PowerShot G1X
Canon PowerShot G15 Quick

Canon PowerShot G15

Pro digicam

$444 - $449
Aperture Significantly wider aperture
Macro focus Much better macro capability
Screen flips out Screen does not flip out
Overall image quality Worse image quality
Compare the PowerShot G15 vs the PowerShot G1X
Canon PowerShot SX50 HS

Canon PowerShot SX50 HS

Super zoom

$429 - $450
Zoom Much more zoom
Macro focus Much better macro capability
Aperture Narrower aperture
Size Significantly larger
Compare the PowerShot SX50 HS vs the PowerShot G1X
Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX7

Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX7

Pro digicam

$398
Aperture Much wider aperture
Macro focus Much better macro capability
Supports 24p No 24p support
Screen flips out Screen does not flip out
Compare the Lumix DMC-LX7 vs the PowerShot G1X
Fujifilm Finepix X10

Fujifilm Finepix X10

Pro digicam

$549
Macro focus Much better macro capability
Aperture Significantly wider aperture
Supports 24p No 24p support
Screen flips out Screen does not flip out
Compare the Finepix X10 vs the PowerShot G1X

Olympus OM-D E-M5 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Fujifilm X-E1

Fujifilm X-E1

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$999 - $1,000 body only

$1,399 with 18-55mm lens
External mic jack Has an external mic jack
Supports 24p Supports 24p
Screen type Doesn't have an OLED screen
Weather sealed No weather sealing
Compare the X-E1 vs the OM-D E-M5
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH3

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH3

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$1,298 body only

$2,599 with 12-35mm lens
External mic jack Has an external mic jack
Supports 24p Supports 24p
Size Significantly larger
Light sensitivity Worse maximum light sensitivity
Compare the Lumix DMC-GH3 vs the OM-D E-M5
Nikon D7100

Nikon D7100

Entry-level DSLR

$1,197 body only

$1,497 with 18-105mm lens
Autofocus Faster autofocus
External mic jack Has an external mic jack
Screen type Doesn't have an OLED screen
Image stabilization No image stabilization
Compare the D7100 vs the OM-D E-M5
Nikon D7000

Nikon D7000

Entry-level DSLR

$897 body only

$997 with 18-105mm lens
Autofocus Faster autofocus
External mic jack Has an external mic jack
Screen type Doesn't have an OLED screen
Image stabilization No image stabilization
Compare the D7000 vs the OM-D E-M5

appearance

Canon PowerShot G1X Olympus OM-D E-M5
Canon PowerShot G1X Olympus OM-D E-M5
Canon PowerShot G1X Olympus OM-D E-M5

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