Canon PowerShot
G12
 vs
Olympus
PEN E-PL1

Updated (January, 2012): Compare the Canon PowerShot G1X vs Olympus PEN E-PL2

Canon PowerShot G12

64
"Excellent build quality"
dpreview.com | talking about the G12's build-quality
"We have no hesitation in saying that the G12 is the best Canon G-series camera to date, but its original USP - as a bridge between compact cameras and DSLRs - is in danger of being eroded."
dpreview.com | talking about the G12's overall-performance

Reasons to buy the Canon PowerShot G12

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
Macro focus
 Great macro
1 cm
Viewfinder
 Great viewfinder
Tunnel
Olympus PEN E-PL1

33
Runner-up

Olympus PEN E-PL1

Reasons to buy the Olympus PEN E-PL1

Color depth
 Great color depth
21.5 bits
Sensor size
 Large sensor
Four thirds 18.0x13.5mm
External mic jack
 External mic jack
Record higher quality audio with a microphone
Interchangeable lenses
 Interchangeable lenses
Many lenses to choose from
Sensor cleaning
 Self cleaning sensor
Avoids dust in your photos
Sensor type
 CMOS Sensor
Better in low light

differences

Advantages of the Canon G12
Screen flips out Has a flip-out screen Yes vs No
Help
 Flip-out screens can be helpful when composing tricky shots or taking movies
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
Screen resolution Higher resolution screen 461k dots vs 230k dots
Help
 More than 2x higher resolution screen
Screen size Larger screen 2.8" vs 2.7"
Help
 Almost the same
Dynamic range More dynamic range 11.2 EV vs 10.1 EV
Help
 1.1 f-stops more dynamic range
Image stabilization Better image stabilization Lens vs Sensor shift
Help
 Less risk of blur
Shutter lag Less shutter lag 380 ms vs 820 ms
Help
 2.2x less delay when taking photos
Viewfinder Has a viewfinder Tunnel vs None
Help
 A viewfinder can help save battery life by keeping the screen turned off
Battery life Longer battery life 370 shots vs 290 shots
Help
 Around 30% more shots per battery charge
Fastest shutter speed Significantly faster max shutter speed 1/4000s vs 1/2000s
Help
 2x faster max shutter speed
Canon PowerShot G12 Learn more about
the Canon G12

Advantages of the Olympus PEN E-PL1
External mic jack Has an external mic jack Yes vs No
Help
 Record high quality audio with an external microphone
Overall image quality Better image quality 54.0 vs 47.0
Help
 More than 10% better image quality
Interchangeable lenses Has interchangeable lenses Yes vs No
Help
 Can take advantage of a variety of lenses
Sensor size Significantly larger sensor Four thirds 18.0x13.5mm vs 1/1.7" 7.6x5.7mm
Help
 More than 5.5x larger sensor
Color depth Better color depth 21.5 bits vs 20.4 bits
Help
 Distinguishes 1.1 more bits of color
True resolution Higher true resolution 12.2 MP vs 10 MP
Help
 Capture more than 20% more detail in your photos
Low light performance Lower noise at high ISO 487 ISO vs 161 ISO
Help
 The PEN E-PL1 has excellent image quality 1.6 f-stops higher ISO than the G12
Sensor type Has a CMOS-family sensor CMOS vs CCD
Help
 CMOS-family sensors often produce better quality images
Size Slightly smaller 115x72x42 mm vs 112x76x48 mm
Help
 More than 10% smaller
Longest exposure Much longer exposures 60s vs 15s
Help
 4x longer exposures
Weight Lighter 334 g vs 401 g
Help
 Around 20% lighter
Continuous shooting Shoots slightly faster 3 fps vs 2 fps
Help
 50% faster continuous shooting
Thickness Slightly thinner 1.7" vs 1.9"
Help
 More than 10% thinner
Lowest price Slightly cheaper $259.99 vs $389.99
Help
 The best price we've seen is $130 cheaper (more than 30% less)
Olympus PEN E-PL1 Learn more about
the Olympus PEN E-PL1
vs

recommendations

Relative to the best recent digital cameras, and ignoring price

Canon PowerShot G12 Canon PowerShot G12
64 vs 33
Explain scores
Olympus PEN E-PL1 Olympus PEN E-PL1
Green arrow Snapsort recommends the Canon PowerShot G12. This recommendation, however, should be taken with a grain of salt since it doesn't always make sense to compare a pro digicam with a mirrorless interchangeable-lens.

advice

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similarities

Compared to recent digital cameras

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
Supports RAW RAW support Help
Better editing
External flash Support external flash Help
Better lighting
Panorama Neither camera stitches together panoramas Help
You could stitch photos in post
3D Neither camera can take 3D photos Help
No 3d support
Screen size Very small screens Help
G12:2.8"
PEN E-PL1:2.7"
Movie format HD (720p) video Help
G12:720p @ 24fps
PEN E-PL1:720p @ 30fps
Overall image quality Low image quality Help
G12:47.0
PEN E-PL1:54.0

dxomark

DXOMark

competitors

Shared Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Canon Powershot S100

Canon Powershot S100

Pro digicam

$356 - $430
Aperture Has a significantly wider aperture
Movie format Records higher quality movies
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
External flash Doesn't support an external flash
Compare the Powershot S100 vs the PowerShot G12
Compare the Powershot S100 vs the PEN E-PL1
Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5

Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5

Pro digicam

$350
Aperture Has a significantly wider aperture
Wide angle Has a significantly wider wide angle lens
Compare the Lumix DMC-LX5 vs the PowerShot G12
Compare the Lumix DMC-LX5 vs the PEN E-PL1
Fujifilm Finepix X10

Fujifilm Finepix X10

Pro digicam

$599
Aperture Has a significantly wider aperture
Movie format Records higher quality movies
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the Finepix X10 vs the PowerShot G12
Compare the Finepix X10 vs the PEN E-PL1
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF3

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF3

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$433 body only
Movie format Records higher quality movies
Screen size Has a slightly larger screen
External flash Doesn't support an external flash
Image stabilization Doesn't have image stabilization
Compare the Lumix DMC-GF3 vs the PowerShot G12
Compare the Lumix DMC-GF3 vs the PEN E-PL1
Nikon 1 J1

Nikon 1 J1

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$547 with 10-30mm lens
Movie format Records higher quality movies
Screen size Has a slightly larger screen
External flash Doesn't support an external flash
Image stabilization Doesn't have image stabilization
Compare the 1 J1 vs the PowerShot G12
Compare the 1 J1 vs the PEN E-PL1
Canon PowerShot S95

Canon PowerShot S95

Pro digicam

$340 - $389
Aperture Has a significantly wider aperture
Screen size Has a slightly larger screen
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
External flash Doesn't support an external flash
Compare the PowerShot S95 vs the PowerShot G12
Compare the PowerShot S95 vs the PEN E-PL1
Sony Alpha NEX-5

Sony Alpha NEX-5

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$569 with 18-55mm lens
Overall image quality Has slightly better image quality
Movie format Records higher quality movies
Built-in flash Doesn't have a built-in flash
Image stabilization Doesn't have image stabilization
Compare the Alpha NEX-5 vs the PowerShot G12
Compare the Alpha NEX-5 vs the PEN E-PL1

Canon PowerShot G12 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Canon PowerShot G1X

Canon PowerShot G1X

Boutique

$799 - $800
Movie format Higher resolution movies
Screen resolution Significantly higher resolution screen
Macro focus Much worse macro capability
Size Larger
Compare the PowerShot G1X vs the PowerShot G12
Nikon Coolpix P7100

Nikon Coolpix P7100

Pro digicam

$450
External mic jack Has an external mic jack
Screen resolution Significantly higher resolution screen
Supports 24p No 24p support
Overall image quality Worse image quality
Compare the Coolpix P7100 vs the PowerShot G12
Canon Powershot SX40

Canon Powershot SX40

Super zoom

$347 - $380
Zoom Much more zoom
Movie format Higher resolution movies
Size Much larger
HDR Lacks in-camera HDR
Compare the Powershot SX40 vs the PowerShot G12

Olympus PEN E-PL1 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Olympus PEN E-PL2

Olympus PEN E-PL2

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$485 with 14-42mm lens
Screen size Significantly larger screen
Movie continuous focus Continuous video focus
External mic jack Lacks an external mic jack
Color depth Worse color depth
Compare the PEN E-PL2 vs the PEN E-PL1
Olympus PEN E-PM1

Olympus PEN E-PM1

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$500 with 14-42mm lens
Movie format Higher resolution movies
Screen size Significantly larger screen
External mic jack Lacks an external mic jack
Built-in flash No built-in flash
Compare the PEN E-PM1 vs the PEN E-PL1
Olympus PEN Lite E-PL3

Olympus PEN Lite E-PL3

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$589 - $600 with 14-42mm lens
Movie format Higher resolution movies
Screen size Significantly larger screen
External mic jack Lacks an external mic jack
Built-in flash No built-in flash
Compare the PEN Lite E-PL3 vs the PEN E-PL1
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF2

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF2

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$376 with 14-42mm lens
Movie format Higher resolution movies
Screen size Significantly larger screen
External mic jack Lacks an external mic jack
Image stabilization No image stabilization
Compare the Lumix DMC-GF2 vs the PEN E-PL1
Olympus PEN E-P1

Olympus PEN E-P1

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$185 body only

$375 with 17mm lens
Screen size Significantly larger screen
Size Slightly smaller
External mic jack Lacks an external mic jack
Built-in flash No built-in flash
Compare the PEN E-P1 vs the PEN E-PL1

appearance

Canon PowerShot G12 Olympus PEN E-PL1
Canon PowerShot G12 Olympus PEN E-PL1
Canon PowerShot G12 Olympus PEN E-PL1

discussion

Showing 3 comments

STUDIONYC (7:48 PM, December 23, 2011)
G11/G12 (even my two older G5s) is a camera, the Olypmus PEN a paper weight. Articulating screen aside, try using an external flash on the Olympus. Nothing will fire, external flashes: no, studio gear: no. Triggering strobes via the Olympus pop-up flash is a joke. Maybe some Olympus flashes will work, but hey, I can plug just about anything in the shoe of the Canons and not worry about it. BIG minus for Olympus, external flashes are a MUST-HAVE option without having to buy a compatibility chart first. P&P is key! Everything else is pretty much the same, holding the OLYPMUS is a struggle, I can't wait for the first drop, the ergonomics are pretty much unusable IMHO. Menues are cumbersome and suck, Canon wins hands down. I would much rather bring my awesome G5s along then this flimsy Olympus PEN, I am massively disappointed, only bought it because of saving $$$$, but for a pro-level point&shooter the Canon is the way to go, the sensor size alone does not say anything! I can not understand why nobody mentions the massive flaws of the Olympus, it takes like a day or so to figure out that the PEN is borderline useless......(there are many more technical flaws from a user perspective, no more rambling, 'nuff said).
 
Avatar for Snapsort Snapsort (1:56 AM, January 27, 2011)
Hi Anon, the score page explains the breakdown. Unfortunately Snapsort is a bit unfair and gives the G12 points for its built in lens, which gives it most of its advantage.
 
Anon (7:22 PM, January 24, 2011)
I can't see how at the end of the comparison you state the Canon G12 to be better than the Olympus PEN E-PL1. There are many reasons you give pro the latter (better image quality, larger sensor, higher resolution) and only a few pro the former (mostly to do with its large screen). Your score at the end just doesn't make sense.