Olympus OM-D
E-M5
 vs
Panasonic Lumix
DMC-GH2

Olympus OM-D E-M5

89

  
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH2

56

  

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
Screen flips out
 Flip-out screen
Great for movies
Screen type
 OLED Screen
Bright and vivid
 

Reasons to buy the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH2

Touch screen
 Touch screen
Less buttons
Supports 24p
 24p movies
For that film look
Screen flips out
 Flip-out screen
Great for movies
3D
 Takes 3D photos
View photos in 3D on 3D televisions
Movie continuous focus
 Movie continuous focus
Makes it easy to get in-focus movies
External mic jack
 External mic jack
Record higher quality audio with a microphone
 

differences

Advantages of the Olympus E-M5
Weather sealed Weather sealed Yes vs No
Help
 Sealed to shoot in the rain
Image stabilization Image stabilization Sensor shift vs None
Help
 Helps eliminate blur caused by small camera movements
Screen type Has an OLED screen OLED vs LCD
Help
 OLED screens are often brighter and more vibrant than typical LCD screens
Light sensitivity Better maximum light sensitivity 25,600 ISO vs 6,400 ISO
Help
 The E-M5's maximum light sensitivity is 2 f-stops better
Color depth Better color depth 22.8 bits vs 21.2 bits
Help
 Distinguishes 1.6 more bits of color
Overall image quality Better image quality 71.0 vs 60.0
Help
 Around 20% better image quality
Battery life Much longer battery life 500 shots vs 330 shots
Help
 More than 50% more shots per battery charge
Panorama Can create panoramas in-camera Yes vs No
Help
 Stitches together multiple photos for a wide perspective
Dynamic range More dynamic range 12.3 EV vs 11.3 EV
Help
 1 f-stop more dynamic range
Low light performance Lower noise at high ISO 826 ISO vs 655 ISO
Help
 The E-M5 has a slight edge (0.3 f-stops) in low noise, high ISO performance
Size Much smaller 122x89x43 mm vs 124x90x76 mm
Help
 More than 40% smaller
Thickness Much thinner 1.7" vs 3"
Help
 More than 40% thinner
Continuous shooting Shoots slightly faster 9 fps vs 5 fps
Help
 80% faster continuous shooting
Focus points Slightly more focus points 35 vs 23
Help
 Set focus accurately within the frame
Lowest price Cheaper $999.00 vs $2,199.00
Help
 The best price we've seen is $1,200 cheaper (2.2x less)
Weight Slightly lighter 425 g vs 444 g
Help
 Almost the same
Olympus OM-D E-M5 Learn more about
the Olympus E-M5

Advantages of the Panasonic DMC-GH2
External mic jack Has an external mic jack Yes vs No
Help
 Record high quality audio with an external microphone
Supports 24p Supports 24p Yes vs No
Help
 Get that real film feel
Movie continuous focus Continuous video focus Yes vs No
Help
 Record movies without worrying about focus
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
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH2 Learn more about
the Panasonic DMC-GH2
vs

recommendations

Relative to the best recent mirrorless cameras, and ignoring price

Olympus OM-D E-M5 Olympus OM-D E-M5
89 vs 56
Explain scores
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH2 Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH2
Green arrow Snapsort recommends the Olympus OM-D E-M5.

similarities

Compared to recent mirrorless cameras

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
Viewfinder Both have digital viewfinders Help
Digital
Touch screen Have touch screens Help
Less buttons
Screen flips out Flip-out screens Help
Great for movies
3D 3D photos Help
View photos in 3D on 3D televisions
Startup delay Minimal startup delay Help
1100 ms startup delay
External flash Each supports an external flash Help
Better lighting
Weight Heavy Help
E-M5:425 g
DMC-GH2:444 g
Size Large Help
E-M5:122x89x43 mm
DMC-GH2:124x90x76 mm
HDR Neither has in-camera HDR Help
You could do HDR manually

dxomark

DXOMark

competitors

Shared Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH3

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH3

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$1,298 body only

$2,599 with 12-35mm lens
Viewfinder size Slightly larger viewfinder
HDR Has in-camera HDR
Thickness Is thicker
Weight Is slightly heavier
Compare the Lumix DMC-GH3 vs the OM-D E-M5
Compare the Lumix DMC-GH3 vs the Lumix DMC-GH2
Sony NEX-7

Sony NEX-7

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$948 body only

$1,098 with 18-55mm lens
Low light performance Is slightly less noisy at high ISO
Overall image quality Has slightly better image quality
Longest exposure Slightly shorter exposures
Lens availability Slightly fewer lenses available
Compare the NEX-7 vs the OM-D E-M5
Compare the NEX-7 vs the Lumix DMC-GH2
Panasonic Lumix DMC-G5

Panasonic Lumix DMC-G5

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$498 body only

$498 with 14-42mm lens
Viewfinder size Significantly larger viewfinder
Continuous shooting Shoots faster continuously
Thickness Is thicker
Size Is significantly larger
Compare the Lumix DMC-G5 vs the OM-D E-M5
Compare the Lumix DMC-G5 vs the Lumix DMC-GH2
Nikon D7100

Nikon D7100

Entry-level DSLR

$1,197 body only

$1,497 with 18-105mm lens
Low light performance Is slightly less noisy at high ISO
Overall image quality Has slightly better image quality
Longest exposure Slightly shorter exposures
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the D7100 vs the OM-D E-M5
Compare the D7100 vs the Lumix DMC-GH2
Canon EOS 60D

Canon EOS 60D

Pro DSLR

$699 - $899 body only

$999 - $1,279 with 18-135mm lens
Viewfinder Has higher quality type of viewfinder
Viewfinder size Slightly larger viewfinder
Longest exposure Slightly shorter exposures
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the EOS 60D vs the OM-D E-M5
Compare the EOS 60D vs the Lumix DMC-GH2
Sony NEX-5N

Sony NEX-5N

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$650 - $699 with 18-55mm lens
Low light performance Is slightly less noisy at high ISO
Overall image quality Has slightly better image quality
Longest exposure Slightly shorter exposures
Lens availability Slightly fewer lenses available
Compare the NEX-5N vs the OM-D E-M5
Compare the NEX-5N vs the Lumix DMC-GH2
Nikon D7000

Nikon D7000

Entry-level DSLR

$897 body only

$997 with 18-105mm lens
Low light performance Is slightly less noisy at high ISO
Overall image quality Has slightly better image quality
Longest exposure Slightly shorter exposures
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the D7000 vs the OM-D E-M5
Compare the D7000 vs the Lumix DMC-GH2

Olympus OM-D E-M5 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Olympus PEN E-PL5

Olympus PEN E-PL5

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens
Startup delay Less startup delay
Low light performance Slightly lower noise at high ISO
Weather sealed No weather sealing
Viewfinder No viewfinder
Compare the PEN E-PL5 vs the OM-D E-M5
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
Weather sealed No weather sealing
Image stabilization No image stabilization
Compare the X-E1 vs the OM-D E-M5
Fujifilm FinePix X100

Fujifilm FinePix X100

Boutique

$1,565
HDR Has in-camera HDR
Low light performance Lower noise at high ISO
Movie format Lower resolution movies
Image stabilization No image stabilization
Compare the FinePix X100 vs the OM-D E-M5
Fujifilm X-Pro1

Fujifilm X-Pro1

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$1,399 body only

$2,099 with 18-55mm lens
Supports 24p Supports 24p
Sensor size Larger sensor
Weather sealed No weather sealing
Image stabilization No image stabilization
Compare the X-Pro1 vs the OM-D E-M5

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH2 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Canon Rebel T3i

Canon Rebel T3i

Entry-level DSLR

$549 body only

$599 - $649 with 18-55mm lens
Lens availability Much more lenses available
Autofocus Faster autofocus
Autofocus Lacks video autofocus
Touch screen No touch screen
Compare the Rebel T3i vs the Lumix DMC-GH2
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$900 body only
Low light performance Lower noise at high ISO
Overall image quality Better image quality
External mic jack Lacks an external mic jack
Touch screen No touch screen
Compare the Lumix DMC-GH1 vs the Lumix DMC-GH2
Canon EOS 5D Mark II

Canon EOS 5D Mark II

Pro DSLR

$2,479 body only

$2,699 - $3,000 with 24-105mm lens
Low light performance Much lower noise at high ISO
Battery life Much longer battery life
Autofocus Lacks video autofocus
Touch screen No touch screen
Compare the EOS 5D Mark II vs the Lumix DMC-GH2

appearance

Olympus OM-D E-M5 Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH2
Olympus OM-D E-M5 Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH2
Olympus OM-D E-M5 Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH2

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