Olympus
PEN E-PL1
 vs
Panasonic Lumix
DMC-G10

Updated (January, 2011): Compare the Olympus PEN E-PL2 vs Panasonic Lumix DMC-G10

Olympus PEN E-PL1

44

Reasons to buy the Olympus PEN E-PL1

Image stabilization
 Image stabilization
Sensor shift
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
Longest exposure
 Long exposures
60 seconds
Built-in flash
 Built-in flash
External flash not needed
Panasonic Lumix DMC-G10

32

Reasons to buy the Panasonic Lumix DMC-G10

Viewfinder
 Great viewfinder
Digital
Interchangeable lenses
 Interchangeable lenses
Many lenses to choose from
Longest exposure
 Long exposures
60 seconds
Built-in flash
 Built-in flash
External flash not needed

differences

Advantages of the Olympus PEN E-PL1
Image stabilization Image stabilization Sensor shift vs None
Help
 Helps eliminate blur caused by small camera movements
External mic jack Has an external mic jack Yes vs No
Help
 Record high quality audio with an external microphone
Size Much smaller 115x72x42 mm vs 124x90x74 mm
Help
 2.4x smaller
Sensor cleaning Has a self cleaning sensor Yes vs No
Help
 Removes dust from the sensor automatically, avoiding spots in photos
Low light performance Slightly lower noise at high ISO 487 ISO vs 411 ISO
Help
 The PEN E-PL1 has a slight edge (0.2 f-stops) in low noise, high ISO performance
Thickness Much thinner 1.7" vs 2.9"
Help
 More than 40% thinner
Color depth Better color depth 21.5 bits vs 21.2 bits
Help
 Distinguishes 0.3 more bits of color
Overall image quality Slightly better image quality 54.0 vs 52.0
Help
 Almost the same
Weight Lighter 334 g vs 381 g
Help
 More than 10% lighter
Lowest price Slightly cheaper $259.99 vs $329.99
Help
 The best price we've seen is $70 cheaper (more than 20% less)
Olympus PEN E-PL1 Learn more about
the Olympus PEN E-PL1

Advantages of the Panasonic DMC-G10
Screen size Much larger screen 3.0" vs 2.7"
Help
 More than 10% larger screen
Viewfinder Has a viewfinder Digital vs None
Help
 A viewfinder can help save battery life by keeping the screen turned off
Movie continuous focus Continuous video focus Yes vs No
Help
 Record movies without worrying about focus
Screen resolution Higher resolution screen 460k dots vs 230k dots
Help
 2x higher resolution screen
Light sensitivity Better maximum light sensitivity 6,400 ISO vs 3,200 ISO
Help
 The DMC-G10's maximum light sensitivity is 1 f-stop better
Focus points More focus points 23 vs 11
Help
 Set focus accurately within the frame
Fastest shutter speed Much faster max shutter speed 1/4000s vs 1/2000s
Help
 2x faster max shutter speed
Panasonic Lumix DMC-G10 Learn more about
the Panasonic DMC-G10
vs

recommendations

Relative to the best recent mirrorless cameras, and ignoring price

Olympus PEN E-PL1 Olympus PEN E-PL1
44 vs 32
Explain scores
Panasonic Lumix DMC-G10 Panasonic Lumix DMC-G10
Green arrow Snapsort recommends the Olympus PEN E-PL1.

advice

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by trixie-bird last week
Olympus PEN E-PL1 vs Panasonic DMC-GF2

Intermediate.  Want to take pictures or people and landscapes.

similarities

Compared to recent mirrorless cameras

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
Lowest price Inexpensive Help
PEN E-PL1:$259.99
DMC-G10:$329.99
Longest exposure Long exposures Help
60 seconds
Built-in flash Each has a built-in flash Help
External flash not needed
Light sensitivity (boost) No boost ISO Help
Lacks boost light sensitivity
3D Neither camera can take 3D photos Help
No 3d support
Panorama Neither camera stitches together panoramas Help
You could stitch photos in post
True resolution Capture low resolution images Help
PEN E-PL1:12.2 MP
DMC-G10:12 MP
HDR Neither has in-camera HDR Help
You could do HDR manually
Dynamic range Poor dynamic range Help
10.1 EV
Movie format Both shoot high resolution HD movies Help
720p @ 30fps
Screen flips out No flip-out screens Help
Less flexible
Touch screen No touchscreens Help
More buttons
Supports 24p No support for 24p Help
Missing that film look
Screen resolution Low resolution screens Help
PEN E-PL1:230k dots
DMC-G10:460k dots
Overall image quality Low image quality Help
PEN E-PL1:54.0
DMC-G10:52.0
Low light performance Above average noise at high ISO Help
PEN E-PL1:487 ISO
DMC-G10:411 ISO

dxomark

DXOMark

competitors

Shared Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Olympus PEN E-PL2

Olympus PEN E-PL2

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$485 with 14-42mm lens
Startup delay Has much less startup delay
Shutter lag Has much less shutter lag
Lowest price Is slightly more expensive
Compare the PEN E-PL2 vs the PEN E-PL1
Compare the PEN E-PL2 vs the Lumix DMC-G10
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF3

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF3

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$433 body only
Movie format Records higher quality movies
Touch screen Has a touch screen
External flash Doesn't support an external flash
Color depth Has slightly less color depth
Compare the Lumix DMC-GF3 vs the PEN E-PL1
Compare the Lumix DMC-GF3 vs the Lumix DMC-G10
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF2

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF2

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$376 with 14-42mm lens
Movie format Records higher quality movies
Touch screen Has a touch screen
Compare the Lumix DMC-GF2 vs the PEN E-PL1
Compare the Lumix DMC-GF2 vs the Lumix DMC-G10
Olympus PEN E-P1

Olympus PEN E-P1

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$184 body only

$375 with 17mm lens
Thickness Is thinner
Built-in flash Doesn't have a built-in flash
Compare the PEN E-P1 vs the PEN E-PL1
Compare the PEN E-P1 vs the Lumix DMC-G10
Nikon D3100

Nikon D3100

Entry-level DSLR

$500 - $547 with 18-55mm lens
Low light performance Is significantly less noisy at high ISO
Movie format Records higher quality movies
Longest exposure Significantly shorter exposures
Lowest price Is slightly more expensive
Compare the D3100 vs the PEN E-PL1
Compare the D3100 vs the Lumix DMC-G10
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$1,125 with 14-45mm lens
Startup delay Has much less startup delay
Shutter lag Has much less shutter lag
Lowest price Is much more expensive
Compare the Lumix DMC-GF1 vs the PEN E-PL1
Compare the Lumix DMC-GF1 vs the Lumix DMC-G10
Canon Rebel T3

Canon Rebel T3

Entry-level DSLR

$333 body only

$489 - $500 with 18-55mm lens
Low light performance Is slightly less noisy at high ISO
Overall image quality Has slightly better image quality
Longest exposure Significantly shorter exposures
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the Rebel T3 vs the PEN E-PL1
Compare the Rebel T3 vs the Lumix DMC-G10

Olympus PEN E-PL1 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Olympus PEN E-PM1

Olympus PEN E-PM1

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$500 with 14-42mm lens
Screen size Much larger screen
Movie format Higher resolution movies
External mic jack Lacks an external mic jack
Color depth Worse color depth
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
Screen size Much larger screen
Movie format Higher resolution movies
External mic jack Lacks an external mic jack
Color depth Worse color depth
Compare the PEN Lite E-PL3 vs the PEN E-PL1
Nikon 1 J1

Nikon 1 J1

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$547 with 10-30mm lens
High-speed framerate Records high-speed movies
Screen size Much larger screen
Image stabilization No image stabilization
External mic jack Lacks an external mic jack
Compare the 1 J1 vs the PEN E-PL1

Panasonic Lumix DMC-G10 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Panasonic Lumix DMC-G2

Panasonic Lumix DMC-G2

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$615 - $642 with 14-42mm lens
Touch screen Has a touch screen
External mic jack Has an external mic jack
Lowest price More expensive
Weight Heavier
Compare the Lumix DMC-G2 vs the Lumix DMC-G10
Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3

Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$500 body only

$700 with 14-42mm lens
Movie format Higher resolution movies
Low light performance Lower noise at high ISO
Color depth Worse color depth
Sensor size Slightly smaller sensor
Compare the Lumix DMC-G3 vs the Lumix DMC-G10
Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1

Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$490 with 14-45mm lens
Size Much smaller
Low light performance Slightly lower noise at high ISO
Movie format Does not take movies
Autofocus Lacks video autofocus
Compare the Lumix DMC-G1 vs the Lumix DMC-G10

appearance

Olympus PEN E-PL1 Panasonic Lumix DMC-G10
Olympus PEN E-PL1 Panasonic Lumix DMC-G10
Olympus PEN E-PL1 Panasonic Lumix DMC-G10

discussion

Showing 1 comments

Bt (5:58 PM, September 21, 2011)
G10 does have anti-shake built-in to lenses