Panasonic Lumix
DMC-GF1
 vs
Panasonic Lumix
DMC-GH1

Updated (November, 2011): Compare the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX1 vs Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1

65

Reasons to buy the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1

Low light performance
 Low noise at high ISO
772 ISO
Movie format
 Full HD
1080p @ 24fps
Overall image quality
 Great image quality
64.0
Screen size
 Large screen
3.0"
Viewfinder
 Great viewfinder
Digital
Dynamic range
 Wide dynamic range
11.6 EV
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1

45

Reasons to buy the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1

Screen size
 Large screen
3.0"
Battery life
 Great battery life
400 shots
Size
 Really small
Mid size 119x71x36 mm
Interchangeable lenses
 Interchangeable lenses
Many lenses to choose from
Sensor type
 CMOS Sensor
Better in low light
Thickness
 Thin
1.4"

differences

Advantages of the Panasonic DMC-GF1
Size Much smaller 119x71x36 mm vs 124x90x76 mm
Help
 2.8x smaller
Startup delay Less startup delay 1400 ms vs 1800 ms
Help
 More than 20% less delay when turning on
Battery life Significantly longer battery life 400 shots vs 320 shots
Help
 Around 30% more shots per battery charge
Sensor cleaning Has a self cleaning sensor Yes vs No
Help
 Removes dust from the sensor automatically, avoiding spots in photos
Thickness Much thinner 1.4" vs 3"
Help
 2.1x thinner
Light sensitivity Better maximum light sensitivity 3,200 ISO vs 1,600 ISO
Help
 The DMC-GF1's maximum light sensitivity is 1 f-stop better
Weight Lighter 330 g vs 430 g
Help
 More than 20% lighter
Lowest price Cheaper $999.99 vs $1,299.99
Help
 The best price we've seen is $300 cheaper (more than 20% less)
Sensor size Slightly larger sensor Four thirds 18.0x13.5mm vs Four thirds 17.3x13.0mm
Help
 Around 10% larger sensor
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1 Learn more about
the Panasonic DMC-GF1

Advantages of the Panasonic DMC-GH1
Movie format Higher resolution movies 1080p @ 24fps vs 720p @ 30fps
Help
 Shoots higher resolution Full HD (1080p) video but at a lower frame rate
Low light performance Lower noise at high ISO 772 ISO vs 513 ISO
Help
 The DMC-GH1 has a slight edge (0.6 f-stops) in low noise, high ISO performance
Viewfinder Has a viewfinder Digital vs None
Help
 A viewfinder can help save battery life by keeping the screen turned off
Supports 24p Supports 24p Yes vs No
Help
 Get that real film feel
Overall image quality Better image quality 64.0 vs 54.0
Help
 Around 20% better image quality
Movie continuous focus Continuous video focus Yes vs No
Help
 Record movies without worrying about focus
Dynamic range More dynamic range 11.6 EV vs 10.3 EV
Help
 1.3 f-stops more dynamic range
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
Color depth Better color depth 21.6 bits vs 21.2 bits
Help
 Distinguishes 0.4 more bits of color
Shutter lag Less shutter lag 336 ms vs 409 ms
Help
 Around 20% less delay when taking photos
Light sensitivity (boost) Has boost ISO 3,200 ISO vs None
Help
 Allows taking photos in darker situations, often at the cost of additional noise in the image
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1 Learn more about
the Panasonic DMC-GH1
vs

recommendations

Relative to the best recent mirrorless cameras, and ignoring price

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1 Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1
45 vs 65
Explain scores
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1 Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1
Green arrow Snapsort recommends the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1.

performance Which camera has better performance? Cast your vote!

PanasonicLumix DMC-GF1
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1 vs Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1
PanasonicLumix DMC-GH1
Uses Travel score Travel
On holiday or vacation
2
0
Vote Vote
Sports score Sports
Fast action, sometimes indoors
0
2
Vote Vote
Features Color accuracy Color accuracy
White balance in varied lighting
0
1
Vote Vote
Autofocus peformance Still image focusing
Speed and accuracy
0
1
Vote Vote
Autofocus performance Video focusing
Speed and accuracy
0
1
Vote Vote
Manual controls Manual settings
How quickly and easily you can change settings
1
0
Vote Vote
Build quality Build quality
Is it sturdy, well made, plastic or metal
1
0
Vote Vote
Green arrow Join in the discussion below!

similarities

Compared to recent mirrorless cameras

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
Lens availability Many lenses available Help
26 lenses
Longest exposure Long exposures Help
60 seconds
Built-in flash Each has a built-in flash Help
External flash not needed
Lowest price Very expensive Help
DMC-GF1:$999.99
DMC-GH1:$1,299.99
3D Neither camera can take 3D photos Help
No 3d support
Light sensitivity Poor maximum light sensitivity Help
DMC-GF1:3,200 ISO
DMC-GH1:1,600 ISO
Panorama Neither camera stitches together panoramas Help
You could stitch photos in post
HDR Neither has in-camera HDR Help
You could do HDR manually
Touch screen No touchscreens Help
More buttons
True resolution Capture low resolution images Help
12 MP
External mic jack Neither has an external mic jack Help
Limited to the in-camera mic
Startup delay Significant startup delay Help
DMC-GF1:1400 ms
DMC-GH1:1800 ms
Image stabilization No image stabilization Help
Risk of blur
Screen resolution Low resolution screens Help
460k dots

dxomark

DXOMark

competitors

Shared Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX1

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX1

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$754 body only

$922 - $964 with 14-42mm lens
True resolution Takes significantly higher resolution photos
Light sensitivity Significantly higher maximum light sensitivity
Compare the Lumix DMC-GX1 vs the Lumix DMC-GF1
Compare the Lumix DMC-GX1 vs the Lumix DMC-GH1
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF2

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF2

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$329 - $379 with 14-42mm lens
Light sensitivity Slightly higher maximum light sensitivity
Touch screen Has a touch screen
Compare the Lumix DMC-GF2 vs the Lumix DMC-GF1
Compare the Lumix DMC-GF2 vs the Lumix DMC-GH1
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH2

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH2

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$1,199 - $1,499 with 14-140mm lens
True resolution Takes significantly higher resolution photos
Light sensitivity Slightly higher maximum light sensitivity
Thickness Is thicker
Weight Is significantly heavier
Compare the Lumix DMC-GH2 vs the Lumix DMC-GF1
Compare the Lumix DMC-GH2 vs the Lumix DMC-GH1
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF3

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF3

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$550 body only

$439 with 14-42mm lens
Light sensitivity Slightly higher maximum light sensitivity
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 Lumix DMC-GF1
Compare the Lumix DMC-GF3 vs the Lumix DMC-GH1
Sony Alpha NEX-5

Sony Alpha NEX-5

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$569 with 18-55mm lens
Overall image quality Has slightly better image quality
Screen resolution Has a significantly higher resolution screen
Longest exposure Significantly shorter exposures
Built-in flash Doesn't have a built-in flash
Compare the Alpha NEX-5 vs the Lumix DMC-GF1
Compare the Alpha NEX-5 vs the Lumix DMC-GH1
Olympus PEN E-PL1

Olympus PEN E-PL1

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$280 - $299 with 14-42mm lens
Image stabilization Has image stabilization
External mic jack Has an external mic jack
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Shutter lag Has much more shutter lag
Compare the PEN E-PL1 vs the Lumix DMC-GF1
Compare the PEN E-PL1 vs the Lumix DMC-GH1
Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3

Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$549 body only
True resolution Takes significantly higher resolution photos
Light sensitivity Slightly higher maximum light sensitivity
Thickness Is thicker
Size Is slightly larger
Compare the Lumix DMC-G3 vs the Lumix DMC-GF1
Compare the Lumix DMC-G3 vs the Lumix DMC-GH1

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5

Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5

Pro digicam

$320 - $468
Image stabilization Image stabilization
Light sensitivity (boost) Has boost ISO
Low light performance Significantly more noise at high ISO
Overall image quality Significantly worse image quality
Compare the Lumix DMC-LX5 vs the Lumix DMC-GF1
Fujifilm FinePix X100

Fujifilm FinePix X100

Boutique

$1,189 - $1,419
Low light performance Much lower noise at high ISO
Overall image quality Much better image quality
Screen size Much smaller screen
Startup delay Much more startup delay
Compare the FinePix X100 vs the Lumix DMC-GF1

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Panasonic Lumix DMC-G2

Panasonic Lumix DMC-G2

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$642 - $649 with 14-42mm lens
Startup delay Much less startup delay
Touch screen Has a touch screen
Movie format Lower resolution movies
Low light performance More noise at high ISO
Compare the Lumix DMC-G2 vs the Lumix DMC-GH1
Canon EOS 7D

Canon EOS 7D

Pro DSLR

$1,329 - $1,821 body only

$1,498 - $1,800 with 28-135mm lens
Lens availability Much more lenses available
Battery life Much longer battery life
Autofocus Lacks video autofocus
Screen flips out Screen does not flip out
Compare the EOS 7D vs the Lumix DMC-GH1
Canon Rebel T3i

Canon Rebel T3i

Entry-level DSLR

$609 - $800 body only

$888 - $1,100 with 18-135mm lens
Lens availability Much more lenses available
Cross type focus points Many more cross-type focus points
Autofocus Lacks video autofocus
Size Larger
Compare the Rebel T3i vs the Lumix DMC-GH1

appearance

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1 Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1 Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1 Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1

Find similar cameras

Here are some links to help you find other cameras with similar features to both of these:

discussion Which do you think is better?

Speech is free, but discussion at Snapsort is moderated! Please discuss your opinion of these cameras here, and discuss feedback for Snapsort at our support community.

Showing 4 comments

Avatar for Snapsort Snapsort (3:10 AM, January 13, 2012)
According to our specs they're slightly different, but very close.  I googled a bit to confirm, and I did find some evidence that they are slightly different sizes, though there seems to be some debate as to the exact size of the GH1's sensor.
 
ChuckInWichita (0:52 PM, January 12, 2012)
I thought all the 4/3 cameras had the same size sensor.
 
Avatar for Snapsort Snapsort (1:52 AM, November 08, 2010)
They seem fairly similar, but the GH1 does stand out a bit with a built-in viewfinder, 1080p video, and better image quality at high ISO.
 
Avatar for Steven Vance Steven Vance (1:36 AM, November 08, 2010)
My friend got rid of his GH1 for the GF1 and I came here to figure out why. Doesn't seem like a good move.