FourThirds Showdown: Micro FourThirds has been welcomed by enthusiasts due to its compact build and DSLR sensor. The Olympus E-P1 and Panasonic GF1 are two retro looking models that offer many artistic features.
| Panasonic PEN E-P1 in Mirrorless Cameras
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Features
Handling
Performance
Verdict
Specification
Olympus E-P1 vs Panasonic DMC-GF1: Features
Boasting a 12Mp LiveMOS sensor, a sensitivity range from ISO100-6400 and Art/Scene filters, the Olympus E-P1 at £548.99 with the 14-42mm lens was the first retro styled camera to hit the Micro FourThirds market in June 2009. Styled on the Pen, one of Olympus' most popular cameras and first released in 1959, the “Digital Pen” uses interchangeable lenses which are smaller than the standard FourThirds fit which, coupled with the removal of the mirror chamber and reducing the distance between the sensor and rear lens element, means that the overall camera size can be reduced. New features to the Pen are the six Art modes which give a more creative effect to your work and include Grainy film, Soft tone and Pop art. These modes can be used in video mode as well as still imaging which is great for budding film enthusiasts.
This early foray into retro styled cameras meant that Panasonic, the only other company involved in Micro FourThirds, could use and evolve the ideas brought forward by Olympus. The GF1 has a similar 12Mp LiveMOS, 3fps and lower ISO100-3200 sensitivity range. Priced at £584 with the 14-45mm, the style of the GF1 strays from the Pansonic Lumix DMC-G1 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1 models in the Micro FourThirds range as it's designed more like a compact than a DSLR. Panasonic have fitted their own custom features, called My Colour, to the GF1 including Silhouette mode, Dynamic Art, Elegant and Monochrome.
Both cameras accept the Micro FourThirds mount so after deciding which body is best, you can use lenses from both Panasonic and Olympus as well as taking advantage of the large FourThirds lens range from Olympus, Panasonic and Sigma with the Olympus MFT (Micro FourThirds) adapter that allows full size FT (FourThirds) lenses onto the MFT bodies. The MMF-1 adapter costs £144.99 from Warehouse Express. If you have any older OM lenses, Olympus have also released an OM adapter as well. The MF-2 adapter costs £149.99 from Warehouse Express.
Olympus E-P1 vs Panasonic DMC-GF1: Handling
As the slightly larger of the two, I personally find the Olympus easier to hold and I think the only thing that lets it down is the positioning of the command dial on the top of the camera. It's half built into the body with a portion of a small black wheel sticking out of the back to allow it to be turned. It looks pretty but it's very close to the body and I got caught out a few times as my thumb kept catching the screen which sticks out from the body.
Olympus opted for an optical viewfinder (OVF) that slots onto the hot-shoe meaning flash isn't possible to use either on camera or externally as there's no way to trigger it. if you're using an OVF. The OVF is dedicated to the 17mm pancake lens which you can get with the Olympus E-P1 for just under £650. The OVF costs £99.99 on its own but comes with the camera and lens if you get the 17mm kit.
Panasonic have elaborated by adding an electronic viewfinder (EVF) called the LVF1Eand it also slots onto the hot-shoe with a small port below to get the electronic information. It also has a tilting feature for angled shooting. The resolution of the EVF isn't the best and all information is sent through it including playback images and shooting information. I think this would be more effective to remain on the screen. Considering the viewfinder costs £175 from Warehouse Express, I'd expect a better resolution.
Olympus E-P1 vs Panasonic DMC-GF1: Performance
Both cameras were put through their paces in a variety of conditions and tests. All pictures were taken in Raw and at the same time to ensure fairness. Adobe CameraRaw was used to convert the images to JPEG format.
Click on any of the thumbnails to open the full size images.
Exposure
I tested the cameras individually earlier in the year and you can view those tests here:
Olympus E-P1 review
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1
I was very impressed with how they both controlled light although when the Olympus is faced directly into the sun, it has a tendency to bleach out the sky and I also got lens flare using the 14-42mm lens.
To help with diverse lighting conditions, the Olympus has exposure compensation of +/-3EV which operates in 1/3 step increments by default and can be changed to either ½ or 1 step increments by accessing the set-up menu and enabling the Custom menu. Exposure compensation is easy to operate by pressing the dedicated button next to the shutter release button and rotating the thumb wheel on the back of the camera. You can also apply exposure compensation in another way by pressing the info button and scrolling through the many options in there. One option brings up four boxes of various exposure and you can choose the exposure you prefer. This is a great option as it allows you to compare the exposures in real time.
The Panasonic also has exposure compensation of +/-3EV in 1/3 step increments but instead of a dedicated button to make the changes, you have to access it through the Q-menu.
Both cameras offer different exposure modes which Olympus have called Art modes and Panasonic call My Colours. Olympus were the first to release these more extreme modes on a small camera but they'd already been seen on DSLRs. Options such as Pinhole, Grainy Film and Pop-Art all reek of retro inspiration. They all look good in the right scenario, such as the Grainy Film mode for portraits and pinhole for abstract or spooky photographs. These modes are taken in JPEG format and are processed in camera. This means that if you take a picture in Grainy Film, the picture will be black & white with a load of grain. You can't add colour or reduce the grainy effect after the picture is taken. If you need this for future use, take the picture on a normal colour setting in JPEG or Raw. Better still, put the camera in Raw & JPEG recording so the effect is applied to the JPEG but not to the Raw file.
Panasonic have had the advantage of improving what Olympus started and have added a Silhouette and Dynamic Art mode to the set. The Silhouette mode simply helps to darken images that are already in front of a window or doorway but using it out of context gives a brilliant, surreal effect reminiscent of HDR processing without the boost in shadow. Dynamic Art does give a HDR (High Dynamic Range) effect and is supposed to. It has some problems with it and colour images look painted and suffer from artefacts.
Focusing
The Panasonic benefits from 23 focus points which can be used as an area for the camera to choose from or you can select them individually. The camera also has face detection and AF tracking. Focusing is very precise in the GF1, it hardly hunts and only struggles if the area to focus on is out of range for the lens to cope with.
In comparison, the Olympus has 11 AF points with single AF, continuous, manual and the option to combine single and manual AF for fine tuning. In manual focus, the screen will zoom in to a portion of the frame to assist the focus operation. The zoom tool in playback used to be an issue because it only showed the image for a short a duration which didn't allow proper adjustments to be made. A firmware update resolved the problem.
This is the area that let the Olympus E-P1 down when we tested it on its own, but it has improved dramatically thanks to the firmware updates that have been released for the camera and lenses. Focusing is around the same speed as the Panasonic and they both found the same point to focus on in under half a second. The Panasonic offers slightly more features for focusing but in terms of performance, they're neck and neck.
Noise
The Olympus has a sensitivity range from ISO100 to ISO6400 which moves up in 1/3 step increments. Low ISO shots look lovely and smooth with bold colours popping out of the picture. Mid-range settings of ISO400 onwards start to break down but this is only at 100% viewing on Photoshop that it can be seen effectively. What this means is that using this setting in a normal environment will be fine.
The E-P1 doesn't really struggle noticeably until ISO1600 when coloured blobs of orange and blue start to appear in the black areas of the frame. The jump of one stop from ISO1600 to ISO3200 shows a huge difference in quality and it's the ISO2500 setting where the noise becomes unacceptable to see. ISO6400 still shows a decent amount of detail but black and purple banding occurs across the image.
With a whole stop less, the Panasonic has a maximum sensitivity setting of ISO3200. Coloured noise attacks a bit more aggressively but at a later stage of ISO800. Coloured pixels scatter the darker areas at ISO1600 with the occasional artefact and even though there's a similar amount of noise, the colour balance is better from the GF1.
Colour reproduction
I love the way that the Olympus records strong colours such as red, orange and yellow in Raw. They're bold and bright but the best thing is that even though these warmer tones are boosted, cooler tones such as green and blue still pop out of the pictures. Softer pastel tones are recorded faithfully which is great as they're so often overlooked by other companies in order to prioritise the primary colours. Bold reds are nicely saturated and true to life. I adore the way the Olympus records skin tones in portraits. They're balanced, true to life and not too pink as can sometimes happen.
Click on any of the thumbnails to open the large images.
On the brief occasions I did get some sunshine, I took the Olympus and Panasonic out. The Pen does a good job with skies although it wasn't recorded as deep a blue as I'd like and greens also looked a little washed out but it's certainly more saturated than the Panasonic managed to do. Sky blue and grass comes out quite pale by comparison, though on its own, it looks fine. Primary reds are saturated nicely.
The GF1 seems to favour the cooler tones over the warmer ones with blues getting the most saturation. Yellows come out bright and bold but reds and oranges tend to pale in comparison. On it's own, saturated red comes out really bright compared to how it looks with other colours in the frame. Contrasting colours look good, as do pastel colours. Skin tones look good on the Panasonic at all distances although I think the most favourable results are when taking close ups.
White-balance
I prefer the way the Panasonic handles white-balance, I think the auto mode copes really well because there's only slight adjustment made when the pre-set mode is chosen. Strong colour casts such as tungsten are handled really well but the GF1 has a slight disadvantage as it has no fluorescent setting. This means you have to use an alternative such as one of the two manual modes or the manual Kelvin settings. Setting the Custom white-balance is really easy, highlight the number 1 or 2, press up on the pad then press Set when the camera is pointed at a piece of white material and it's done.
The Olympus E-P1 has ten white balance settings on top of the auto setting including a manual Kelvin setting, three fluorescent options and a separate setting for cloud and shade, which isn't always present on every camera. Strong artificial lights look good when in the appropriate pre-set mode although I think that the tungsten balancing was a bit too cool for my tastes.
Read/write time
In Raw format, the Panasonic managed a burst of four frames before the camera slowed to empty the buffer. It then took another three images until the ten second mark. It averaged about 3fps at the early stage. In JPEG, the camera managed around 3.5fps but took eight images before the buffer was full. It managed 10 pictures in 10 seconds.
The Olympus has an amazing continuous shooting performance managing to take ten shots in Raw before the buffer filled up. It managed another three pictures before the end of the ten second time limit. Switching to JPEG and the continuous shooting performance gets even better. It managed a stream of 15 images in the first five seconds before slowing. This works out to a similar performance to the Panasonic of 3fps. There were 17 images taken altogether in JPEG mode, so if you use continuous shooting a lot and need quantity, then the Olympus is the one to be looking at.
Battery
Both cameras take Lithium Ion type cards and were fully charged before the test. By the end of testing, the Panasonic had the most power taken out of it but both had enough charge to continue shooting for a couple of hundred more shots. Both cameras have a power save function if you accidentally leave them on.
Olympus E-P1 vs Panasonic DMC-GF1: Verdict
It's been a close call throughout the test and in their individual tests, they both scored very highly. It's great to see some of the old issues from the Olympus have been sorted out with firmware updates but the Panasonic still has the edge. I think this is down to the fact that it's newer so they had time to see the Pen and elaborate on the features and performance. What Panasonic have produced is a camera that produces comparable images but has more features and a built-in flash. This might not seem much but if you're using the viewfinder accessory, then you're using the hot-shoe and flash isn't an option on the Olympus E-P1. At least with the Panasonic, you have more diversity of the built-in flash.
If you're looking for a camera with a DSLR sensor but without the size then the Micro FourThirds is a great option and if this is you then you need to buy the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1.
Olympus E-P1 vs Panasonic DMC-GF1: Pros
Olympus E-P1 vs Panasonic DMC-GF1: Cons
Olympus E-P1 vs Panasonic DMC-GF1: Specification
The Olympus E-P1 & 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 lens costs £548.99 and is available from Warehouse Express here:
Olympus E-P1 & 14-42 f/3.5-5.6
The Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1 & 14-45mm f/3.5-5.6 lens costs £574.99 and is available from Warehouse Express here:
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1 & 14-45mm f/3.5-5.6
Handling
Performance
Verdict
Specification
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 Two retro Micro FourThirds cameras go head-to-head in this ePHOTOzine test. |
Olympus E-P1 vs Panasonic DMC-GF1: Features
Boasting a 12Mp LiveMOS sensor, a sensitivity range from ISO100-6400 and Art/Scene filters, the Olympus E-P1 at £548.99 with the 14-42mm lens was the first retro styled camera to hit the Micro FourThirds market in June 2009. Styled on the Pen, one of Olympus' most popular cameras and first released in 1959, the “Digital Pen” uses interchangeable lenses which are smaller than the standard FourThirds fit which, coupled with the removal of the mirror chamber and reducing the distance between the sensor and rear lens element, means that the overall camera size can be reduced. New features to the Pen are the six Art modes which give a more creative effect to your work and include Grainy film, Soft tone and Pop art. These modes can be used in video mode as well as still imaging which is great for budding film enthusiasts.
 A classic design from the late 1950's has been used for the digital Pen. |
 SD/SDHC cards are accepted by the E-P1 in the bottom of the camera. |
 An optical viewfinder fits onto the hot-shoe so flash can't be used at all as there's no PC socket either. |
 There are two menus for the Olympus, the main menu accesses more core features while the quick menu chooses ISO, white-balance and resolution. |
This early foray into retro styled cameras meant that Panasonic, the only other company involved in Micro FourThirds, could use and evolve the ideas brought forward by Olympus. The GF1 has a similar 12Mp LiveMOS, 3fps and lower ISO100-3200 sensitivity range. Priced at £584 with the 14-45mm, the style of the GF1 strays from the Pansonic Lumix DMC-G1 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1 models in the Micro FourThirds range as it's designed more like a compact than a DSLR. Panasonic have fitted their own custom features, called My Colour, to the GF1 including Silhouette mode, Dynamic Art, Elegant and Monochrome.
 The cool retro design echoes the styling of a vintage camera. |
 SD/SDHC cards are accepted in the GF1 and sit next to the battery. |
 The Panasonic has an electronic viewfinder which fits on the hot-shoe. |
 The Panasonic's main menu screen is light and airy making it easy to read. |
Both cameras accept the Micro FourThirds mount so after deciding which body is best, you can use lenses from both Panasonic and Olympus as well as taking advantage of the large FourThirds lens range from Olympus, Panasonic and Sigma with the Olympus MFT (Micro FourThirds) adapter that allows full size FT (FourThirds) lenses onto the MFT bodies. The MMF-1 adapter costs £144.99 from Warehouse Express. If you have any older OM lenses, Olympus have also released an OM adapter as well. The MF-2 adapter costs £149.99 from Warehouse Express.
Olympus E-P1 vs Panasonic DMC-GF1: Handling
 The Olympus' dial is sunk into the camera to keep the classic profile. |
 Under the Panasonic's large command dial is the continuous shooting options. |
Olympus opted for an optical viewfinder (OVF) that slots onto the hot-shoe meaning flash isn't possible to use either on camera or externally as there's no way to trigger it. if you're using an OVF. The OVF is dedicated to the 17mm pancake lens which you can get with the Olympus E-P1 for just under £650. The OVF costs £99.99 on its own but comes with the camera and lens if you get the 17mm kit.
Panasonic have elaborated by adding an electronic viewfinder (EVF) called the LVF1Eand it also slots onto the hot-shoe with a small port below to get the electronic information. It also has a tilting feature for angled shooting. The resolution of the EVF isn't the best and all information is sent through it including playback images and shooting information. I think this would be more effective to remain on the screen. Considering the viewfinder costs £175 from Warehouse Express, I'd expect a better resolution.
Olympus E-P1 vs Panasonic DMC-GF1: Performance
Both cameras were put through their paces in a variety of conditions and tests. All pictures were taken in Raw and at the same time to ensure fairness. Adobe CameraRaw was used to convert the images to JPEG format.
Click on any of the thumbnails to open the full size images.
Exposure
I tested the cameras individually earlier in the year and you can view those tests here:
Olympus E-P1 review
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1
I was very impressed with how they both controlled light although when the Olympus is faced directly into the sun, it has a tendency to bleach out the sky and I also got lens flare using the 14-42mm lens.
To help with diverse lighting conditions, the Olympus has exposure compensation of +/-3EV which operates in 1/3 step increments by default and can be changed to either ½ or 1 step increments by accessing the set-up menu and enabling the Custom menu. Exposure compensation is easy to operate by pressing the dedicated button next to the shutter release button and rotating the thumb wheel on the back of the camera. You can also apply exposure compensation in another way by pressing the info button and scrolling through the many options in there. One option brings up four boxes of various exposure and you can choose the exposure you prefer. This is a great option as it allows you to compare the exposures in real time.
 Olympus Grainy Film mode adds black & white noise and increases contrast. |
 Panasonic Dynamic Art mode gives a painted look but suffers from artefacts. |
The Panasonic also has exposure compensation of +/-3EV in 1/3 step increments but instead of a dedicated button to make the changes, you have to access it through the Q-menu.
Both cameras offer different exposure modes which Olympus have called Art modes and Panasonic call My Colours. Olympus were the first to release these more extreme modes on a small camera but they'd already been seen on DSLRs. Options such as Pinhole, Grainy Film and Pop-Art all reek of retro inspiration. They all look good in the right scenario, such as the Grainy Film mode for portraits and pinhole for abstract or spooky photographs. These modes are taken in JPEG format and are processed in camera. This means that if you take a picture in Grainy Film, the picture will be black & white with a load of grain. You can't add colour or reduce the grainy effect after the picture is taken. If you need this for future use, take the picture on a normal colour setting in JPEG or Raw. Better still, put the camera in Raw & JPEG recording so the effect is applied to the JPEG but not to the Raw file.
Panasonic have had the advantage of improving what Olympus started and have added a Silhouette and Dynamic Art mode to the set. The Silhouette mode simply helps to darken images that are already in front of a window or doorway but using it out of context gives a brilliant, surreal effect reminiscent of HDR processing without the boost in shadow. Dynamic Art does give a HDR (High Dynamic Range) effect and is supposed to. It has some problems with it and colour images look painted and suffer from artefacts.
Focusing
The Panasonic benefits from 23 focus points which can be used as an area for the camera to choose from or you can select them individually. The camera also has face detection and AF tracking. Focusing is very precise in the GF1, it hardly hunts and only struggles if the area to focus on is out of range for the lens to cope with.
In comparison, the Olympus has 11 AF points with single AF, continuous, manual and the option to combine single and manual AF for fine tuning. In manual focus, the screen will zoom in to a portion of the frame to assist the focus operation. The zoom tool in playback used to be an issue because it only showed the image for a short a duration which didn't allow proper adjustments to be made. A firmware update resolved the problem.
This is the area that let the Olympus E-P1 down when we tested it on its own, but it has improved dramatically thanks to the firmware updates that have been released for the camera and lenses. Focusing is around the same speed as the Panasonic and they both found the same point to focus on in under half a second. The Panasonic offers slightly more features for focusing but in terms of performance, they're neck and neck.
Noise
The Olympus has a sensitivity range from ISO100 to ISO6400 which moves up in 1/3 step increments. Low ISO shots look lovely and smooth with bold colours popping out of the picture. Mid-range settings of ISO400 onwards start to break down but this is only at 100% viewing on Photoshop that it can be seen effectively. What this means is that using this setting in a normal environment will be fine.
| Olympus E-P1 | Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1 |
 |
 |
 Olympus ISO100. |
 Olympus ISO200. |
 Panasonic ISO100. |
 Panasonic ISO200. |
 Olympus ISO400. |
 Olympus ISO800. |
 Panasonic ISO400. |
 Panasonic ISO800. |
 Olympus ISO1600. |
 Olympus ISO3200. |
 Panasonic ISO1600. |
 Panasonic ISO3200. |
 Olympus ISO6400. |
The E-P1 doesn't really struggle noticeably until ISO1600 when coloured blobs of orange and blue start to appear in the black areas of the frame. The jump of one stop from ISO1600 to ISO3200 shows a huge difference in quality and it's the ISO2500 setting where the noise becomes unacceptable to see. ISO6400 still shows a decent amount of detail but black and purple banding occurs across the image.
 Olympus E-P1 Outside ISO100. |
 Panasonic GF1 Outside ISO100. |
 Olympus ISO100. |
 Olympus ISO200. |
 Panasonic ISO100. |
 Panasonic ISO200. |
 Olympus ISO400. |
 Olympus ISO800. |
Panasonic ISO400. |
 Panasonic ISO800. |
 Olympus ISO1600. |
 Olympus ISO3200. |
 Panasonic ISO1600. |
 Panasonic ISO3200. |
 Olympus ISO6400. |
With a whole stop less, the Panasonic has a maximum sensitivity setting of ISO3200. Coloured noise attacks a bit more aggressively but at a later stage of ISO800. Coloured pixels scatter the darker areas at ISO1600 with the occasional artefact and even though there's a similar amount of noise, the colour balance is better from the GF1.
Colour reproduction
I love the way that the Olympus records strong colours such as red, orange and yellow in Raw. They're bold and bright but the best thing is that even though these warmer tones are boosted, cooler tones such as green and blue still pop out of the pictures. Softer pastel tones are recorded faithfully which is great as they're so often overlooked by other companies in order to prioritise the primary colours. Bold reds are nicely saturated and true to life. I adore the way the Olympus records skin tones in portraits. They're balanced, true to life and not too pink as can sometimes happen.
 |
 Olympus E-P1 colour test. |
 Panasonic GF1 colour test. |
Click on any of the thumbnails to open the large images.
On the brief occasions I did get some sunshine, I took the Olympus and Panasonic out. The Pen does a good job with skies although it wasn't recorded as deep a blue as I'd like and greens also looked a little washed out but it's certainly more saturated than the Panasonic managed to do. Sky blue and grass comes out quite pale by comparison, though on its own, it looks fine. Primary reds are saturated nicely.
| Olympus E-P1 | Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1 |
 Olympus E-P1 portrait in landscape. |
 Panasonic GF1 portrait in landscape. |
 Olympus E-P1 portrait. |
 Panasonic GF1 portrait |
The GF1 seems to favour the cooler tones over the warmer ones with blues getting the most saturation. Yellows come out bright and bold but reds and oranges tend to pale in comparison. On it's own, saturated red comes out really bright compared to how it looks with other colours in the frame. Contrasting colours look good, as do pastel colours. Skin tones look good on the Panasonic at all distances although I think the most favourable results are when taking close ups.
| Olympus E-P1 | Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1 |
 Olympus E-P1 green & blue. |
 Panasonic GF1 green & blue. |
 Olympus E-P1 saturated red. |
 Panasonic GF1 saturated red. |
White-balance
I prefer the way the Panasonic handles white-balance, I think the auto mode copes really well because there's only slight adjustment made when the pre-set mode is chosen. Strong colour casts such as tungsten are handled really well but the GF1 has a slight disadvantage as it has no fluorescent setting. This means you have to use an alternative such as one of the two manual modes or the manual Kelvin settings. Setting the Custom white-balance is really easy, highlight the number 1 or 2, press up on the pad then press Set when the camera is pointed at a piece of white material and it's done.
| Olympus E-P1 | Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1 |
| Fluorescent | |
 Olympus auto white-balance fluo. |
 Panasonic auto white-balance fluo. |
 Olympus white-balance fluo. |
 Panasonic white-balance fluo. |
| Tungsten | |
 Olympus auto white-balance tungsten. |
 Panasonic auto white-balance tungsten. |
 Olympus white-balance tungsten. |
 Panasonic white-balance tungsten. |
The Olympus E-P1 has ten white balance settings on top of the auto setting including a manual Kelvin setting, three fluorescent options and a separate setting for cloud and shade, which isn't always present on every camera. Strong artificial lights look good when in the appropriate pre-set mode although I think that the tungsten balancing was a bit too cool for my tastes.
Read/write time
In Raw format, the Panasonic managed a burst of four frames before the camera slowed to empty the buffer. It then took another three images until the ten second mark. It averaged about 3fps at the early stage. In JPEG, the camera managed around 3.5fps but took eight images before the buffer was full. It managed 10 pictures in 10 seconds.
The Olympus has an amazing continuous shooting performance managing to take ten shots in Raw before the buffer filled up. It managed another three pictures before the end of the ten second time limit. Switching to JPEG and the continuous shooting performance gets even better. It managed a stream of 15 images in the first five seconds before slowing. This works out to a similar performance to the Panasonic of 3fps. There were 17 images taken altogether in JPEG mode, so if you use continuous shooting a lot and need quantity, then the Olympus is the one to be looking at.
Battery
Both cameras take Lithium Ion type cards and were fully charged before the test. By the end of testing, the Panasonic had the most power taken out of it but both had enough charge to continue shooting for a couple of hundred more shots. Both cameras have a power save function if you accidentally leave them on.
Olympus E-P1 vs Panasonic DMC-GF1: Verdict
It's been a close call throughout the test and in their individual tests, they both scored very highly. It's great to see some of the old issues from the Olympus have been sorted out with firmware updates but the Panasonic still has the edge. I think this is down to the fact that it's newer so they had time to see the Pen and elaborate on the features and performance. What Panasonic have produced is a camera that produces comparable images but has more features and a built-in flash. This might not seem much but if you're using the viewfinder accessory, then you're using the hot-shoe and flash isn't an option on the Olympus E-P1. At least with the Panasonic, you have more diversity of the built-in flash.If you're looking for a camera with a DSLR sensor but without the size then the Micro FourThirds is a great option and if this is you then you need to buy the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1.
Olympus E-P1 vs Panasonic DMC-GF1: Pros
| Olympus E-P1 | Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1 |
 Great build |
Retro design |
| Lovely retro design |
Cool arty modes |
| Good colour rendition |
Good noise performance |
| Excellent continuous shooting mode |
Nice auto white-balance system |
| Nice Art modes |
Sharp images |
Olympus E-P1 vs Panasonic DMC-GF1: Cons
| Olympus E-P1 | Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1 |
 Optional optical viewfinder |
No High ISO NR |
| Some Art modes can be slow |
Electronic viewfinder is optional |
| Olympus E-P1 | Panasonic GF1 | |
| FEATURES |  |
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| HANDLING | |
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| PERFORMANCE | |
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| VALUE | |
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| OVERALL | |
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Olympus E-P1 vs Panasonic DMC-GF1: Specification
| Olympus E-P1 | Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1 | |
| Price | £548.99 | £574.99 |
| Contact | www.olympus.co.uk | www.panasonic.co.uk |
| Resolution | 12.3Mp | 12.1Mp |
| Sensor size | FourThirds 17.3x13mm | FourThirds 17.3x13mm |
| Sensor type | LiveMOS | LiveMOS |
| Max. Image size | 4032x3024 | 4000x3000 |
| Aspect ratio | 4:3 | 4:3, 3:2, 16:9, 1:1 |
| Focusing system | Contrast detection AF | Contrast detection AF |
| Focus points | 11 | 23 |
| Focus type | Single, continuous, manual, single & MF | Face detection, AF tracking, 23-area, 1-area |
| Crop factor | 2x | 2x |
| Lens mount | Micro FourThirds | Micro FourThirds |
| File types | JPEG, Raw | JPEG, Raw |
| ISO sensitivity | ISO100-6400 | ISO100-3200 |
| Metering system | TTL open aperture light metering | 144 zone multi pattern sensing system |
| Exp. Compensation | +/- 3EV in 1/3, 1/2 or 1 step increments | +/- 3EV in 1/3 step increments |
| Shutter speed | 60sec-1/4000sec, Bulb | 60sec-1/4000sec, Bulb |
| Frames per second | 3fps | 3fps |
| Flash sync. speed | 1/180sec | 1/160sec or less |
| Image stabilisation | Yes, sensor shift type | No |
| Live-view | Yes | Yes |
| Viewfinder | Optional optical type | Optional electronic type |
| Monitor | 3in Hypercrystal LCD, 230,000dot | 3in Polycrystalline LCD, 460,000dot |
| Media type | SD, SDHC | SD, SDHC |
| Interface | USB 2.0 | USB 2.0 |
| Power | Li-Ion battery BLS-1 | Li-Ion battery BLB13E |
| Size | 120.5x70x35mm | 119x71x36.3mm |
| Weight | 335g | 285g |
The Olympus E-P1 & 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 lens costs £548.99 and is available from Warehouse Express here:
Olympus E-P1 & 14-42 f/3.5-5.6
The Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1 & 14-45mm f/3.5-5.6 lens costs £574.99 and is available from Warehouse Express here:
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1 & 14-45mm f/3.5-5.6
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We don't have the latest price however the link below will take you to the most relevant items. Olympus PEN E-P1 SEARCH |
We don't have the latest price however the link below will take you to the most relevant items. Olympus PEN E-P1 SEARCH |
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Photographs taken using the Panasonic PEN E-P1
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28 Jan 2010 10:56PMThis would have been a more relevant article 3-4 months ago, it seems a little redundant now.
Ian.
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1 Feb 2010 2:24PMWe're close to getting the E-P2 in for a full test (it's on its way) and I'm going to do a second part to this review with the GF1 against the E-P2 and see what happens there...
Thanks
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2 Feb 2010 4:19AM-
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2 Feb 2010 1:04PMI hope this helps.
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3 Feb 2010 1:15AM-
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3 Feb 2010 2:43PM-
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3 Feb 2010 11:42PM-
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4 Feb 2010 12:16AM-
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9 Feb 2010 3:59PMSign In
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