Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark II vs Panasonic Lumix DMC-GM1 — Which Is Better?

The Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark II and the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GM1 are both Micro Four Thirds mirrorless cameras, so either body takes the same native lenses. Announced in 2015, the E-M10 Mark II is the fuller camera with an eye-level viewfinder and dedicated controls. The GM1, from 2013, is built to disappear into a pocket.

The size gap is large. The GM1 measures 99 x 55 x 30 mm and weighs 204 g, against 120 x 83 x 47 mm and 390 g for the E-M10 Mark II. That 186 g difference makes the Panasonic the easier camera to carry everywhere, while the Olympus body carries the viewfinder and fuller controls.

The E-M10 Mark II is the stronger choice for handheld photography in dim light, because it offers in-body image stabilisation and the GM1 does not. It also suits moving subjects better, with 8 fps continuous shooting and 81 autofocus points against 5 fps and 23 points on the GM1. Those extra points give you far more positions to place focus on a running child or a passing cyclist.

Exposure control in bright light is the GM1's optical advantage. Its 1/16000 second shutter allows exposures four times shorter than the E-M10 Mark II's 1/4000 second limit, so you can keep a wide aperture open in daylight. Resolution sits at 16.1 versus 16 megapixels, a negligible gap for printing or cropping. Both use a Micro Four Thirds CMOS sensor of that format, and each offers the same standard 200 to 25600 ISO range.

For family clips and web video, both cameras top out at Full HD resolution, so neither gives you 4K footage or extra room to crop a clip. Each offers 60 fps as its maximum frame rate, and both include a built-in timelapse mode for condensing a sunset or a busy street.

File format is the practical difference for editing. The GM1 records MP4 and AVCHD files, while the E-M10 Mark II writes AVI, so check which format your editing software handles before choosing either body for video work.

The E-M10 Mark II is far better equipped for bright outdoor work and flash photography. It has an electronic viewfinder with 2360000 dots for framing in sunlight, a tilting rear screen for waist-level and overhead angles, and support for external flash units. The GM1 offers none of these three, leaving composition to its fixed rear screen alone.

The everyday controls and connections are shared. Both offer a 3 inch touch LCD with live view, a built-in flash, and Wi-Fi for transferring photos to a phone.

The E-M10 Mark II holds the practical endurance advantage. Its BLS-50 battery is rated for 320 shots against 230 shots for the GM1's DMW-BLH7, a 90 shot difference between the two ratings. For a long day of sightseeing, the Olympus carries the higher rated figure.

Storage matches between them. Both use a single SD, SDHC or SDXC card slot, and neither offers USB charging.