Olympus OM-D E-M10 vs Panasonic Lumix DMC-G7 — Which Is Better?

The Olympus OM-D E-M10 and the Panasonic Lumix DMC-G7 are Micro Four Thirds mirrorless cameras from 2014 and 2015, sharing the Micro 4/3 mount. Any lens you buy works on either body, so the choice comes down to how each camera behaves.

The bodies differ in shape: the E-M10 measures 119 x 82 x 46 mm and weighs 396 g, while the G7 is 125 x 86 x 77 mm and 410 g, the deeper and slightly heavier body.

The E-M10 is the stronger choice for handheld stills in dim rooms, because it offers in-body stabilisation and the G7 does not. That keeps shots steady at slow shutter speeds with unstabilised lenses, useful for indoor portraits or evening streets. It also covers more autofocus area, 81 points against 49, and bursts at 8 fps against 7.

This is a sensor similarity: both use Micro Four Thirds CMOS sensors with near-identical 16-megapixel resolution, and share a native ISO range of 200 to 25600 plus a 1/4000-second shutter limit. The G7's electronic viewfinder is the sharper one, with 2,360,000 dots against 1,440,000.

The G7 is the clear choice for video, recording 4K while the E-M10 stops at Full HD. The extra resolution leaves room to crop and reframe a clip in editing, or to pull a still frame from footage. Its maximum frame rate is twice as high, 60 fps against 30, which helps when you slow footage.

Both offer built-in timelapse for a sunset or building project without extra gear. The G7 records MPEG-4 as well as MOV, and the E-M10 records MOV, so both fit a standard MOV workflow.

For checking focus after a shot, the G7's rear screen is the sharper display, with 2,360,000 dots against 1,037,000 on the E-M10, making zoomed-in eyelash checks easier to read. The screens also match in size and handling: a 3-inch tilting touch LCD on each, for waist-level work and tap-to-place focus.

Each camera carries built-in flash for fill light, a hot shoe for external flash, Wi-Fi for phone transfer, and live view. Neither has GPS, weather sealing or Bluetooth, so neither is ready for a rain-soaked shoot without protection.

For longer days away from a socket, the G7 has the edge: its battery is rated at 350 shots against 320, and it supports USB charging from a power bank. The E-M10 has no USB charging and uses its BLS-5 battery, so a spare is worth carrying.

This is a similarity: both take a single SD, SDHC or SDXC card, with no second slot on either. The same card moves between cameras.