Olympus PEN E-PM2 vs Panasonic Lumix DMC GX1 — Which Is Better?

The Olympus PEN E-PM2 and the Panasonic Lumix DMC GX1 are compact mirrorless cameras built around the Micro Four Thirds system, so they draw on the same wide lens catalog. The E-PM2 arrived in 2012, a year after the 2011 GX1. Both cameras use CMOS sensors and accept Micro 4/3 lenses without any adapter.

The E-PM2 is the smaller and lighter body of the two. It measures 110 x 64 x 34 mm and weighs 269 g, while the GX1 measures 116 x 68 x 39 mm and weighs 318 g, a 49 g difference. For a pocketable everyday camera or a travel kit carried all day, those are the measurements to compare.

The E-PM2 is the stronger choice for handheld shooting in dim light, because it offers in-body image stabilisation and the GX1 does not. Any lens you mount on the E-PM2 gains stabilisation, which helps at slower shutter speeds indoors or at dusk. Neither camera has a built-in viewfinder, so you frame on the rear screen in both cases.

For action, the E-PM2 again has the edge: it shoots at 8 fps against 4.2 fps on the GX1, and it has 35 autofocus points against 23. Its standard ISO range also reaches 25600, twice the GX1 ceiling of 12800. Both cameras share the same 1/4000 second maximum shutter speed, and their near-identical resolutions of 16.1 and 16 MP give equally large files for cropping or printing.

For family clips and casual vlogs, either camera serves: both record video, with a maximum resolution of Full HD and a maximum frame rate of 30 fps on each. Neither offers built-in timelapse, so interval work needs external triggering on both.

The main difference is file format rather than recording ability. The E-PM2 records MOV and AVI, while the GX1 records AVCHD and MP4. If your editing workflow prefers one format over another, that is the practical choice point between them.

The GX1 is the more convenient camera for flash, because it has a built-in flash while the E-PM2 does not. For fill light at a party or a quick indoor snapshot, the GX1 is ready without carrying anything extra. Both cameras support external flash units, so the E-PM2 can still take flash when you pack a dedicated unit.

Screen handling is a similarity: both have a fixed 3-inch touch screen with 460000 dots, so touch focusing and menu control work the same way on each. Neither camera has GPS, WiFi, Bluetooth or weather sealing, so neither suits geotagging or wireless transfer out of the box.

The E-PM2 holds the longer rated battery life, at 360 shots against 310 for the GX1. Under their rated test conditions, the E-PM2 gives more shooting between charges, which matters on a long day out. Each camera uses its own battery model, the BLS-5 and the DMW-BLD10, so spares are not interchangeable between them.

Storage is a matching setup: both take a single SD, SDHC or SDXC card. Neither camera has dual card slots or USB charging, so plan on an external charger and one card per body.