Panasonic GH1 Comparison Review

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1 is a mirrorless interchangeable lens camera that was officially introduced in March 2009 and is equipped with a Four Thirds sensor. It offers a resolution of 12 megapixel.

Is the Panasonic GH1 a good camera? The GH1 has a Camera Elo of 1418. This rating puts the GH1 below average of all mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras. In terms of its sensor size category (Four Thirds cameras), the GH1 also ranks below average. Based on its within category standings, the camera earns a 2.5-star performance rating. – Well, the Panasonic GH1 is more than 15 years old, and there have been many other good digital cameras released since 2009.

Read on to find out more about the camera's size, sensor, features, reception by expert reviewers, and how it compares to other digital cameras.

Body comparison with a credit card

The physical dimensions of the Panasonic GH1 relative to a credit card are illustrated in the side-by-side display below. Three consecutive perspectives from the front, the top, and the back are presented. All width, height and depth dimensions are rounded to the nearest millimeter.

The table below summarizes the key physical specs of the Panasonic GH1 alongside a set of similar cameras. If you want to review a particular camera pair side-by-side, just move across to the CAM-parator tool and choose from the broad selection of possible comparisons there.

Body Specifications

		Camera Model	Camera Width	Camera Height	Camera Depth	Camera Weight	Battery Life	Weather Sealing	Camera Launch	Launch Price	Street Price
1.		Panasonic GH1	124 mm	90 mm	45 mm	385 g	300	n	Mar 2009	EUR 799	ebay.com
2.		Olympus E-P1	121 mm	70 mm	36 mm	355 g	300	n	Jun 2009	EUR 699	ebay.com
3.		Olympus E-P2	121 mm	70 mm	36 mm	355 g	300	n	Nov 2009	EUR 699	ebay.com
4.		Panasonic G1	124 mm	84 mm	45 mm	360 g	410	n	Sep 2008	EUR 499	ebay.com
5.		Panasonic G2	124 mm	84 mm	74 mm	428 g	360	n	Mar 2010	EUR 549	ebay.com
6.		Panasonic G6	122 mm	85 mm	71 mm	390 g	340	n	Apr 2013	EUR 549	ebay.com
7.		Panasonic G10	124 mm	84 mm	74 mm	388 g	380	n	Mar 2010	EUR 499	ebay.com
8.		Panasonic GF1	119 mm	71 mm	36 mm	385 g	380	n	Sep 2009	EUR 649	ebay.com
9.		Panasonic GF2	113 mm	68 mm	33 mm	310 g	300	n	Nov 2010	EUR 499	ebay.com
10.		Panasonic GH2	124 mm	90 mm	76 mm	442 g	330	n	Sep 2010	EUR 899	ebay.com
11.		Panasonic LX100	115 mm	66 mm	55 mm	393 g	300	n	Sep 2014	EUR 799	ebay.com
Note: Measurements and pricing do not include easily detachable parts, such as add-on or interchangeable lenses or optional viewfinders.
Convert to Imperial

The listed prices provide an indication of the market segment that the manufacturer of the cameras have been targeting. The Panasonic GH1 was launched in the US market at a price of $899. Usually, retail prices stay at first close to the launch price, but after several months, discounts become available. Later in the product cycle and, in particular, when the replacement model is about to appear, further discounting and stock clearance sales often push the camera price considerably down. Then, after the new model is out, very good deals can frequently be found on the pre-owned market.

Check GH1 offers at
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Sensor comparison with a 35mm slide

The size of the sensor inside a digital camera is one of the key determinants of image quality. A large sensor will tend to have larger individual pixels that provide better low-light sensitivity, wider dynamic range, and richer color-depth than smaller pixel-units in a sensor of the same technological generation. Moreover, a large sensor camera will give the photographer more control over depth-of-field in the image and, thus, the ability to better isolate a subject from the background. On the downside, larger sensors are more costly to manufacture and tent to lead to bigger and heavier cameras and lenses.

The Panasonic GH1 features a Four Thirds sensor and has a format factor (sometimes also referred to as "crop factor") of 2.0. Within the spectrum of camera sensors, this places the Panasonic GH1 among the medium-sized sensor cameras that aim to strike a balance between image quality and portability.

For most cameras, data on sensor performance has been reported by DXO Mark. This service determines an overall sensor rating, as well as sub-scores for low-light sensitivity ("DXO Sports"), dynamic range ("DXO Landscape"), and color depth ("DXO Portrait"). The adjacent table reports on the physical sensor characteristics and the outcomes of the DXO sensor quality tests for a sample of alternative cameras.

Sensor Characteristics

		Camera Model	Sensor Class	Resolution (MP)	Horiz. Pixels	Vert. Pixels	Video Format	DXO Portrait	DXO Landscape	DXO Sports	DXO Overall
1.		Panasonic GH1	Four Thirds	12.0	4000	3000	1080/24p	21.6	11.6	772	64
2.		Olympus E-P1	Four Thirds	12.2	4032	3024	720/30p	21.4	10.4	536	55
3.		Olympus E-P2	Four Thirds	12.2	4032	3024	720/30p	21.5	10.4	505	56
4.		Panasonic G1	Four Thirds	12.0	4000	3000	none	21.1	10.3	463	53
5.		Panasonic G2	Four Thirds	12.0	4000	3000	720/30p	21.2	10.3	493	53
6.		Panasonic G6	Four Thirds	15.9	4608	3456	1080/60p	21.3	11.5	639	61
7.		Panasonic G10	Four Thirds	12.0	4000	3000	720/30p	21.2	10.1	411	52
8.		Panasonic GF1	Four Thirds	12.0	4000	3000	720/30p	21.2	10.3	513	54
9.		Panasonic GF2	Four Thirds	12.0	4000	3000	1080/60i	21.2	10.3	506	54
10.		Panasonic GH2	Four Thirds	15.9	4608	3456	1080/60i	21.2	11.3	655	60
11.		Panasonic LX100	Four Thirds	12.7	4112	3088	4K/30p	22.3	12.5	553	67

Many modern cameras cannot only take still pictures, but also record videos. The GH1 indeed provides movie recording capabilities. The highest resolution format that the GH1 can use is 1080/24p.

Feature comparison

Apart from body and sensor, cameras can and do differ across a variety of features. For example, the GH1 has an electronic viewfinder with a resolution of 1440k dots. The viewfinder offers a field of view of 100% and a magnification of 0.70x. The adjacent tables list some of the other core features of the Panasonic GH1 along with similar information for a selection of comparators.

Core Features

		Camera Model	Viewfinder (Type or 000 dots)	Control Panel (yes/no)	LCD Specifications (inch/000 dots)	LCD Attach- ment	Touch Screen (yes/no)	Max Shutter Speed *	Max Shutter Flaps *	Built-in Flash (yes/no)	Built-in Image Stab
1.		Panasonic GH1	1440	n	3.0 / 460	swivel	n	1/4000s	3.0/s	Y	n
2.		Olympus E-P1	none	n	3.0 / 230	fixed	n	1/4000s	3.0/s	n	Y
3.		Olympus E-P2	optional	n	3.0 / 230	fixed	n	1/4000s	3.0/s	n	Y
4.		Panasonic G1	1440	n	3.0 / 460	swivel	n	1/4000s	3.0/s	Y	n
5.		Panasonic G2	1440	n	3.0 / 460	swivel	Y	1/4000s	2.6/s	Y	n
6.		Panasonic G6	1440	n	3.0 / 1036	swivel	Y	1/4000s	7.0/s	Y	n
7.		Panasonic G10	202	n	3.0 / 460	fixed	n	1/4000s	2.6/s	Y	n
8.		Panasonic GF1	optional	n	3.0 / 460	fixed	n	1/4000s	3.0/s	Y	n
9.		Panasonic GF2	optional	n	3.0 / 460	fixed	Y	1/4000s	2.6/s	Y	n
10.		Panasonic GH2	1534	n	3.0 / 460	swivel	n	1/4000s	3.0/s	Y	n
11.		Panasonic LX100	2764	n	3.0 / 921	fixed	n	1/4000s	11.0/s	n	Y
Note: *) Information refers to the mechanical shutter, unless the camera only has an electronic one.

The LCD screen on the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1 is flexibly attached to the body. In particular, the LCD is hinged on the side and can be flipped out for odd-angle shots in both portrait and landscape orientation. Also, this fully articulated, swivel type of LCD attachment is often appreciated by videographers for its flexibility. Moreover, v-loggers like the design because the screen can be turned to be front-facing.

One convenient feature of the GH1 is the presence of an on-board flash. While this built-in flash is not very powerful, it can at times be useful as a fill-in light to brighten deep shadow areas.

Connection comparison

For some imaging applications, the extent to which a camera can communicate with its environment can be an important aspect in the camera decision process. The table below provides an overview of the connectivity of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1 and, in particular, the interfaces the cameras (and selected comparators) provide for accessory control and data transfer.

Input-Output Connections

		Camera Model	Hotshoe Port	Internal Mic / Speaker	Microphone Port	Headphone Port	HDMI Port	USB Port	WiFi Support	NFC Support	Bluetooth Support
1.		Panasonic GH1	Y	stereo / -	Y	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-
2.		Olympus E-P1	Y	stereo / -	-	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-
3.		Olympus E-P2	Y	stereo / -	-	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-
4.		Panasonic G1	Y	- / -	-	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-
5.		Panasonic G2	Y	stereo / mono	-	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-
6.		Panasonic G6	Y	stereo / mono	Y	-	mini	2.0	Y	Y	-
7.		Panasonic G10	Y	mono / -	-	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-
8.		Panasonic GF1	Y	mono / mono	-	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-
9.		Panasonic GF2	Y	stereo / mono	-	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-
10.		Panasonic GH2	Y	stereo / mono	Y	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-
11.		Panasonic LX100	Y	stereo / mono	-	-	micro	2.0	Y	Y	-

It is notable that the GH1 has a microphone port. Such an external microphone input can help to substantially improve the quality of audio recordings when a good external microphone is used.

Further information on the features and operation of the GH1 can be found in the free online Panasonic GH1 Manual or on the Panasonic support site.

Expert reviews

While the comparison of the spec-sheets of cameras can offer a general idea of their imaging potential, it says nothing about, for example, the handling, responsiveness, and overall imaging quality of the GH1 in practical situations. User reviews, such as those found at amazon, can sometimes inform about these issues, but such feedback is often incomplete, inconsistent, and biased. This is where reviews by experts come in. The adjacent table relays the overall verdicts of several of the most popular camera review sites (amateurphotographer [AP], cameralabs [CL], digitalcameraworld [DCW], dpreview [DPR], ephotozine [EPZ], photographyblog [PB]).

Review Scores

		Camera   Model	AP   score	CL   score	DCW   score	DPR   score	EPZ   score	PB   score	Camera Launch	Launch Price	Street Price
1.		Panasonic GH1	..	+ +	..	72/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	Mar 2009	EUR 799	ebay.com
2.		Olympus E-P1	..	+	..	66/100	4/5	4.5/5	Jun 2009	EUR 699	ebay.com
3.		Olympus E-P2	3/5	+	..	69/100	4/5	4.5/5	Nov 2009	EUR 699	ebay.com
4.		Panasonic G1	..	+ +	..	70/100	4/5	4.5/5	Sep 2008	EUR 499	ebay.com
5.		Panasonic G2	..	..	..	72/100	4/5	4.5/5	Mar 2010	EUR 549	ebay.com
6.		Panasonic G6	4/5	+ +	..	..	5/5	4.5/5	Apr 2013	EUR 549	ebay.com
7.		Panasonic G10	3/5	..	..	70/100	4/5	4/5	Mar 2010	EUR 499	ebay.com
8.		Panasonic GF1	..	85/100	..	69/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	Sep 2009	EUR 649	ebay.com
9.		Panasonic GF2	3/5	82/100	..	70/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	Nov 2010	EUR 499	ebay.com
10.		Panasonic GH2	5/5	+ +	..	79/100	4.5/5	5/5	Sep 2010	EUR 899	ebay.com
11.		Panasonic LX100	5/5	+ +	..	85/100	5/5	5/5	Sep 2014	EUR 799	ebay.com
Note: (+ +) highly recommended; (+) recommended; (o) reviewed; (..) not available.

Care should be taken when interpreting the review scores above, though. The ratings were established in reference to similarly priced cameras that were available in the market at the time of the review. Thus, a score needs to be put into the context of the launch date and the launch price of the camera, and rating-comparisons among cameras that span long time periods or concern very differently equipped models make little sense. It should also be noted that some of the review sites have over time altered the way they render their verdicts.

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Camera to camera comparisons

If you would like to see a side-by-side review with another camera, just make your choice using the following search menu. An an alternative, you can also directly jump to any one of the listed comparisons that were previously generated by the CAM-parator tool.

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