No two camera models are the same, let alone three camera models. Even cameras of the same model will behave differently over times, depending on the hands that hold them.
The table here is meant to provide “at a glance” camera comparison between Canon 500D or Rebel T1i or also known as Canon EOS Kiss Digital X3 — talk of calling a rose by other names — and Olympus E-620 and Panasonic DMC-GH1.
Of course I like the E-620’s faster frame-per-second burst mode and its built-in Art Filter but I also like the other two cameras’ ability to capture HD video.
I wonder also for how long can Canon “resist” the temptation to introduce tilt-and-swivel LCD monitor on its DSLR cameras. If at all it is tempted.
Which one is a better camera? You judge. I do hope that this is useful to you. If it is, please consider subscribing to this blog’s RSS feed. Alternatively you can have updates delivered to your e-mail by signing up to the e-mail subscription here.
Canon 500D/T1i vs Olympus E-620 vs Panasonic DMC-GH1
| Canon EOS 500D/Rebel T1i | Olympus E-620 | Panasonic DMC-GH1 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Camera Type | DSLR | DSLR | Micro Four Thirds |
| Sensor | 22.3 x 14.9mm CMOS | 4/3" Live MOS | 4/4" Live MOS |
| 15.1 Megapixels | 12.3 Megapixels | 12.1 Megapixels | |
| Lens Mount | EF/EF-S | 4/3 Standard Mount | Micro Four Thirds |
| Crop Factor | 1.6x | 2x | n/a |
| Processor | DIGIC 4 | TruePic III | Venus Engine HD |
| Dist Reduction | Filter vibration at power-on | Supersonic wave filter | Supersonic wave filter |
| Anti-static coating | |||
| Software-based dust-removal | |||
| Image Sizes | (L) 4272 x 2848, (M) 3088 x 2056, (S) 2256 x 1504 | 4032 x 3024, 3200 x 2400, 2560 x 1920, 1600 x 1200, 1024 x 768, 640 x 480 | 4:3 (4000 x 3000, 2816 x 2112, 2048 x 1536); 3:2 (4128 x 1752, 2928 x 1952, 2064 x 1376); 16:9 (4352 x 2448, 3072 x 1728, 1920 x 1080); 1:1 (2992 x 2992, 2112 x 2112, 1504 x 1504) |
| RAW | Yes | Yes (4032 x 3024) | Yes (RAW + JPEG Standard, Fine) |
| Movie | HD (16:9) 1920 X 1080p 20fps, 1280 x720p 30fps | N/A | AVCHD: 1920 x 1080, 1280 x 720 |
| SD (4:3) 640 x 480 30 fps | Motion JPEG at 30 fps: 1280 x 720, 848 x 480, 640 x 480, 320 x 240 | ||
| Movie Duration | Maximum 29m 59sec or 4GB, which ever comes first | N/A | To be updated |
| Movie Format | Quicktime MOV | N/A | AVCHD, Quick time motion JPEG |
| Digital Zoom | N/A | N/A | Up to 4x |
| Sensitivity | Auto (100 - 1600) | Auto | Auto, Intelligent ISO |
| ISO 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200, 6400, 12800 | ISO 100, 125, 160, 200, 250, 320, 400, 500, 640, 800, 1000, 1600, 2000, 2500, 3200 | ISO 100, 200, 400, 1600, 3200 | |
| Shutter Speed | 30 - 1/4000 | 60 - 1/4000 | 60 - 1/4000 |
| Bulb | Yes | Yes | Yes (up to 8 minutes) |
| Continuous Shot | 3.4 fps | 4 fps | To be updated |
| Art Filter | N/A | Pop Art, Soft Focus, Pale & Light Colour, Light Tone, Gainy Film, Pin Hole | N/A |
| Multi Exposure | N/A | 2 frames | N/A |
| Memory | SD/SDHC | CompactFlash Type I/II, Microdrive, xD-Picture (Dual Slot) | SD/SDHC |
| Exposiure Modes Modes | Auto, Portrait, Landscape, Close-up, Sports, Night Portrait, No Flash, Movie, Program AE , Shutter priority AE, Aperture priority AE, Manual, Auto Depth-of-Field | Auto, Program AE, Aperture priority AE, Shutter priority AE, Manual, Scene program, Scene select | Program AE, Aperture priority AE, Shutter priority AE, Manual, Auto |
| Picture Styles/Scene Modes | Standard, Portrait, Landscape, Neutral, Faithful, Monochrome, User Defined (x3) | Portrait, Landscape, Macro, Sport, Night, Night Portrait, Children, High Key, Low Key, DIS mode, Nature Macro, Candle, Sunset, Fireworks, Documents, Vivid, Natural, Muted, Portrait, Monotone, Custom | Portrait, Soft Skin, Outdoor Portrait, Indoor Portrait, Creative Portrait, Scenery, Nature, Architecture, Creative Scenery, Sports, Outdoor Sports, Indoor Sports, Creative Sports, Flower, Food, Objects, Creative Close-Up, Night Portrait, Night Scenery, Illuminations, Creative Night Scenery, Sunset, Party, Baby 1, 2, Pet |
| Focus | 9 AF points (f/5.6 cross type at centre, extra sensitivity at f/2.8) | TTL phase-difference detection AF, High-speed imager AF | Auto Focus |
| F5.6 cross-type at center, extra sensitivity at F2.8 | Single AF (S-AF) / Continuous AF (C-AF) / Manual Focus (MF) / S-AF + MF / C-AF + MF * C-AF/C-AF+MF not available with Live View shooting mode | Face Detection | |
| AF working range: -0.5 to 18 EV (at 23°C, ISO 100) | 7-point full twin sensor, including 5 twin cross sensors (TTL phase-detection AF) / 11 areas | AF Tracking | |
| Predictive AF up to 10 m | |||
| White Balance | Auto, Daylight, Shade, Cloudy, Tungsten, Fluorescent, Flash, Custom | Cloudy, Shade, Flash, Daylight, Fluorescent 1, Fluorescent 2, Fluorescent 3, Lamp, 1 custom preset, Kelvin (2000 - 14000 K), Dual sensor WB measurement (external WB sensor and TTL) | Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Shade, Halogen, Flash, Custom 1, Custom 2, Kelvin temp (2500 - 10000 K, 100K steps) |
| Vari-angle Tilt and Swivel LCD Monitor | No | Yes | Yes |
| 3.0" TFT LCD monitor | 2.7" TFT LCD monitor | 3.0" TFT LCD monitor | |
| 100% frame coverage | 100% field of view | Approx 100% frame coverage | |
| 920,000 pixels | Approx. 230,000 dots | 460,000 dots |
