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Features

High ISO Test: Canon G1X Mk II Vs Olympus OMD EM5

Chris Gampat
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06/20/2014
2 Mins read

Chris Gampat The Phoblogapher Canon vs Olympus

Canon at one point in the last 10 years absolutely dominated the point and shoot camera industry. But as time and technology progressed, they started to lose grip to the folks at Sony, Fujifilm and others. So to respond to the changing market, they released the Canon G1 X. The camera was capable of taking amazing photos, but it wasn’t until the G1X Mk II had arrived that it had really matured. In fact, the camera, has a slightly larger sensor than Four Thirds.

This history and fact is the basis on which our informal high ISO test was done between the G1X Mk II and the Olympus OMD EM5. The latter has a very standard Micro Four Thirds sensor that is also quite capable.

But how far has Canon’s technology come?

Gear Used

For this review we tested the Canon G1x Mk II against the Olympus OMD EM5 with a Sigma 19mm f2.8 version 1 lens attached.

Tech Specs

Olympus OMD EM5 specs taken from B&H Photo

  • 16.1MP Live MOS Sensor
  • TruePic VI Image Processor
  • Micro Four Thirds System
  • 3.0″ 610k-Dot Tilting OLED Monitor
  • 1440k-Dot Electronic Viewfinder
  • Full HD 1080i Video at 60 fps
  • 5-Axis Sensor-Shift Image Stabilization
  • ISO 200-25,600
  • Dustproof and Splash-Proof Construction
  • FAST Auto Focus System

Canon G1X Mk II specs taken from B&H Photo

  • 12.8MP High-Sensitivity 1.5″ CMOS Sensor
  • DIGIC 6 Image Processor
  • Canon 5x Optical Zoom Lens
  • 24-120mm f/2-3.9 (35mm Equivalent)
  • 3.0″ 1,040k-Dot Tilting Touchscreen LCD
  • Full HD 1080p Video Recording at 30 fps
  • Built-In Wi-Fi Connectivity with NFC
  • High Speed AF and 5.2 fps Shooting
  • HS SYSTEM and Optical Image Stabilizer
  • Dual Control Rings and 14-Bit RAW

Testing

To conduct this test, we shot similar scenes with the Canon G1X Mk II and the Olympus OMD EM5 at the same exposures. We then brought the images into Adobe Lightroom 5 and immediately converted them to JPEGs.

No other post-production was done. Here is what we came back with.

Canon G1X Mk II

Chris Gampat The Phoblographer Canon vs Olympus Canon G1x Mk II images (4 of 4)ISO 64001-30 sec at f - 4.0

Chris Gampat The Phoblographer Canon vs Olympus Canon G1x Mk II images (3 of 4)ISO 64001-25 sec at f - 2.8

Chris Gampat The Phoblographer Canon vs Olympus Canon G1x Mk II images (2 of 4)ISO 64001-25 sec at f - 2.8

Chris Gampat The Phoblographer Canon vs Olympus Canon G1x Mk II images (1 of 4)ISO 64001-25 sec at f - 2.8

Olympus OMD EM5

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Conclusions

So what were we able to draw from this test?

– The Sony sensor in the Olympus OMD EM5 has better noise control despite being a smaller sensor. Granted, Canon’s is only slightly larger

– We tended to gravitate more towards Canon’s colors. In fact, the sensor’s color blows Olympus’s out of the water.

– Canon’s G1x Mk II retained better details at the high ISOs of 6400.

So what does this mean in real life? Honestly, nothing if you consider just how good modern image editing software like Adobe Lightroom 5 is. But instead, it is a measure of how far the technology has come–Canon’s sensor is new while Olympus’s is around two years old now.

For more, you can check out our G1X Mk II review.

canon Canon G1x Mk II high iso comparison olympus olympus omd em5 sigma 19mm f2.8
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Chris Gampat is the Editor in Chief, Founder, and Publisher of the Phoblographer. He provides oversight to all of the daily tasks, including editorial, administrative, and advertising work. Chris's editorial work includes not only editing and scheduling articles but also writing them himself. He's the author of various product guides, educational pieces, product reviews, and interviews with photographers. He's fascinated by how photographers create, considering the fact that he's legally blind./ HIGHLIGHTS: Chris used to work in Men's lifestyle and tech. He's a veteran technology writer, editor, and reviewer with more than 15 years experience. He's also a Photographer that has had his share of bylines and viral projects like "Secret Order of the Slice." PAST BYLINES: Gear Patrol, PC Mag, Geek.com, Digital Photo Pro, Resource Magazine, Yahoo! News, Yahoo! Finance, IGN, PDN, and others. EXPERIENCE: Chris Gampat began working in tech and art journalism both in 2008. He started at PCMag, Magnum Photos, and Geek.com. He founded the Phoblographer in 2009 after working at places like PDN and Photography Bay. He left his day job as the Social Media Content Developer at B&H Photo in the early 2010s. Since then, he's evolved as a publisher using AI ethically, coming up with ethical ways to bring in affiliate income, and preaching the word of diversity in the photo industry. His background and work has spread to non-profits like American Photographic Arts where he's done work to get photographers various benefits. His skills are in SEO, app development, content planning, ethics management, photography, Wordpress, and other things. EDUCATION: Chris graduated Magna Cum Laude from Adelphi University with a degree in Communications in Journalism in 2009. Since then, he's learned and adapted to various things in the fields of social media, SEO, app development, e-commerce development, HTML, etc. FAVORITE SUBJECT TO PHOTOGRAPH: Chris enjoys creating conceptual work that makes people stare at his photos. But he doesn't get to do much of this because of the high demand of photography content. / BEST PHOTOGRAPHY TIP: Don't do it in post-production when you can do it in-camera.
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