After using the GX1 for the past several months (which is the same sensor as the G3), and the OM-D, I can't imagine that they're the same sensor. They have very similar characteristics in some sense, but in others, they are very different. The files out of the E-M5 are so much richer than the GX1. I'm not saying the GX1 is a bad camera, or that it's incapable of quality output...it most certainly makes some very good images. But the E-M5 has a depth to the images that the other m4/3 have been lacking. The DR is so improved, not just in recoverable highlights. The files feel to me much like I felt when I first got my Canon 1Ds Mark II. There's just a depth to the images I haven't seen on a smaller sensor. It really does seem to compare very well against current APS-C sensors, and that's saying something with the recent APS-C releases.

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Jordan Steele - http://www.jordansteele.com
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Cool stuff. That seems like a simple and unambiguous test, which is also easy to relate to for anyone who's ever grabbed a Lightroom slider.

As a G3 shooter, I'm also jealous!... but I'll live. Mostly, I'm heartened that Oly significantly pushed the state of the art in 4/3 sensors... I love it! Your move, Panasonic!

I gotta agree with you on this. Feels like my 40D raws, there is so much more headroom than with my GF1.

I think it is still most definitely possible that they are the same sensor. It reminds me of the Nikon d7000 vs my Pentax K-5 - most definitely the same sensor, and yet Pentax does a noticeably better job of bringing the most from it (dynamic range, high iso, noise rendering). Considering Oly's performance with jpeg files and Panasonic's lack thereof, it wouldn't be surprising to me to see Olympus get that much better performance from the same hardware.

Also, an excellent comparison, Dynamic range is such an important sensor aspect, and to see the e-m5 perform this well is great.

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Nice test! Thanks for sharing.

Thanks Jordan for the comparison

can you upload the RAW files to share with us?

Thanks for writing up your test, Jordan!

Your findings mirror what I've seen in my very limited shooting with my EM5 thus far. Not only does the EM5 have a good amount more DR than other M43 cameras I've used, but it also does a much better job on highlight recovery with LR. The thing that always bothered me about all the 4/3 and M43 cameras I've used in the past is that you had to be REALLY careful not to blow the highlights, because you got all kinds of weird color shifts, if not outright clipping in one channel before the others with even half a stop highlight recovery. This is in contrast to my Canon DSLRs where I could often pull back a full stop with no ill effects, and even more if I worked at it a bit.

A great part of your image to highlight what I'm on about is the short building that's obscured by the trees. In the GH2 shot you can see that some of the windows have a color shift. This is very unnatural-looking. The EM5 renders a much more natural, flat look in the windows. You can see this in the other buildings, too. The tones are more natural and filmic.

I've had this problem with all my 4/3 and M43 cameras until the EM5. I've worked around it by underexposing slightly, but this tends to increase shadow noise when you're shooting mid ISOs. In my brief time with the EM5 thus far I've been really happy to see that I can shoot the EM5 without worry of color shifts in the near-clipped highlights, much like with my 5D2 and 7D.

I think everyone who has shot with 4/3 and M43 in recent years realizes that their sensors don't quite measure up to a benchmark like the 5D1 or 1Ds2, but someday would. As a long-time 5D1 shooter I think the EM5 finally matches it. Base ISO noise is still higher than the 5D1 (Canon is the king of smooth low ISO, and the 5D1 is the poster child for this), but DR, high ISO noise, and color fidelity are a match IMHO. For me, that's as good as I need. Any future development is gravy. The next M43 camera I buy won't be for sensor developments, but for usability developments (faster C-AF, shorter viewfinder blackout, better buffering algorithms).

I wish I hadn't read that, now I'm taking much ore of an interest in the e-m5

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Really, is not the discussion about degrees, fine degrees of difference?

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It may not be a huge difference, but it's a difference in a very important area, and an area where 43/M43 has historically lagged the competition.

Every little bit of water is precious to a man lost in the desert, ya know? :)