I received loaner copies of the GX7 and the EP5 this morning and spent a few hours playing with both, setting them up to my liking, and doing a few quick test shots (raw only) just to check out low light noise levels, auto white balance, etc.
The first thing I have to say is that both of these cameras are simply awesome cameras. If you don't want the mini-DSLR form factor of the GH3 or the EM1 (or, to a lesser extent, the EM5), these cameras are incredibly capable alternatives. In terms of image quality, both of them match the quality of my EM5 at high ISO. 3200 is good, 6400 is useable for some types of shooting, 12,800 is pretty rough but for grainy B&W, it'll work too. 25,600 is well beyond the pale for both of them. I'd say these sensors are equal to or, at worst, within a half a stop or so of the APS sensors on the market these days. I have a Fuji XE1 and a Nikon Coolpix "A", and if they're any better at high ISO, it's not by enough to obsess over.
I've never been particularly comfortable with Panasonic's color cast and WB and the GX7 is a Panasonic through and through, so I'd mark it down for that, but that's just personal preference - it shouldn't apply to those of you who like Pany colors or are comfortable working with them in raw. I'll leave it to the technical testers to work out the fine points of these sensors and determine if one may have a tiny edge over the other, but from my lay perspective, they're both equally good and that's very very good indeed.
In terms of features and controls, the biggest and most obvious difference is that the GX7 has a built in EVF and the Olympus doesn't. By this measure alone, you'd have to rate the GX7 as the better value of the two cameras - it's selling for about the same price with the kit lens as the EP5 does body only, and by the time you add the EVF, the Olympus is notably more expensive (not to mention larger). That's a clear plus for the GX7. The related upside for the Olympus is that if you add the VF-4 external viewfinder, its simply an amazing EVF. A HUGE view, clear and bright as you'd ever want. As close to an OVF type viewing experience as I'd ever hope to have with an EVF. The EVF on the GX7 is perfectly good - it's easily a match for the one in the OMD-EM5, but the new Olympus viewfinder used in the VF-4 and, from what I understand, the EM1, is a considerable step up in the quality of an EVF experience.
The EVF leads me into the IBIS. The GX7 is the first Panasonic with with in body stabilization, having relied on lens based stabilization with all of their previous bodies. I haven't tested the finer points of which does better in terms of how many stops they offer for slow shutter speeds. I suspect the Oly is somewhat better with it's 5-axis system, but I'm not going to be able to clearly verify that one way or the other. I've done some hand-held exposures down to about 8/10 of a second with the EM5, which I consider pretty amazing, and the EP5 should be as good, using the same system. I don't know if the Panasonic will quite match that, but it doesn't really have to in order to be perfectly effective. I've really only used those extreme shutter speeds to do trick type stuff like getting ghosting of people walking - it doesn't really serve that much practical purpose beyond a good solid normal IBIS system.
The one area where I could see a difference between the two stabilization systems was in stabilizing long lenses during the composition processes, and the Olympus system has a clear edge here. This is one of the most useful aspects of the Olympus system to me - shooting with the 75-300 or even the 75mm, a less than steady hand can make it tough to focus on a distant subject, The Olympus system stabilizes the EVF (in both the EM5 and EP5) and makes it incredibly easy to lock focus. The GX7 doesn't, and the long end of the 75-300 was a pretty shaky experience to work with. Obviously less of an issue with Pany lenses with their OIS systems, but for un-stabilized lenses, I have to give the edge to the Olympus here. Although I also have to add that the EP5 stabilization system makes quite a racket! This was a bone of contention with many when the EM5 came out, but I could barely hear the EM5 working, and only heard it at all in a very quiet environment with the camera up to my eye, near my ear. The EP5 I can clearly hear even when shooting at waist level with the LCD. So there are tradeoffs to everything.
Both cameras have excellent flip up rear screens (the GX7 EVF also flips up, but I can't honestly see when I'd use that when I've got a flip up screen right there). This is a first for Panasonic m43 bodies, which have either used fully articulating or immovable screens previously. I'm a fan of the flip up screen, so this is a welcome change to me, but I'm sure many who prefer the fully articulated screens are sorry to see this development. I'd rate the two screens as about even, including in their touch-screen capability. Olympus has had excellent touch screens going back to the EP3 a couple of years ago, but previous Panasonic touch screens that I've used (GH2, G3) required pressing into the screen rather than reacting to a mere touch and I was not impressed with them. The GX7 screen is excellent, though.
In both cases it's easy to use a touch to set the focus area and instantly take the shot. In both cases, with manual focus set, the entire screen becomes a very discrete shutter button. I've found this really handy for street photography with the OMD and EPL5 in the past and both of these cameras are up to the task. The GX7 adds the silent electronic shutter to the mix, a first for m43, and makes the whole street shooting setup even more discrete. This is a great advance and I look forward to the day when more ILC's incorporate this feature. It only works up to ISO 3200, but that includes a LOT of shooting.
The menus and controls are typical Olympus and Panasonic. I'm very familiar with both and find both equally easy to get around on, but I'd imagine the Panasonic would be somewhat easier to get up to speed with if you were starting with the system cold. In the past, I've considered the Olympus platform far more customizable than the Pany system, but with four function buttons on the back of the camera and up to five more easily available on the touch screen, I'd have to say Panasonic has at least caught up with Olympus here. I can't imagine anything you'd want quick access to that you couldn't work out on this camera.
In terms of handling, AF speed, etc, there's very little difference between these cameras. Both have excellent two dial control layouts, well located (to me) on/off switches. Both have lightning fast AF. There may be a slight difference (I've seen some references to the Pany being slightly faster), but these are into the AF speed stratosphere where the differences simply don't register - they're both excellent. Subjectively, I like the looks of the EP5 slightly more, but only without the EVF. And part of that is the not-terribly-attractive Panasonic grip, but the grip is so comfortable and useful that I'd say there's a lot of functional beauty in that ugly grip. The grip alone probably gives the GX7 a handling edge.
I'm not near as much of an m43 shooter as I used to be and probably won't buy either of these cameras, or the EM1. I'm mostly using my EM5 for longer lens work these days and the EM5 is more than adequate for my current needs. But if I was still primarily an m43 shooter, either of these cameras would be really tempting. For long lenses, I'd probably prefer the EP5 mostly because of the excellent way the EVF is stabilized during the framing process - the EM1 will likely be even a bit better in this regard. The incredibly large clear Olympus EVF would also be an advantage, also to be carried through to the EM1. But for most of my shooting, which is NOT long lens, I think I'd be hard pressed not to go for the Panasonic rather than the Olympus, assuming I could come up with a workflow that resulted in colors I was pleased with. The price is lower particularly considering the built in EVF, the silent shutter is a really nice feature that might matter more to me than some others, but would probably be of some benefit to a lot of shooters. And the Pany still has, as it always has had, much easier access to custom settings, right on the mode dial, something I like to have available.
Overall, these are two incredible cameras and there's not a bad choice to be had. There are tradeoffs, but unlike in the past when Olympus and Panasonic bodies seemed to have very different strengths and weaknesses, these two cameras are very very similarly good in almost every respect.
-Ray Sachs
The first thing I have to say is that both of these cameras are simply awesome cameras. If you don't want the mini-DSLR form factor of the GH3 or the EM1 (or, to a lesser extent, the EM5), these cameras are incredibly capable alternatives. In terms of image quality, both of them match the quality of my EM5 at high ISO. 3200 is good, 6400 is useable for some types of shooting, 12,800 is pretty rough but for grainy B&W, it'll work too. 25,600 is well beyond the pale for both of them. I'd say these sensors are equal to or, at worst, within a half a stop or so of the APS sensors on the market these days. I have a Fuji XE1 and a Nikon Coolpix "A", and if they're any better at high ISO, it's not by enough to obsess over.
I've never been particularly comfortable with Panasonic's color cast and WB and the GX7 is a Panasonic through and through, so I'd mark it down for that, but that's just personal preference - it shouldn't apply to those of you who like Pany colors or are comfortable working with them in raw. I'll leave it to the technical testers to work out the fine points of these sensors and determine if one may have a tiny edge over the other, but from my lay perspective, they're both equally good and that's very very good indeed.
In terms of features and controls, the biggest and most obvious difference is that the GX7 has a built in EVF and the Olympus doesn't. By this measure alone, you'd have to rate the GX7 as the better value of the two cameras - it's selling for about the same price with the kit lens as the EP5 does body only, and by the time you add the EVF, the Olympus is notably more expensive (not to mention larger). That's a clear plus for the GX7. The related upside for the Olympus is that if you add the VF-4 external viewfinder, its simply an amazing EVF. A HUGE view, clear and bright as you'd ever want. As close to an OVF type viewing experience as I'd ever hope to have with an EVF. The EVF on the GX7 is perfectly good - it's easily a match for the one in the OMD-EM5, but the new Olympus viewfinder used in the VF-4 and, from what I understand, the EM1, is a considerable step up in the quality of an EVF experience.
The EVF leads me into the IBIS. The GX7 is the first Panasonic with with in body stabilization, having relied on lens based stabilization with all of their previous bodies. I haven't tested the finer points of which does better in terms of how many stops they offer for slow shutter speeds. I suspect the Oly is somewhat better with it's 5-axis system, but I'm not going to be able to clearly verify that one way or the other. I've done some hand-held exposures down to about 8/10 of a second with the EM5, which I consider pretty amazing, and the EP5 should be as good, using the same system. I don't know if the Panasonic will quite match that, but it doesn't really have to in order to be perfectly effective. I've really only used those extreme shutter speeds to do trick type stuff like getting ghosting of people walking - it doesn't really serve that much practical purpose beyond a good solid normal IBIS system.
The one area where I could see a difference between the two stabilization systems was in stabilizing long lenses during the composition processes, and the Olympus system has a clear edge here. This is one of the most useful aspects of the Olympus system to me - shooting with the 75-300 or even the 75mm, a less than steady hand can make it tough to focus on a distant subject, The Olympus system stabilizes the EVF (in both the EM5 and EP5) and makes it incredibly easy to lock focus. The GX7 doesn't, and the long end of the 75-300 was a pretty shaky experience to work with. Obviously less of an issue with Pany lenses with their OIS systems, but for un-stabilized lenses, I have to give the edge to the Olympus here. Although I also have to add that the EP5 stabilization system makes quite a racket! This was a bone of contention with many when the EM5 came out, but I could barely hear the EM5 working, and only heard it at all in a very quiet environment with the camera up to my eye, near my ear. The EP5 I can clearly hear even when shooting at waist level with the LCD. So there are tradeoffs to everything.
Both cameras have excellent flip up rear screens (the GX7 EVF also flips up, but I can't honestly see when I'd use that when I've got a flip up screen right there). This is a first for Panasonic m43 bodies, which have either used fully articulating or immovable screens previously. I'm a fan of the flip up screen, so this is a welcome change to me, but I'm sure many who prefer the fully articulated screens are sorry to see this development. I'd rate the two screens as about even, including in their touch-screen capability. Olympus has had excellent touch screens going back to the EP3 a couple of years ago, but previous Panasonic touch screens that I've used (GH2, G3) required pressing into the screen rather than reacting to a mere touch and I was not impressed with them. The GX7 screen is excellent, though.
In both cases it's easy to use a touch to set the focus area and instantly take the shot. In both cases, with manual focus set, the entire screen becomes a very discrete shutter button. I've found this really handy for street photography with the OMD and EPL5 in the past and both of these cameras are up to the task. The GX7 adds the silent electronic shutter to the mix, a first for m43, and makes the whole street shooting setup even more discrete. This is a great advance and I look forward to the day when more ILC's incorporate this feature. It only works up to ISO 3200, but that includes a LOT of shooting.
The menus and controls are typical Olympus and Panasonic. I'm very familiar with both and find both equally easy to get around on, but I'd imagine the Panasonic would be somewhat easier to get up to speed with if you were starting with the system cold. In the past, I've considered the Olympus platform far more customizable than the Pany system, but with four function buttons on the back of the camera and up to five more easily available on the touch screen, I'd have to say Panasonic has at least caught up with Olympus here. I can't imagine anything you'd want quick access to that you couldn't work out on this camera.
In terms of handling, AF speed, etc, there's very little difference between these cameras. Both have excellent two dial control layouts, well located (to me) on/off switches. Both have lightning fast AF. There may be a slight difference (I've seen some references to the Pany being slightly faster), but these are into the AF speed stratosphere where the differences simply don't register - they're both excellent. Subjectively, I like the looks of the EP5 slightly more, but only without the EVF. And part of that is the not-terribly-attractive Panasonic grip, but the grip is so comfortable and useful that I'd say there's a lot of functional beauty in that ugly grip. The grip alone probably gives the GX7 a handling edge.
I'm not near as much of an m43 shooter as I used to be and probably won't buy either of these cameras, or the EM1. I'm mostly using my EM5 for longer lens work these days and the EM5 is more than adequate for my current needs. But if I was still primarily an m43 shooter, either of these cameras would be really tempting. For long lenses, I'd probably prefer the EP5 mostly because of the excellent way the EVF is stabilized during the framing process - the EM1 will likely be even a bit better in this regard. The incredibly large clear Olympus EVF would also be an advantage, also to be carried through to the EM1. But for most of my shooting, which is NOT long lens, I think I'd be hard pressed not to go for the Panasonic rather than the Olympus, assuming I could come up with a workflow that resulted in colors I was pleased with. The price is lower particularly considering the built in EVF, the silent shutter is a really nice feature that might matter more to me than some others, but would probably be of some benefit to a lot of shooters. And the Pany still has, as it always has had, much easier access to custom settings, right on the mode dial, something I like to have available.
Overall, these are two incredible cameras and there's not a bad choice to be had. There are tradeoffs, but unlike in the past when Olympus and Panasonic bodies seemed to have very different strengths and weaknesses, these two cameras are very very similarly good in almost every respect.
-Ray Sachs
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I have no bias towards any camera or brand. Just stating the facts. Well, except for my opinion that the EP5 is better looking than the GX7 -- which it is! 
