Size and weight is a big decision factor when you are trying to find the ideal camera for your needs.
In this section, We are going to illustrate Nikon 1 J4 and Olympus E-PM1 side-by-side from the front, back and top in their relative dimensions. Nikon 1 J4 has external dimensions of 100 x 60 x 29 mm (3.92 x 2.36 x 1.12″) and weighs 232 g (0.51 lb / 8.18 oz) (including batteries). Olympus E-PM1 has external dimensions of 110 x 64 x 34 mm (4.33 x 2.52 x 1.34″) and weighs 265 g (0.58 lb / 9.35 oz) (including batteries).
Below you can see the front view size comparison of Nikon 1 J4 and Olympus E-PM1. Nikon 1 J4 is clearly the smaller of the two cameras. Its body is 10mm narrower, 4mm shorter and 5mm thinner than Olympus E-PM1.
Comparison image of Nikon 1 J4 and Olympus E-PM1 Size, Weight and External Dimensions - Front View
Here is the back view size comparison of Nikon 1 J4 and Olympus E-PM1.
Comparison image of Nikon 1 J4 and Olympus E-PM1 Size and Weight - Back View
Now lets look at the top view comparison of Nikon 1 J4 and Olympus E-PM1.
Top View Comparison image of Nikon 1 J4 and Olympus E-PM1 Size
Weight is another important factor especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day.
Nikon 1 J4 is 33g lighter than the Olympus E-PM1 but we don't think this will make a significant difference.
Also keep in mind that body weight is not the only deciding factor when comparing two interchangeable camera bodies, you have to also take into account the lenses that you will be using with these bodies.
Weight Comparison
Mirrorless Cameras
Thickness Comparison
Mirrorless Cameras
Weather Sealing
Unfortunately neither Nikon 1 J4 nor Olympus PEN E-PM1 provides any type of weather sealing in their body, so you have to give extra care especially when you are shooting outdoors. If weather sealing is a must-have feature for you, check these sections: Top Mirrorless Cameras with Weather Sealing
LCD Screen Size and Features
Nikon 1 J4 and Olympus E-PM1's LCD screens has the same diagonal size of 3".
Unfortunately, both cameras has fixed screens so they don't tilt or flip in directions.
Nikon 1 J4 has a 18.0MP 1" (13.2 x 8.8 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Expeed 4 processor. On the other hand, Olympus E-PM1 has a 12.0MP Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features TruePic VI processor.
Nikon 1 J4's sensor provides 6MP more than Olympus E-PM1's sensor, which gives a significant advantage in real life. You can print your images larger or crop more freely.
On the other hand, please keep in mind that Max sensor resolution is not the only determinant of resolving power. Factors such as the optical elements, low pass filter, pixel size and sensor technology also affects the final resolution of the captured image.
Below you can see the 1 J4 and E-PM1 sensor size comparison.
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Nikon 1 J4 and Olympus E-PM1 Cameras
As seen above, Olympus E-PM1 has a 1.9x Larger sensor area than Nikon 1 J4. Larger sensors give photographer more control on the depth of field and blurry background compared to smaller sensor when shot in same focal length and aperture.
Number of available lenses is a big decision factor while choosing your interchangeable lens camera. When we look at the available lenses for these two cameras, we see that Olympus E-PM1 has an advantage over Nikon 1 J4 There are 107 lenses for Olympus E-PM1's Micro Four Thirds mount, on the other hand there are only 13 lenses for Nikon 1 J4's Nikon 1 lens mount.
Another important factor is the availability of image stabilization. Olympus E-PM1 has a big advantage in this regard because it has a sensor based image stabilization which means that all the lenses mounted to this body will be stabilized. On the other hand, Nikon 1 J4 doesn't have this feature so you have to buy a lens with optical stabilization feature. Currently there are 7 lenses for Nikon 1 mount with Optical Image Stabilization features.
Lens Type |
# of Nikon 1 J4 Lenses |
# of Olympus E-PM1 Lenses |
Standard Zoom |
4 |
15 |
Standard Prime |
2 |
13 |
Wideangle Zoom |
1 |
5 |
Wideangle Prime |
2 |
29 |
Telephoto Zoom |
2 |
18 |
Telephoto Prime |
n/a |
9 |
SuperZoom |
2 |
8 |
Wideangle Fisheye Prime |
n/a |
5 |
Macro Prime |
n/a |
4 |
Perspective Control Prime |
n/a |
n/a |
Telephoto Mirror Prime |
n/a |
1 |
TOTAL |
13 |
107 |
In this section, we rank and compare Nikon 1 J4 and Olympus E-PM1 for five different photography types in order to make your decision process easier in case you are specifically interested in one or more of these areas.
Nikon 1 J4 for Portrait Photography
Olympus E-PM1 for Portrait Photography
Average sized 1″ (13.2 x 8.8 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 18.0MP
Average Ergonomics&Handling
No Image Stabilization
No Built-in Viewfinder
Read the details
Large Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) sensor
Image Stabilization
Average Resolution Sensor: 12.0MP
Optional External Viewfinder
Average Ergonomics&Handling
Read the details
Nikon 1 J4 for Street Photography
Olympus E-PM1 for Street Photography
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Average sized 1″ (13.2 x 8.8 mm) sensor
Medium sized Body
No Image Stabilization
No Built-in Viewfinder
Read the details
Large Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) sensor
Image Stabilization
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Optional External Viewfinder
Medium sized Body
Read the details
Nikon 1 J4 for Sports Photography
Olympus E-PM1 for Sports Photography
Fast Continuous Shooting: 60.0fps
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/4000s
105 Cross Type Focus sensors
171 Focus Points
Wireless Connection
Average Ergonomics&Handling
No Image Stabilization
No Built-in Viewfinder
Environmental Sealings
Read the details
Image Stabilization
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/4000s
35 Focus Points
Optional External Viewfinder
Average Ergonomics&Handling
Average Continuous Shooting: 6.0fps
Environmental Sealings
Read the details
Nikon 1 J4 for Daily Photography
Olympus E-PM1 for Daily Photography
Nikon 1 J4 for Landscape Photography
Olympus E-PM1 for Landscape Photography
Very High Resolution Sensor: 18.0MP
Live-view
Average sized 1″ (13.2 x 8.8 mm) sensor
No Environmental Sealings
Read the details
Large Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) sensor
Live-view
Average Resolution Sensor: 12.0MP
No Environmental Sealings
Read the details
You may have already made your decision about which camera suits better for your needs and your budget so far but in case you wonder how we rated Nikon 1 J4 and Olympus E-PM1, below you can find their scores in five different aspects.
Our Decision Algorithm dynamically scores cameras using 63 different specs, current price and DxO Mark scores (where possible) in order to make a more objective and consistent comparison.
Here is a summary of how Nikon 1 J4 and Olympus E-PM1 scores compare:
Nikon 1 J4
Ranked
#70 out of 127 in Rangefinder-style mirrorless cameras
Ranked
#327 out of 1223 in all Cameras
Olympus E-PM1
Ranked
#82 out of 127 in Rangefinder-style mirrorless cameras
Ranked
#368 out of 1223 in all Cameras
Nikon 1 J4 is the clear winner of this comparison. It has a higher Overall Score and beats Olympus E-PM1 in all criteria. It has better general image quality, more features, more compact body and offers more value for the money
General |
Nikon 1 J4 |
Olympus PEN E-PM1 |
Brand |
Nikon |
Olympus |
Announced |
2014-04-10 |
2011-11-23 |
Body Type |
Rangefinder-style mirrorless |
Rangefinder-style mirrorless |
Sensor |
|
|
Type |
CMOS |
CMOS |
Size |
1" |
Four Thirds |
Dimensions |
13.2 x 8.8 mm |
17.3 x 13 mm |
Area |
116.16mm2 |
224.90mm2 |
Megapixels |
18 megapixels |
12 megapixels |
Max Resolution |
5232 x 3488 |
4032 x 3024 |
Max Native Light sensitivity |
12,800 ISO |
12,800 ISO |
Min Native Light sensitivity |
160 ISO |
100 ISO |
RAW Support |
|
|
Autofocus |
|
|
AF Touch |
|
|
AF Continuous |
|
|
AF Single |
|
|
AF Tracking |
|
|
AF Selective |
|
|
AF Center |
|
|
AF Multi Area |
|
|
AF Live View |
|
|
AF Face Detection |
|
|
AF Contrast Detection |
|
|
AF Phase Detection |
|
|
Number of Focus Points |
171 |
35 |
Lens |
|
|
Manual Focus |
|
|
Lens Mount |
Nikon 1 |
Micro Four Thirds |
Number of Available Lenses |
13 |
107 |
Screen |
|
|
Type |
Fixed type |
Fixed type |
Size |
3" |
3" |
Resolution |
1,037k dots |
460k dots |
Touch Screen |
|
|
Viewfinder |
|
|
Viewfinder |
None |
Electronic (optional) |
Photography Features |
|
|
Max Mechanical Shutter |
1/4000s |
1/4000s |
Max Electronic Shutter |
1/16000s |
n/a |
Shutter Priority |
|
|
Aperture Priority |
|
|
Manual Exposure Mode |
|
|
Custom White Balance |
|
|
Image Stabilization |
No |
Sensor-shift |
Built-in Flash |
|
|
Flash Range |
5.00 m (ISO 100) |
no built-in flash |
Max Flash Sync |
n/a |
1/160s |
External Flash |
|
|
Continuous Shooting |
60.0 fps |
6.0 fps |
Multi-Segment |
|
|
Average |
|
|
Spot |
|
|
Partial |
|
|
AF-Area |
|
|
Center Weighted |
|
|
AE Bracketing |
|
|
WB Bracketing |
|
|
Video Features |
|
|
Max Video Resolution |
1920 x 1080 |
1920 x 1080 |
Video Formats |
MPEG-4, H.264 |
AVCHD, Motion JPEG |
Microphone Port |
|
|
Headphone Port |
|
|
Connectivity |
|
|
Wireless Connectivity |
Built-In |
None |
HDMI |
|
|
Physical |
|
|
Environmental Sealing |
|
|
Weight |
232g |
265g |
Dimensions |
100 x 60 x 29mm |
110 x 64 x 34mm |
Battery Life |
300 shots |
330 shots |
Other Features |
|
|
Timelapse Recording |
|
|
GPS |
None |
None |
DxO Sensor Scores |
|
|
DxO Overall Score |
not tested |
52 |
DxO Color Depth |
not tested |
21.0 |
DxO Dynamic Range |
not tested |
10.3 |
DxO Low Light ISO |
not tested |
499 |
|
Report a correction |
Report a correction |