Nikon 1 J4 vs Olympus PEN-F Comparison

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Nikon 1 J4

18 MP | 1″ (13.2 x 8.8 mm) CMOS Sensor

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Olympus PEN-F

20 MP | Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) CMOS Sensor

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Nikon 1 J4 vs Olympus PEN-F Comparison Overview

Here we are comparing two Mirrorless cameras from Nikon and Olympus. Nikon 1 J4 was introduced to market in April 2014 and Olympus PEN-F was launched in January 2016. There is 22 months difference between 1 J4 and PEN-F so we don't expect to see a huge technology difference between these two cameras but it would still give an advantage to younger PEN-F, especially in sensor tech.

Nikon 1 J4 has a 18.0MP 1" sensor whereas Olympus PEN-F has a 20.0MP Four Thirds sensor.

Here is a brief look at the main features of Nikon 1 J4 and Olympus PEN-F before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Nikon 1 J4 Key Specs

Announcement Date: 2014-04-10

18MP - 1" CMOS Sensor

ISO 160 - 12800

Nikon 1 Mount

3" Fixed Type Screen

60 fps continuous shooting

Full HD - 1920 x 1080 video resolution

1,200 fps High-Speed Video

Built-in Wireless

232g. 100 x 60 x 29 mm

Replaced Nikon 1 J3 Compare

Olympus PEN-F Key Specs

Announcement Date: 2016-01-27

20MP - Four Thirds CMOS Sensor

ISO 200 - 25600 ( expands to 80)

Micro Four Thirds Mount

Sensor-shift Image Stabilization

3 Fully Articulated Screen

2360k dot Electronic viewfinder

10.0 fps continuous shooting

Full HD - 1920 x 1080 video resolution

Built-in Wireless

427g. 125 x 72 x 37 mm

Let's read on the following sections in order to better understand in detail how Nikon 1 J4 and Olympus PEN-F compares and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one is better for you.

Reasons to choose Nikon 1 J4 over Olympus PEN-F

Built-in Flash	Yes vs No	Useful in low-light
Number of Focus Points	171 vs 81	90 more focus points
Continuous Shooting	60.0fps vs 10.0fps	50 fps faster
Weight	232 g vs 427 g	195 g lighter

Reasons to choose Olympus PEN-F over Nikon 1 J4

Live Composite Mode	Yes vs No	Excellent help for long-exposure photography
Image Stabilization	Sensor-shift vs None	Sharper images at longer focal lengths and long exposures
LCD Screen	Fully Articulated vs Fixed Type	Flexible shooting positions
External Flash Shoe	Yes vs No	Better for flash photography
Viewfinder	Electronic vs None	Better framing and control
Max Sensor Resolution	20 MP vs 18 MP	11% more pixels
Max ISO	25.600 vs 12.800	100% higher Max ISO
Max Mech. Shutter	1/8000s vs 1/4000s	faster mechanical shutter
Battery Life	330 shots vs 300 shots	30 more frames with a single charge
Timelapse Recording	Yes vs No	creative shooting
AE Bracketing	Yes vs No	Useful for tough lighting conditions and HDR
Selfie & Vlogger Friendly LCD	Yes vs No	Rotate LCD for taking Selfies
Pixel Shift High-Res Mode	Yes (50.0MP) vs No	Increased resolution with pixel shift
Focus Bracketing	Yes vs No	Take multiple photos shifting focus point
Focus Stacking	Yes vs No	Stacks photos in-camera to maximize depth of field
Smartphone Remote	Yes vs No	Remote control your camera with a smartphone

Common Strengths of Nikon 1 J4 and Olympus PEN-F

Wireless Connection	Yes vs Yes	Better connectivity
Touch Screen	Yes vs Yes	Easy control of camera functions
RAW Support	Yes vs Yes	Better image quality
Face Detection Focus	Yes vs Yes	very handy for portraits
Max Resolution	18 MP vs 20 MP	Bigger prints and more details
LCD Screen Resolution	1.037k dots vs 1.037k dots	High resolution screens
Continuous Shooting	60.0fps vs 10.0fps	Fast shooting speeds

Common Weaknesses of Nikon 1 J4 and Olympus PEN-F

Environmental Sealing	No vs No	not suitable for tough conditions

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Nikon 1 J4 vs Olympus PEN-F: Physical Specs and Body features Comparison

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 PEN-F 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 PEN-F has external dimensions of 125 x 72 x 37 mm (4.92 x 2.83 x 1.46″) and weighs 427 g (0.94 lb / 15.06 oz) (including batteries).

Below you can see the front view size comparison of Nikon 1 J4 and Olympus PEN-F. Nikon 1 J4 is clearly the smaller of the two cameras. Its body is 25mm narrower, 12mm shorter and 8mm thinner than Olympus PEN-F.

Comparison image of Nikon 1 J4 and Olympus PEN-F Size, Weight and External Dimensions - Front View

Here is the back view size comparison of Nikon 1 J4 and Olympus PEN-F.

Comparison image of Nikon 1 J4 and Olympus PEN-F Size and Weight - Back View

Now lets look at the top view comparison of Nikon 1 J4 and Olympus PEN-F.

Top View Comparison image of Nikon 1 J4 and Olympus PEN-F 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 significantly lighter (195g ) than the Olympus PEN-F which may become a big advantage especially on long walking trips.

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

1 J4

PEN-F

Min

Average

Max

Thickness Comparison

Mirrorless Cameras

1 J4

PEN-F

Min

Average

Max

Weather Sealing

Unfortunately neither Nikon 1 J4 nor Olympus PEN-F 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 PEN-F's LCD screens has the same diagonal size of 3".

On the other hand, Olympus PEN-F sports a Fully Articulated screen which you can change the angle and position of the screen almost freely, making it possible to shoot from waist or over the head levels, and especially very useful for shooting selfies and video. Nikon 1 J4's LCD screen is a fixed type which provides almost no flexibility in shooting positions compared to PEN-F.

Nikon 1 J4 vs Olympus PEN-F: Sensor Comparison

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 PEN-F has a 20.0MP Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features TruePic VII processor.

Below you can see the 1 J4 and PEN-F sensor size comparison.

Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Nikon 1 J4 and Olympus PEN-F Cameras

As seen above, Olympus PEN-F 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.

Nikon 1 J4 vs Olympus PEN-F Comparison of Available Lenses

Which camera has more lenses?

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 PEN-F has an advantage over Nikon 1 J4 There are 107 lenses for Olympus PEN-F'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 PEN-F 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 PEN-F 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

What types of Photography are Nikon 1 J4 and Olympus PEN-F Good for?

In this section, we rank and compare Nikon 1 J4 and Olympus PEN-F 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

POOR

Olympus PEN-F for Portrait Photography

GOOD

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
Very High Resolution Sensor: 20.0MP
Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Average Ergonomics&Handling
Read the details

Nikon 1 J4 for Street Photography

AVERAGE

Olympus PEN-F for Street Photography

EXCELLENT

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
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Fully Articulated LCD Screen
Medium sized Body
Read the details

Nikon 1 J4 for Sports Photography

GOOD

Olympus PEN-F for Sports Photography

GOOD

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
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Fast Continuous Shooting: 10.0fps
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/8000s
81 Focus Points
Wireless Connection
Average Ergonomics&Handling
Environmental Sealings
Read the details

Nikon 1 J4 for Daily Photography

AVERAGE

Olympus PEN-F for Daily Photography

GOOD

232g
Average sized 1″ (13.2 x 8.8 mm) sensor
Medium size Body
Read the details

Large Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) sensor
Medium size Body
427g
Read the details

Nikon 1 J4 for Landscape Photography

POOR

Olympus PEN-F for Landscape Photography

AVERAGE

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
Very High Resolution Sensor: 20.0MP
Live-view
No Environmental Sealings
Read the details

Nikon 1 J4 vs Olympus PEN-F: OUR DECISION

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 PEN-F, 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 PEN-F scores compare:

Nikon 1 J4

Imaging

Features

Value

Portability

Overall

Ranked #70 out of 126 in Rangefinder-style mirrorless cameras
Ranked #327 out of 1221 in all Cameras

Olympus PEN-F

Imaging

Features

Value

Portability

Overall

Ranked #11 out of 126 in Rangefinder-style mirrorless cameras
Ranked #103 out of 1221 in all Cameras

Olympus PEN-F is the overall winner of this comparison. It has a higher Overall Score and beats Nikon 1 J4 in all criteria except one: Portability.
If small size and light body is a big priority for you, choose Nikon 1 J4. Otherwise, Olympus PEN-F is the better camera overall.

Olympus PEN-F vs Nikon 1 J4 Specs Table

Detailed comparison of specifications

General	Nikon 1 J4	Olympus PEN-F
Brand	Nikon	Olympus
Announced	2014-04-10	2016-01-27
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	20 megapixels
Max Resolution	5232 x 3488	5184 x 3888
Max Native Light sensitivity	12,800 ISO	25,600 ISO
Min Native Light sensitivity	160 ISO	200 ISO
Min Boosted Light Sensitivity	-	80 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	81
Lens
Manual Focus
Lens Mount	Nikon 1	Micro Four Thirds
Number of Available Lenses	13	107
Screen
Type	Fixed type	Fully Articulated
Size	3"	3
Resolution	1,037k dots	1,037k dots
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder	None	Electronic
Viewfinder Resolution	no electronic viewfinder	2,360k dots
Viewfinder Coverage	n/a	100%
Viewfinder Magnification	n/a	0.62x
Photography Features
Max Mechanical Shutter	1/4000s	1/8000s
Max Electronic Shutter	1/16000s	1/16000s
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
External Flash
Continuous Shooting	60.0 fps	10.0 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	MPEG-4, H.264, Motion JPEG
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Connectivity
Wireless Connectivity	Built-In	Built-In
HDMI
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Weight	232g	427g
Dimensions	100 x 60 x 29mm	125 x 72 x 37mm
Battery Life	300 shots	330 shots
Other Features
Timelapse Recording
GPS	None	None
DxO Sensor Scores
DxO Overall Score	not tested	74
DxO Color Depth	not tested	23.1
DxO Dynamic Range	not tested	12.4
DxO Low Light ISO	not tested	894
	Report a correction	Report a correction