Panasonic GX85 has a
16.0MP Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Venus Engine processor. On the other hand, Olympus E-450 has a
10.0MP Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features TruePic III processor.
Panasonic GX85's sensor provides 6MP more than Olympus E-450'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.
Another difference between these two cameras is that Panasonic GX85's sensor lacks anti-alias (Low-Pass) filter. Removing anti-alias filter increases the sharpness and level of detail but at the same time, it increases the chance of moiré occurring in certain scenes.
Below you can see the GX85 and E-450 sensor size comparison.
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Panasonic GX85 and Olympus E-450 Cameras
Panasonic GX85 and Olympus E-450 have the same sensor sizes so they will provide same level of control over the depth of field when used with same focal length and aperture. On the other hand, since Olympus E-450 has 58% larger pixel area (22.54µm 2 vs 14.21µm 2 ) compared to Panasonic GX85, it has larger pixel area to collect light hence potential to have less noise in low light / High ISO images.
DxOMark Sensor Scores
Both Panasonic GX85 and Olympus E-450 sensors have been tested by DxoMark. DxoMark scores camera sensors for color depth (DXO Portrait), dynamic range (DXO Landscape) and low-light sensitivity (DXO Sports), and also gives them an overall score. Of the two cameras that we are comparing, GX85 has scored 71, 15 points higher than E-450.
Model
Overall
Color Depth
Dynamic Range
Low-light ISO
Panasonic GX85
71
22.9 bits
12.6 Evs
662 ISO
Olympus E-450
56
21.5 bits
10.5 Evs
512 ISO
Sensor size sets the circle of confusion, so it drives how much depth of field each
of these bodies gives you at a given aperture. You can calculate it exactly for the
Panasonic GX85
or the
Olympus E-450 ,
including hyperfocal distance.
