Canon 40D vs Olympus E-PL5

Here is a comprehensive assessment of the Canon 40D vs Olympus E-PL5, former being a Advanced DSLR while the latter is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by companies Canon and Olympus. There exists a considerable gap between the sensor resolutions of the 40D (10MP) and E-PL5 (16MP) and the 40D (APS-C) and E-PL5 (Four Thirds) have different sensor sizing.

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The 40D was announced 5 years before the E-PL5 and that is quite a large difference as far as technology is concerned. Both of these cameras have different body design with the Canon 40D being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Olympus E-PL5 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before going straight to a more detailed comparison, here is a concise view of how the 40D scores vs the E-PL5 for portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

This is a preview of the gallery images for Canon EOS 40D & Olympus PEN E-PL5. The whole galleries are available at Canon 40D Gallery & Olympus E-PL5 Gallery.

For anyone who is planning to carry your camera frequently, you will need to consider its weight and volume. The Canon 40D provides external measurements of 146mm x 108mm x 74mm (5.7" x 4.3" x 2.9") along with a weight of 822 grams (1.81 lbs) whilst the Olympus E-PL5 has sizing of 111mm x 64mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.5") accompanied by a weight of 325 grams (0.72 lbs).

Contrast the Canon 40D vs Olympus E-PL5 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Always remember, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you are employing at that moment. Underneath is a front view scale comparison of the 40D vs the E-PL5.

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the 40D and E-PL5 is 57 and 88 respectively.

Typically, it is difficult to visualize the difference between sensor sizing just by looking at specs. The visual underneath should offer you a stronger sense of the sensor measurements in the 40D and E-PL5.

As you can plainly see, both of these cameras have different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The 40D with its bigger sensor is going to make achieving bokeh less difficult and the Olympus E-PL5 will give you greater detail with its extra 6 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also let you crop shots a bit more aggressively. The older 40D is going to be behind when it comes to sensor tech.