Clicky

Canon 5D MII vs Olympus E-PL5

Portability
56
Imaging
65
Features
70
Overall
67
Canon EOS 5D Mark II front
 
Olympus PEN E-PL5 front
Portability
88
Imaging
52
Features
72
Overall
60

Canon 5D MII vs Olympus E-PL5 Key Specs

Canon 5D MII
(Full Review)
  • 21MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400 (Bump to 25600)
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Canon EF Mount
  • 850g - 152 x 114 x 75mm
  • Released February 2009
  • Replaced the Canon 5D
  • Renewed by Canon 5D MIII
Olympus E-PL5
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 325g - 111 x 64 x 38mm
  • Announced September 2012
Europe Approves Revolutionary AI Legislation

Canon 5D MII vs Olympus E-PL5 Overview

Below is a extended analysis of the Canon 5D MII and Olympus E-PL5, one being a Advanced DSLR and the other is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by manufacturers Canon and Olympus. There is a big difference among the image resolutions of the 5D MII (21MP) and E-PL5 (16MP) and the 5D MII (Full frame) and E-PL5 (Four Thirds) enjoy totally different sensor size.

Apple patent reveals improved iPhone camera durability

The 5D MII was launched 4 years before the E-PL5 and that is a fairly big gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Both the cameras come with different body type with the Canon 5D MII being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Olympus E-PL5 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before diving through a in-depth comparison, below is a quick summary of how the 5D MII grades vs the E-PL5 for portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Nikon Coolpix camera search on Google skyrockets by 8,500%
	
	

Reasons to pick Canon 5D MII over the Olympus E-PL5

 5D MII E-PL5 
Display resolution920k460kSharper display (+460k dot)

Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL5 over the Canon 5D MII

 E-PL5 5D MII 
AnnouncedSeptember 2012February 2009More recent by 43 months
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Selfie screen Easy selfies
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Common features in the Canon 5D MII and Olympus E-PL5

 5D MII E-PL5 
Manual focus Very exact focusing
Display dimension3"3"Identical display size

Canon 5D MII vs Olympus E-PL5 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is going to lug around your camera, you'll need to take into account its weight and volume. The Canon 5D MII enjoys exterior measurements of 152mm x 114mm x 75mm (6.0" x 4.5" x 3.0") having a weight of 850 grams (1.87 lbs) whilst the Olympus E-PL5 has sizing of 111mm x 64mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.5") and a weight of 325 grams (0.72 lbs).

Look at the Canon 5D MII and Olympus E-PL5 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change based on the lens you are working with at that moment. Here is the front view dimensions comparison of the 5D MII and the E-PL5.

Canon 5D MII vs Olympus E-PL5 size comparison

Using size and weight, the portability rating of the 5D MII and E-PL5 is 56 and 88 respectively.

Canon 5D MII vs Olympus E-PL5 top view buttons comparison

Canon 5D MII vs Olympus E-PL5 Sensor Comparison

Usually, it is very hard to see the gap in sensor measurements simply by looking through specs. The graphic below will offer you a much better sense of the sensor measurements in the 5D MII and E-PL5.

As you can plainly see, both of these cameras posses different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The 5D MII due to its larger sensor will make getting shallow depth of field easier and the Canon 5D MII will provide you with extra detail utilizing its extra 5 Megapixels. Greater resolution will enable you to crop pics somewhat more aggressively. The older 5D MII will be behind when it comes to sensor innovation.

Canon 5D MII vs Olympus E-PL5 sensor size comparison

Canon 5D MII vs Olympus E-PL5 Screen and ViewFinder

Canon 5D MII vs Olympus E-PL5 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Google AI Gemini Could Enhance iPhone Experience, Talks Suggest

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Canon 5D MII Portrait photography information
Olympus E-PL5 Portrait photography information
79
focusing manually
sensor resolution is decent (21 megapixels)
great sensor size (Full frame)
provides face detect focus
supports RAW formats
71
focusing manually
decent MP (16MP)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
has face detection autofocus
saves RAW files
Ulanzi's Tripod Ensures Ultra Smooth Filming

Street Comparison

Canon 5D MII as a Street photography camera
Olympus E-PL5 as a Street photography camera
59
great sensor size (Full frame)
supports RAW formats
environment proofing
screen is fixed
lack of image stabilization
85
screen tilts
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
offers focus via touch
great high ISO (25,600)
TikTok Developing Photo App to Challenge Instagram's Dominance

Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Canon 5D MII
Sports photography with Olympus E-PL5
70
great max shutter speed (1/8,000 seconds)
sensor resolution is decent (21MP)
great sensor size (Full frame)
provides tracking focus
environment proofing
sensor has phase detect auto focus
continuous shooting slow (4.0 frames per second)
lack of image stabilization
66
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent MP (16MP)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
has tracking autofocus
does not have phase detect autofocus
Fujifilm accuses Eastman Kodak of patent violation in new lawsuit

Travel Comparison

Canon 5D MII as a Travel photography camera
Olympus E-PL5 as a Travel photography camera
55
environment proofing
sensor resolution is decent (21 megapixels)
lack of Timelapse recording
does not offer selfie friendly screen
75
offers focus via touch
decent MP (16 megapixels)
selfie friendly screen
does not have Timelapse function
Peek Behind the Lens of 'Photographer' and Their Go-To Cameras

Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Canon 5D MII
Landscape photography with Olympus E-PL5
70
focusing manually
swap lenses (Canon EF mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inch)
sensor resolution is decent (21MP)
great sensor size (Full frame)
supports RAW formats
environment proofing
lack of image stabilization
lack of Timelapse recording
74
focusing manually
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is good (3")
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent MP (16MP)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
great high ISO (25,600)
saves RAW files
does not have Timelapse function
Leica struggles with L-Mount camera sales, tougher than Q or M

Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Canon 5D MII
Vlogging with Olympus E-PL5
29
provides face detect focus
high res video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
includes microphone socket
does not offer selfie friendly screen
lack of image stabilization
78
selfie friendly screen
built-in touchscreen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
has face detection autofocus
video res high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
does not have external microphone support
AI-Powered Photo Editing Tools Could Be Added to WhatsApp

Canon 5D MII vs Olympus E-PL5 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Canon 5D MII and Olympus E-PL5
 Canon EOS 5D Mark IIOlympus PEN E-PL5
General Information
Brand Canon Olympus
Model Canon EOS 5D Mark II Olympus PEN E-PL5
Class Advanced DSLR Entry-Level Mirrorless
Released 2009-02-13 2012-09-17
Physical type Mid-size SLR Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Chip Digic 4 -
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Full frame Four Thirds
Sensor measurements 36 x 24mm 17.3 x 13mm
Sensor surface area 864.0mm² 224.9mm²
Sensor resolution 21 megapixels 16 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 4:3
Highest resolution 5616 x 3744 4608 x 3456
Highest native ISO 6400 25600
Highest boosted ISO 25600 -
Min native ISO 100 200
RAW data
Min boosted ISO 50 -
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Tracking autofocus
Selective autofocus
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Number of focus points 9 35
Lens
Lens mount Canon EF Micro Four Thirds
Amount of lenses 250 107
Crop factor 1 2.1
Screen
Type of screen Fixed Type Tilting
Screen size 3 inch 3 inch
Resolution of screen 920k dots 460k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Screen tech TFT liquid-crystal color LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentaprism) Electronic (optional)
Viewfinder coverage 98 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.71x -
Features
Slowest shutter speed 30s 60s
Maximum shutter speed 1/8000s 1/4000s
Continuous shooting rate 4.0 frames/s 8.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range no built-in flash 7.00 m (bundled FL-LM1)
Flash settings no built-in flash Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels)
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Maximum flash synchronize 1/200s 1/250s
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video data format H.264 MPEG-4, H.264, Motion JPEG
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 850 gr (1.87 lb) 325 gr (0.72 lb)
Dimensions 152 x 114 x 75mm (6.0" x 4.5" x 3.0") 111 x 64 x 38mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.5")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 79 72
DXO Color Depth score 23.7 22.8
DXO Dynamic range score 11.9 12.3
DXO Low light score 1815 889
Other
Battery life 850 shots 360 shots
Form of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model LP-E6 BLS-5
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 12 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Storage type Compact Flash (Type I or II), UDMA, Microdrive SD/SDHC/SDXC
Card slots Single Single
Price at launch $1,190 $400