Nikon D6 vs Olympus E-PL5

Its time to look more closely at the Nikon D6 and Olympus E-PL5, one being a Pro DSLR and the other is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by companies Nikon and Olympus. There is a big difference between the image resolutions of the D6 (21MP) and E-PL5 (16MP) and the D6 (Full frame) and E-PL5 (Four Thirds) provide different sensor measurements.

Photography Glossary

The D6 was brought out 7 years later than the E-PL5 and that is quite a big gap as far as tech is concerned. Both of these cameras have different body design with the Nikon D6 being a Large SLR camera and the Olympus E-PL5 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before we go straight to a comprehensive comparison, here is a concise summation of how the D6 matches up against the E-PL5 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

The following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Nikon D6 and Olympus PEN E-PL5. The entire galleries are provided at Nikon D6 Gallery and Olympus E-PL5 Gallery.

For anyone who is intending to carry your camera often, you need to take into account its weight and size. The Nikon D6 has got outer measurements of 160mm x 163mm x 92mm (6.3" x 6.4" x 3.6") with a weight of 1270 grams (2.80 lbs) while the Olympus E-PL5 has specifications of 111mm x 64mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.5") along with a weight of 325 grams (0.72 lbs).

Examine the Nikon D6 and Olympus E-PL5 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Keep in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change depending on the lens you have attached at that moment. Here is a front view over all size comparison of the D6 compared to the E-PL5.

Considering size and weight, the portability rating of the D6 and E-PL5 is 50 and 88 respectively.

Generally, its hard to imagine the contrast between sensor sizing purely by checking specs. The graphic below may offer you a better sense of the sensor sizing in the D6 and E-PL5.

All in all, both the cameras provide different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The D6 due to its larger sensor is going to make achieving shallow DOF simpler and the Nikon D6 will give greater detail having its extra 5MP. Greater resolution can also allow you to crop photos more aggressively. The more recent D6 provides an edge when it comes to sensor innovation.