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Olympus E-330 vs Olympus E-PL5

Portability
65
Imaging
41
Features
40
Overall
40
Olympus E-330 front
 
Olympus PEN E-PL5 front
Portability
88
Imaging
52
Features
72
Overall
60

Olympus E-330 vs Olympus E-PL5 Key Specs

Olympus E-330
(Full Review)
  • 7MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 2.5" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 400 (Increase to 1600)
  • No Video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 616g - 140 x 87 x 72mm
  • Announced March 2006
  • Alternative Name is EVOLT E-330
  • Succeeded the Olympus E-300
  • Renewed by Olympus E-450
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
  • Introduced September 2012
Photography Glossary

Olympus E-330 vs Olympus E-PL5 Overview

Let's take a closer look at the Olympus E-330 and Olympus E-PL5, former being a Advanced DSLR while the other is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and both of them are created by Olympus. There exists a large gap among the image resolutions of the E-330 (7MP) and E-PL5 (16MP) but they come with the same exact sensor size (Four Thirds).

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The E-330 was unveiled 7 years prior to the E-PL5 and that is a fairly serious difference as far as camera technology is concerned. The two cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-330 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Olympus E-PL5 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before diving through a detailed comparison, below is a quick overview of how the E-330 matches up against the E-PL5 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-330 over the Olympus E-PL5

 E-330 E-PL5 

Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL5 over the Olympus E-330

 E-PL5 E-330 
IntroducedSeptember 2012March 2006More recent by 79 months
Display sizing3"2.5"Larger display (+0.5")
Display resolution460k215kSharper display (+245k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Common features in the Olympus E-330 and Olympus E-PL5

 E-330 E-PL5 
Focus manually Dial exact focus
Display typeTiltingTiltingTilting display

Olympus E-330 vs Olympus E-PL5 Physical Comparison

When you are aiming to lug around your camera regularly, you have to consider its weight and size. The Olympus E-330 comes with exterior dimensions of 140mm x 87mm x 72mm (5.5" x 3.4" x 2.8") and a weight of 616 grams (1.36 lbs) and the Olympus E-PL5 has specifications of 111mm x 64mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.5") having a weight of 325 grams (0.72 lbs).

Check the Olympus E-330 and Olympus E-PL5 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you are employing at that moment. Here is the front view dimensions comparison of the E-330 vs the E-PL5.

Olympus E-330 vs Olympus E-PL5 size comparison

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-330 and E-PL5 is 65 and 88 respectively.

Olympus E-330 vs Olympus E-PL5 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-330 vs Olympus E-PL5 Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, it can be hard to imagine the contrast in sensor measurements just by going through specs. The visual underneath will help provide you a better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-330 and E-PL5.

As you can plainly see, the two cameras offer the same exact sensor sizing but different megapixels. You can anticipate the Olympus E-PL5 to produce more detail having an extra 9MP. Greater resolution will also help you crop pics a little more aggressively. The older E-330 will be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor tech.

Olympus E-330 vs Olympus E-PL5 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-330 vs Olympus E-PL5 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-330 vs Olympus E-PL5 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus E-330
Portrait photography with Olympus E-PL5
54
has manual focus
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
MP count low (7 megapixels)
71
manual focus
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
features face detect focusing
exports RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus E-330
Street photography with Olympus E-PL5
60
screen tilts up and down
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
lighter than others (616g)
does not have image stabilization
low maximum ISO (400)
85
tilting screen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
features focus by touch
good high ISO (25,600)
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus E-330
Sports photography with Olympus E-PL5
40
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
has phase detect AF
low fps (3.0 frames per second)
does not have image stabilization
MP count low (7 megapixels)
66
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
features tracking focus
does not have phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-330 Travel photography features
Olympus E-PL5 Travel photography features
50
lighter than others (616g)
flash built-in
doesn't have Timelapse function
MP count low (7 megapixels)
does not contain selfie friendly screen
75
features focus by touch
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
screen is selfie friendly
doesn't have Time Lapse function
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-330 Landscape photography information
Olympus E-PL5 Landscape photography information
45
has manual focus
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
small screen (2.5")
does not have image stabilization
MP count low (7 megapixels)
low maximum ISO (400)
doesn't have Timelapse function
74
manual focus
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
decent sized screen (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor resolution (16 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
good high ISO (25,600)
exports RAW formats
doesn't have Time Lapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-330 Vlogging factors
Olympus E-PL5 Vlogging factors
9
no video shooting
78
screen is selfie friendly
has touchscreen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
features face detect focusing
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
doesn't have mic jack
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Olympus E-330 vs Olympus E-PL5 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-330 and Olympus E-PL5
 Olympus E-330Olympus PEN E-PL5
General Information
Company Olympus Olympus
Model type Olympus E-330 Olympus PEN E-PL5
Also called EVOLT E-330 -
Class Advanced DSLR Entry-Level Mirrorless
Announced 2006-03-18 2012-09-17
Body design Mid-size SLR Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds Four Thirds
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 17.3 x 13mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 224.9mm²
Sensor resolution 7 megapixel 16 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 4:3
Full resolution 3136 x 2352 4608 x 3456
Max native ISO 400 25600
Max boosted ISO 1600 -
Lowest native ISO 100 200
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Total focus points 3 35
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds Micro Four Thirds
Total lenses 45 107
Focal length multiplier 2.1 2.1
Screen
Screen type Tilting Tilting
Screen diagonal 2.5 inches 3 inches
Screen resolution 215 thousand dot 460 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentamirror) Electronic (optional)
Viewfinder coverage 95% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.47x -
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 seconds 60 seconds
Highest shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Continuous shooting speed 3.0fps 8.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance - 7.00 m (bundled FL-LM1)
Flash modes Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels)
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Highest flash sync 1/180 seconds 1/250 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions - 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Max video resolution None 1920x1080
Video file format - MPEG-4, H.264, Motion JPEG
Mic input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless None Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 1.0 (1.5 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 616g (1.36 lb) 325g (0.72 lb)
Dimensions 140 x 87 x 72mm (5.5" x 3.4" x 2.8") 111 x 64 x 38mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.5")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating not tested 72
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 22.8
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 12.3
DXO Low light rating not tested 889
Other
Battery life - 360 photos
Type of battery - Battery Pack
Battery ID - BLS-5
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 12 sec)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card SD/SDHC/SDXC
Storage slots Single Single
Cost at launch $1,100 $400