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Olympus E-5 vs Olympus E-M1

Portability
58
Imaging
48
Features
76
Overall
59
Olympus E-5 front
 
Olympus OM-D E-M1 front
Portability
71
Imaging
53
Features
85
Overall
65

Olympus E-5 vs Olympus E-M1 Key Specs

Olympus E-5
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Display
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 800g - 143 x 117 x 75mm
  • Released February 2011
  • Replaced the Olympus E-3
Olympus E-M1
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 497g - 130 x 94 x 63mm
  • Introduced October 2013
  • Successor is Olympus E-M1 II
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Olympus E-5 vs Olympus E-M1 Overview

Lets examine more in depth at the Olympus E-5 versus Olympus E-M1, former is a Advanced DSLR while the latter is a Pro Mirrorless and both of them are built by Olympus. There exists a sizable gap among the image resolutions of the E-5 (12MP) and E-M1 (16MP) but they possess the exact same sensor measurements (Four Thirds).

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The E-5 was unveiled 3 years earlier than the E-M1 which is a fairly significant difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both of these cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-5 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Olympus E-M1 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before going straight into a comprehensive comparison, below is a concise introduction of how the E-5 grades versus the E-M1 for portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-5 over the Olympus E-M1

 E-5 E-M1 
Screen typeFully ArticulatedTiltingFully Articulating screen
Selfie screen Easy selfies

Reasons to pick Olympus E-M1 over the Olympus E-5

 E-M1 E-5 
IntroducedOctober 2013February 2011Newer by 33 months
Screen resolution1037k920kCrisper screen (+117k dot)
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Common features in the Olympus E-5 and Olympus E-M1

 E-5 E-M1 
Focus manually Dial exact focus
Screen dimension3"3"Identical screen measurements

Olympus E-5 vs Olympus E-M1 Physical Comparison

If you're aiming to travel with your camera frequently, you are going to need to consider its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-5 has external dimensions of 143mm x 117mm x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0") along with a weight of 800 grams (1.76 lbs) while the Olympus E-M1 has measurements of 130mm x 94mm x 63mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.5") with a weight of 497 grams (1.10 lbs).

Look at the Olympus E-5 versus Olympus E-M1 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Always remember, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you choose at the time. The following is the front view overall size comparison of the E-5 versus the E-M1.

Olympus E-5 vs Olympus E-M1 size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-5 and E-M1 is 58 and 71 respectively.

Olympus E-5 vs Olympus E-M1 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-5 vs Olympus E-M1 Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, its hard to picture the difference in sensor dimensions purely by looking through a spec sheet. The pic underneath may give you a much better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-5 and E-M1.

As you can see, both the cameras have got the exact same sensor measurements albeit different megapixels. You can count on the Olympus E-M1 to result in extra detail having an extra 4MP. Higher resolution will enable you to crop pictures much more aggressively. The more aged E-5 will be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor innovation.

Olympus E-5 vs Olympus E-M1 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-5 vs Olympus E-M1 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-5 vs Olympus E-M1 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-5 as a Portrait photography camera
Olympus E-M1 as a Portrait photography camera
60
you can focus manually
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
comes with face detection autofocus
delivers RAW files
sensor resolution not great (12 megapixels)
71
has manual focus
high flash sync speed (1/320 seconds)
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
features face detection focus
delivers RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-5 Street photography details
Olympus E-M1 Street photography details
71
screen articulates
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW files
weather proof
78
screen tilts
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW files
has focus via touch
weather proofing
lighter than average (497g)
good ISO range (25,600)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-5 as a Sports photography camera
Olympus E-M1 as a Sports photography camera
59
great max shutter speed (1/8,000s)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
weather proof
supports phase detect autofocus
max frames per second very slow (5.0 fps)
sensor resolution not great (12 megapixels)
70
max shutter speed is good (1/8,000 seconds)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
features tracking autofocus
weather proofing
has phase detect auto focus
terrible battery life (350 shots)
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-5 Travel photography highlights
Olympus E-M1 Travel photography highlights
56
weather proof
has built in flash
selfie friendly display
lack of Time Lapse function
sensor resolution not great (12MP)
65
lighter than average (497 grams)
weather proofing
has focus via touch
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
terrible battery life (350 CIPA)
display isn't selfie friendly
Photography Glossary

Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-5 Landscape photography details
Olympus E-M1 Landscape photography details
65
you can focus manually
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
pretty good screen size (3")
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW files
weather proof
has dual storage slots
sensor resolution not great (12MP)
lack of Time Lapse function
73
has manual focus
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen is a good size (3")
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
good ISO range (25,600)
delivers RAW files
weather proofing
terrible battery life (350 CIPA)
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus E-5
Vlogging with Olympus E-M1
64
selfie friendly display
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
comes with face detection autofocus
comes with external mic jack
low video resolution (1280 x 720 pixels)
36
touchscreen functionality
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
features face detection focus
high res video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
has external mic jack
lighter than average (497g)
display isn't selfie friendly
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Olympus E-5 vs Olympus E-M1 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-5 and Olympus E-M1
 Olympus E-5Olympus OM-D E-M1
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Olympus
Model Olympus E-5 Olympus OM-D E-M1
Category Advanced DSLR Pro Mirrorless
Released 2011-02-03 2013-10-28
Body design Mid-size SLR SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Powered by TruePic V+ TruePIC VII
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 12 megapixels 16 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Highest Possible resolution 4032 x 3024 4608 x 3456
Maximum native ISO 6400 25600
Min native ISO 100 100
RAW support
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
AF continuous
AF single
Tracking AF
AF selectice
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Number of focus points 11 81
Cross focus points 11 -
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds Micro Four Thirds
Number of lenses 45 107
Crop factor 2.1 2.1
Screen
Display type Fully Articulated Tilting
Display sizing 3" 3"
Resolution of display 920 thousand dot 1,037 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Display technology HyperCrystal transmissive LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentaprism) Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 2,360 thousand dot
Viewfinder coverage 100% 100%
Viewfinder magnification 0.58x 0.74x
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60 secs 60 secs
Fastest shutter speed 1/8000 secs 1/8000 secs
Continuous shutter speed 5.0 frames/s 10.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 18.00 m (at ISO 200) no built-in flash
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Fill-in Flash Auto, Redeye, Fill-in, Flash Off, Red-eye Slow sync (1st curtain), Slow sync (1st curtain), Slow sync (2nd curtain), Manual
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Fastest flash sync 1/250 secs 1/320 secs
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video data format Motion JPEG H.264, Motion JPEG
Mic input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 800 grams (1.76 pounds) 497 grams (1.10 pounds)
Dimensions 143 x 117 x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0") 130 x 94 x 63mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.5")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score 56 73
DXO Color Depth score 21.6 23.0
DXO Dynamic range score 10.5 12.7
DXO Low light score 519 757
Other
Battery life 870 pictures 350 pictures
Style of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model BLM-5 BLN-1
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 12 secs, custom)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage Compact Flash (Type I or II)/SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC
Storage slots 2 One
Cost at release $1,700 $799