Olympus E-5 vs Olympus E-PM2

Let's look a little more in depth at the Olympus E-5 versus Olympus E-PM2, one being a Advanced DSLR and the other is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and both are produced by Olympus. There exists a huge gap among the resolutions of the E-5 (12MP) and E-PM2 (16MP) but they possess the exact same sensor sizing (Four Thirds).

Photography Glossary

The E-5 was brought out 3 years prior to the E-PM2 and that is a fairly significant gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Both the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-5 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Olympus E-PM2 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before we go straight into a in-depth comparison, below is a concise overview of how the E-5 scores vs the E-PM2 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

This is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus E-5 and Olympus PEN E-PM2. The entire galleries are available at Olympus E-5 Gallery and Olympus E-PM2 Gallery.

In case you're looking to carry your camera frequently, you need to take into account its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-5 enjoys outer dimensions of 143mm x 117mm x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0") and a weight of 800 grams (1.76 lbs) whilst the Olympus E-PM2 has proportions of 110mm x 64mm x 34mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.3") and a weight of 269 grams (0.59 lbs).

Check the Olympus E-5 versus Olympus E-PM2 in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change based on the lens you select at that moment. Following is the front view dimensions comparison of the E-5 versus the E-PM2.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-5 and E-PM2 is 58 and 89 respectively.

Quite often, it is tough to visualize the difference in sensor sizing simply by viewing a spec sheet. The photograph below should provide you a clearer sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-5 and E-PM2.

As you can see, both of the cameras posses the exact same sensor measurements but different megapixels. You should anticipate the Olympus E-PM2 to render more detail having its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also let you crop pics somewhat more aggressively. The older E-5 will be behind with regard to sensor innovation.