Olympus E-5 vs Olympus SP-100

Below, we will be reviewing the Olympus E-5 versus Olympus SP-100, one being a Advanced DSLR and the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom and both of them are sold by Olympus. There exists a sizeable gap between the resolutions of the E-5 (12MP) and SP-100 (16MP) and the E-5 (Four Thirds) and SP-100 (1/2.3") feature totally different sensor sizes.

Photography Glossary

The E-5 was brought out 4 years prior to the SP-100 and that is quite a large gap as far as technology is concerned. Each of these cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-5 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Olympus SP-100 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera.

Before getting through a full comparison, below is a short summation of how the E-5 scores versus the SP-100 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

This is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus E-5 and Olympus Stylus SP-100. The entire galleries are viewable at Olympus E-5 Gallery and Olympus SP-100 Gallery.

In case you're aiming to lug around your camera, you'll have to factor in its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-5 has physical measurements of 143mm x 117mm x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0") with a weight of 800 grams (1.76 lbs) while the Olympus SP-100 has dimensions of 122mm x 91mm x 133mm (4.8" x 3.6" x 5.2") along with a weight of 594 grams (1.31 lbs).

Look at the Olympus E-5 versus Olympus SP-100 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Always remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary dependant on the lens you are employing during that time. Here is the front view scale comparison of the E-5 vs the SP-100.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-5 and SP-100 is 58 and 63 respectively.

Sometimes, its tough to visualise the difference between sensor measurements simply by going over specs. The photograph here may provide you a far better sense of the sensor sizing in the E-5 and SP-100.

All in all, both cameras have got different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The E-5 featuring a bigger sensor will make achieving shallow DOF easier and the Olympus SP-100 will offer you extra detail having its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution will allow you to crop photographs much more aggressively. The older E-5 is going to be behind when it comes to sensor technology.