Olympus E-5 vs Panasonic GX850

Its time to take a more detailed look at the Olympus E-5 and Panasonic GX850, one being a Advanced DSLR and the other is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by manufacturers Olympus and Panasonic. There is a sizeable difference among the resolutions of the E-5 (12MP) and GX850 (16MP) but both cameras boast the same sensor size (Four Thirds).

Photography Glossary

The E-5 was unveiled 7 years earlier than the GX850 and that is a fairly large gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Both of these cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-5 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Panasonic GX850 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before delving straight to a more detailed comparison, here is a concise introduction of how the E-5 grades against the GX850 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Below is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus E-5 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX850. The full galleries are provided at Olympus E-5 Gallery and Panasonic GX850 Gallery.

If you're looking to carry your camera regularly, you will need to factor its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-5 enjoys outside dimensions of 143mm x 117mm x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0") accompanied by a weight of 800 grams (1.76 lbs) while the Panasonic GX850 has measurements of 107mm x 65mm x 33mm (4.2" x 2.6" x 1.3") along with a weight of 269 grams (0.59 lbs).

Check the Olympus E-5 and Panasonic GX850 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ depending on the lens you use at the time. The following is a front view measurement comparison of the E-5 against the GX850.

Factoring in size and weight, the portability grade of the E-5 and GX850 is 58 and 90 respectively.

In many cases, its difficult to visualize the gap in sensor sizing simply by seeing specs. The graphic here should give you a stronger sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-5 and GX850.

As you can plainly see, both of the cameras provide the same sensor dimensions but different megapixels. You should anticipate the Panasonic GX850 to show greater detail having an extra 4MP. Greater resolution can also enable you to crop photos more aggressively. The older E-5 will be behind when it comes to sensor innovation.