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Olympus E-5 vs Panasonic LX7

Portability
58
Imaging
48
Features
76
Overall
59
Olympus E-5 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX7 front
Portability
86
Imaging
35
Features
61
Overall
45

Olympus E-5 vs Panasonic LX7 Key Specs

Olympus E-5
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 800g - 143 x 117 x 75mm
  • Revealed February 2011
  • Earlier Model is Olympus E-3
Panasonic LX7
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - 1/1.7" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 6400 (Bump to 12800)
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 24-90mm (F1.4-2.3) lens
  • 298g - 111 x 68 x 46mm
  • Revealed October 2012
  • Superseded the Panasonic LX5
  • Renewed by Panasonic LX10
Photography Glossary

Olympus E-5 vs Panasonic LX7 Overview

Its time to look a little more closely at the Olympus E-5 and Panasonic LX7, one is a Advanced DSLR and the other is a Small Sensor Compact by companies Olympus and Panasonic. The sensor resolution of the E-5 (12MP) and the LX7 (10MP) is very well matched but the E-5 (Four Thirds) and LX7 (1/1.7") use different sensor sizing.

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The E-5 was announced 20 months before the LX7 making the cameras a generation away from one another. The two cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-5 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Panasonic LX7 being a Compact camera.

Before diving through a detailed comparison, below is a simple highlight of how the E-5 matches up against the LX7 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-5 over the Panasonic LX7

 E-5 LX7 
Display typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating display
Selfie screen Easy selfies

Reasons to pick Panasonic LX7 over the Olympus E-5

 LX7 E-5 
RevealedOctober 2012February 2011Newer by 20 months

Common features in the Olympus E-5 and Panasonic LX7

 E-5 LX7 
Manual focus More accurate focus
Display dimension3"3"Identical display measurement
Display resolution920k920kExact same display resolution
Touch friendly display Neither includes Touch friendly display

Olympus E-5 vs Panasonic LX7 Physical Comparison

In case you're looking to travel with your camera, you should think about its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-5 features outside measurements of 143mm x 117mm x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0") having a weight of 800 grams (1.76 lbs) whilst the Panasonic LX7 has measurements of 111mm x 68mm x 46mm (4.4" x 2.7" x 1.8") with a weight of 298 grams (0.66 lbs).

Check the Olympus E-5 and Panasonic LX7 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ depending on the lens you use at that time. The following is the front view overall size comparison of the E-5 versus the LX7.

Olympus E-5 vs Panasonic LX7 size comparison

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-5 and LX7 is 58 and 86 respectively.

Olympus E-5 vs Panasonic LX7 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-5 vs Panasonic LX7 Sensor Comparison

Typically, it is very difficult to picture the difference between sensor dimensions simply by looking at specs. The picture below may provide you a stronger sense of the sensor measurements in the E-5 and LX7.

All in all, both of the cameras have got different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The E-5 using its larger sensor is going to make shooting shallow depth of field less difficult and the Olympus E-5 will give more detail with its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also let you crop pics much more aggressively. The more aged E-5 is going to be behind in sensor tech.

Olympus E-5 vs Panasonic LX7 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-5 vs Panasonic LX7 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-5 vs Panasonic LX7 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-5 as a Portrait photography camera
Panasonic LX7 as a Portrait photography camera
60
manual focus
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports face detection focusing
exports RAW formats
sensor resolution low (12MP)
45
you can focus manually
comes with face detect autofocus
exports RAW formats
sensor resolution low (10MP)
sensor is small (1/1.7")
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus E-5
Street photography with Panasonic LX7
71
screen can move to multiple angles
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
environment sealing
58
built in image stabilization (Optical)
exports RAW formats
fixed screen
sensor is small (1/1.7")
more heavy than competition in class (298 grams)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-5 Sports photography information
Panasonic LX7 Sports photography information
59
great max shutter speed (1/8,000s)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
environment sealing
supports phase detect AF
continuous shooting slow (5.0 frames per second)
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
42
built in image stabilization (Optical)
comes with tracking focus
better than average battery power (330 per charge)
sensor resolution low (10MP)
sensor is small (1/1.7")
doesn't have phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-5 Travel photography information
Panasonic LX7 Travel photography information
56
environment sealing
has built in flash
selfie friendly screen
no Timelapse function
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
64
better than average battery power (330 shots)
built-in flash
pretty wide (24mm)
fast max aperture (f1.4)
more heavy than competition in class (298g)
sensor resolution low (10MP)
doesn't offer selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-5 Landscape photography highlights
Panasonic LX7 Landscape photography highlights
65
manual focus
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
decent sized screen (3")
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
environment sealing
2 card slots
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
no Timelapse function
57
you can focus manually
pretty wide (24mm)
fast max aperture (f1.4)
decent sized screen (3")
built in image stabilization (Optical)
exports RAW formats
better than average battery power (330 per charge)
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
sensor resolution low (10MP)
sensor is small (1/1.7")
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus E-5
Vlogging with Panasonic LX7
64
selfie friendly screen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
supports face detection focusing
comes with external microphone support
video resolution low (1280 x 720 pixels)
33
pretty wide (24mm)
fast max aperture (f1.4)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
comes with face detect autofocus
great video quality (1920 x 1080 resolution)
doesn't offer selfie friendly screen
lack of microphone socket
more heavy than competition in class (298 grams)
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Olympus E-5 vs Panasonic LX7 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-5 and Panasonic LX7
 Olympus E-5Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX7
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Panasonic
Model type Olympus E-5 Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX7
Class Advanced DSLR Small Sensor Compact
Revealed 2011-02-03 2012-10-15
Physical type Mid-size SLR Compact
Sensor Information
Processor TruePic V+ Venus Engine
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/1.7"
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 7.44 x 5.58mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 41.5mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixels 10 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 4032 x 3024 3648 x 2736
Max native ISO 6400 6400
Max boosted ISO - 12800
Minimum native ISO 100 80
RAW files
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
AF touch
Continuous AF
Single AF
Tracking AF
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Total focus points 11 23
Cross type focus points 11 -
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 24-90mm (3.8x)
Highest aperture - f/1.4-2.3
Macro focusing distance - 1cm
Available lenses 45 -
Crop factor 2.1 4.8
Screen
Type of screen Fully Articulated Fixed Type
Screen sizing 3" 3"
Resolution of screen 920 thousand dots 920 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Screen tech HyperCrystal transmissive LCD TFT Color LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentaprism) Electronic (optional)
Viewfinder coverage 100% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.58x -
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60s 60s
Highest shutter speed 1/8000s 1/4000s
Continuous shooting rate 5.0 frames/s 11.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 18.00 m (at ISO 200) 8.50 m
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Fill-in Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Highest flash synchronize 1/250s -
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60, 50, 30, 25 fps), 1280 x 720p (60, 50, 30, 25 fps), 640 x 480 (30, 25 fps)
Max video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video data format Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD
Microphone port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 800g (1.76 pounds) 298g (0.66 pounds)
Dimensions 143 x 117 x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0") 111 x 68 x 46mm (4.4" x 2.7" x 1.8")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 56 50
DXO Color Depth rating 21.6 20.7
DXO Dynamic range rating 10.5 11.7
DXO Low light rating 519 147
Other
Battery life 870 images 330 images
Battery type Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLM-5 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10 sec (3 images))
Time lapse feature
Storage type Compact Flash (Type I or II)/SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Card slots Dual 1
Launch price $1,700 $400