Olympus E-510 vs Panasonic LX5

Its time to look more closely at the Olympus E-510 and Panasonic LX5, former is a Advanced DSLR while the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by manufacturers Olympus and Panasonic. The resolution of the E-510 (10MP) and the LX5 (10MP) is pretty well matched but the E-510 (Four Thirds) and LX5 (1/1.63") offer totally different sensor sizes.

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The E-510 was revealed 5 years earlier than the LX5 which is quite a significant difference as far as technology is concerned. Both the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-510 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Panasonic LX5 being a Compact camera.

Before delving straight to a more detailed comparison, here is a short summary of how the E-510 matches up vs the LX5 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

This is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus E-510 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5. The full galleries are provided at Olympus E-510 Gallery & Panasonic LX5 Gallery.

For anybody who is intending to carry around your camera, you are going to need to factor its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-510 has outside measurements of 136mm x 92mm x 68mm (5.4" x 3.6" x 2.7") accompanied by a weight of 490 grams (1.08 lbs) whilst the Panasonic LX5 has dimensions of 110mm x 65mm x 43mm (4.3" x 2.6" x 1.7") with a weight of 271 grams (0.60 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus E-510 and Panasonic LX5 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you have chosen at that moment. Underneath is a front view size comparison of the E-510 vs the LX5.

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-510 and LX5 is 69 and 88 respectively.

More often than not, it is very difficult to visualise the gap between sensor sizes only by looking at specifications. The picture underneath will provide you a more clear sense of the sensor sizing in the E-510 and LX5.

To sum up, both cameras feature the identical megapixel count albeit not the same sensor sizes. The E-510 comes with the bigger sensor which should make getting shallow depth of field easier. The more aged E-510 is going to be disadvantaged in sensor tech.