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Olympus FE-4030 vs Olympus E-PL5

Portability
95
Imaging
36
Features
21
Overall
30
Olympus FE-4030 front
 
Olympus PEN E-PL5 front
Portability
88
Imaging
52
Features
72
Overall
60

Olympus FE-4030 vs Olympus E-PL5 Key Specs

Olympus FE-4030
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • ISO 64 - 1600
  • 640 x 480 video
  • 26-105mm (F2.6-5.9) lens
  • 146g - 93 x 56 x 22mm
  • Introduced January 2010
Olympus E-PL5
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 325g - 111 x 64 x 38mm
  • Introduced September 2012
Photography Glossary

Olympus FE-4030 vs Olympus E-PL5 Overview

Let's look much closer at the Olympus FE-4030 versus Olympus E-PL5, former is a Small Sensor Compact while the other is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and they are both produced by Olympus. The sensor resolution of the FE-4030 (14MP) and the E-PL5 (16MP) is fairly well matched but the FE-4030 (1/2.3") and E-PL5 (Four Thirds) boast totally different sensor sizes.

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The FE-4030 was introduced 3 years prior to the E-PL5 which is quite a sizable difference as far as technology is concerned. The two cameras feature different body design with the Olympus FE-4030 being a Compact camera and the Olympus E-PL5 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before getting into a in-depth comparison, here is a brief overview of how the FE-4030 grades versus the E-PL5 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus FE-4030 over the Olympus E-PL5

 FE-4030 E-PL5 

Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL5 over the Olympus FE-4030

 E-PL5 FE-4030 
IntroducedSeptember 2012January 2010Newer by 32 months
Manually focus Dial accurate focus
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display size3"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")
Display resolution460k230kSharper display (+230k dot)
Selfie screen Take selfies
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Common features in the Olympus FE-4030 and Olympus E-PL5

 FE-4030 E-PL5 

Olympus FE-4030 vs Olympus E-PL5 Physical Comparison

In case you're looking to travel with your camera regularly, you'll need to consider its weight and proportions. The Olympus FE-4030 has outside dimensions of 93mm x 56mm x 22mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9") having a weight of 146 grams (0.32 lbs) while the Olympus E-PL5 has measurements of 111mm x 64mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.5") along with a weight of 325 grams (0.72 lbs).

See the Olympus FE-4030 versus Olympus E-PL5 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you are employing at that time. Following is a front view over all size comparison of the FE-4030 vs the E-PL5.

Olympus FE-4030 vs Olympus E-PL5 size comparison

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the FE-4030 and E-PL5 is 95 and 88 respectively.

Olympus FE-4030 vs Olympus E-PL5 top view buttons comparison

Olympus FE-4030 vs Olympus E-PL5 Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, it is very tough to envision the gap between sensor dimensions purely by checking a spec sheet. The picture below should provide you a greater sense of the sensor sizes in the FE-4030 and E-PL5.

As you can see, both of these cameras feature different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The FE-4030 having a tinier sensor will make achieving shallow DOF tougher and the Olympus E-PL5 will resolve extra detail using its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution will allow you to crop images way more aggressively. The more aged FE-4030 is going to be behind in sensor innovation.

Olympus FE-4030 vs Olympus E-PL5 sensor size comparison

Olympus FE-4030 vs Olympus E-PL5 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus FE-4030 vs Olympus E-PL5 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus FE-4030
Portrait photography with Olympus E-PL5
28
sensor resolution is decent (14 megapixels)
focusing manually not possible
lack of manual mode
cannot use external flash
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
71
manual focus
good MP (16MP)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
provides face detect focus
supports RAW files
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus FE-4030
Street photography with Olympus E-PL5
48
fixed screen
does not have image stabilization
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
85
tilting screen
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
boasts focus by touch
great ISO range (25,600)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus FE-4030 Sports photography features
Olympus E-PL5 Sports photography features
34
sensor resolution is decent (14MP)
offers tracking focus
lack of shutter priority mode
does not have image stabilization
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
has no phase detect autofocus
66
image stabilization (Sensor based)
good MP (16MP)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
provides tracking focus
no phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus FE-4030 Travel photography features
Olympus E-PL5 Travel photography features
65
sensor resolution is decent (14 megapixels)
has built in flash
rather wide (26mm)
does not have Timelapse recording
does not posses selfie friendly screen
sluggish max aperture (f2.6)
75
boasts focus by touch
good MP (16MP)
selfie friendly display
missing Time Lapse function
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus FE-4030 Landscape photography highlights
Olympus E-PL5 Landscape photography highlights
32
rather wide (26mm)
sensor resolution is decent (14 megapixels)
focusing manually not possible
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f2.6)
screen is small (2.7 inch)
lack of manual mode
does not have image stabilization
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
does not have Timelapse recording
74
manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is good (3")
image stabilization (Sensor based)
good MP (16MP)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
great ISO range (25,600)
supports RAW files
missing Time Lapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus FE-4030 Vlogging features
Olympus E-PL5 Vlogging features
25
rather wide (26mm)
sluggish max aperture (f2.6)
does not posses selfie friendly screen
does not have image stabilization
video resolution low (640 x 480 pixels)
does not have microphone support
78
selfie friendly display
touchscreen capability
image stabilization (Sensor based)
provides face detect focus
high res video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
missing mic support
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Olympus FE-4030 vs Olympus E-PL5 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus FE-4030 and Olympus E-PL5
 Olympus FE-4030Olympus PEN E-PL5
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Olympus
Model Olympus FE-4030 Olympus PEN E-PL5
Class Small Sensor Compact Entry-Level Mirrorless
Introduced 2010-01-07 2012-09-17
Physical type Compact Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Processor Chip TruePic III -
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" Four Thirds
Sensor dimensions 6.08 x 4.56mm 17.3 x 13mm
Sensor surface area 27.7mm² 224.9mm²
Sensor resolution 14 megapixels 16 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 and 16:9 4:3
Highest Possible resolution 4288 x 3216 4608 x 3456
Maximum native ISO 1600 25600
Minimum native ISO 64 200
RAW format
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Live view autofocus
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Number of focus points - 35
Lens
Lens mounting type fixed lens Micro Four Thirds
Lens focal range 26-105mm (4.0x) -
Highest aperture f/2.6-5.9 -
Macro focus range 4cm -
Total lenses - 107
Crop factor 5.9 2.1
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Tilting
Display size 2.7 inch 3 inch
Resolution of display 230 thousand dots 460 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None Electronic (optional)
Features
Min shutter speed 4 secs 60 secs
Max shutter speed 1/2000 secs 1/4000 secs
Continuous shutter rate - 8.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation - Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 5.80 m 7.00 m (bundled FL-LM1)
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Fill-in Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels)
External flash
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Max flash synchronize - 1/250 secs
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution 640x480 1920x1080
Video file format Motion JPEG MPEG-4, H.264, Motion JPEG
Mic support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 146g (0.32 lbs) 325g (0.72 lbs)
Physical dimensions 93 x 56 x 22mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9") 111 x 64 x 38mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.5")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score not tested 72
DXO Color Depth score not tested 22.8
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 12.3
DXO Low light score not tested 889
Other
Battery life - 360 images
Style of battery - Battery Pack
Battery model - BLS-5
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 seconds) Yes (2 or 12 sec)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD/SDHC, Internal SD/SDHC/SDXC
Card slots One One
Cost at release $130 $400