Olympus FE-45 vs Olympus E-PL5
95 Imaging
33 Features
14 Overall
25


88 Imaging
52 Features
72 Overall
60
Olympus FE-45 vs Olympus E-PL5 Key Specs
(Full Review)
- 10MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
- 2.5" Fixed Display
- ISO 64 - 1600
- Digital Image Stabilization
- 640 x 480 video
- 36-108mm (F3.1-5.9) lens
- 142g - 94 x 62 x 23mm
- Introduced January 2009
(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
- Announced September 2012

Olympus FE-45 vs Olympus E-PL5 Overview
The following is a comprehensive analysis of the Olympus FE-45 and Olympus E-PL5, one is a Small Sensor Compact and the other is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and both are designed by Olympus. There is a sizeable difference among the image resolutions of the FE-45 (10MP) and E-PL5 (16MP) and the FE-45 (1/2.3") and E-PL5 (Four Thirds) possess different sensor size.

The FE-45 was released 4 years prior to the E-PL5 which is a fairly large gap as far as camera tech is concerned. The two cameras offer different body type with the Olympus FE-45 being a Compact camera and the Olympus E-PL5 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.
Before going in to a full comparison, below is a concise overview of how the FE-45 scores versus the E-PL5 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Olympus FE-45 vs Olympus E-PL5 Gallery
Following is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus FE-45 and Olympus PEN E-PL5. The complete galleries are provided at Olympus FE-45 Gallery and Olympus E-PL5 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus FE-45 over the Olympus E-PL5
FE-45 | E-PL5 |
---|
Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL5 over the Olympus FE-45
E-PL5 | FE-45 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Announced | September 2012 | ![]() | January 2009 | Newer by 44 months |
Manual focus | ![]() | More precise focusing | ||
Display type | Tilting | ![]() | Fixed | Tilting display |
Display sizing | 3" | ![]() | 2.5" | Larger display (+0.5") |
Display resolution | 460k | ![]() | 230k | Sharper display (+230k dot) |
Selfie screen | ![]() | Easy selfies | ||
Touch friendly display | ![]() | Easily navigate |
Common features in the Olympus FE-45 and Olympus E-PL5
FE-45 | E-PL5 |
---|
Olympus FE-45 vs Olympus E-PL5 Physical Comparison
If you are planning to travel with your camera often, you will want to factor its weight and dimensions. The Olympus FE-45 comes with outside measurements of 94mm x 62mm x 23mm (3.7" x 2.4" x 0.9") accompanied by a weight of 142 grams (0.31 lbs) while the Olympus E-PL5 has dimensions of 111mm x 64mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.5") along with a weight of 325 grams (0.72 lbs).
Examine the Olympus FE-45 and Olympus E-PL5 in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Do not forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary depending on the lens you select during that time. Underneath is the front view dimension comparison of the FE-45 compared to the E-PL5.

Considering size and weight, the portability rating of the FE-45 and E-PL5 is 95 and 88 respectively.

Olympus FE-45 vs Olympus E-PL5 Sensor Comparison
Generally, its hard to imagine the gap in sensor dimensions purely by researching a spec sheet. The image underneath will help give you a greater sense of the sensor measurements in the FE-45 and E-PL5.
Clearly, both of these cameras offer different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The FE-45 featuring a smaller sensor is going to make shooting shallower depth of field more difficult and the Olympus E-PL5 will render more detail as a result of its extra 6 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also make it easier to crop images a little more aggressively. The more aged FE-45 will be disadvantaged with regard to sensor innovation.

Olympus FE-45 vs Olympus E-PL5 Screen and ViewFinder


Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison

Street Comparison

Sports Comparison

Travel Comparison

Landscape Comparison

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus FE-45 vs Olympus E-PL5 Specifications
Olympus FE-45 | Olympus PEN E-PL5 | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Make | Olympus | Olympus |
Model | Olympus FE-45 | Olympus PEN E-PL5 |
Type | Small Sensor Compact | Entry-Level Mirrorless |
Introduced | 2009-01-07 | 2012-09-17 |
Physical type | Compact | Rangefinder-style mirrorless |
Sensor Information | ||
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 | 10 megapixels | 16 megapixels |
Anti aliasing filter | ||
Aspect ratio | 16:9, 4:3 and 3:2 | 4:3 |
Max resolution | 3648 x 2736 | 4608 x 3456 |
Max native ISO | 1600 | 25600 |
Minimum native ISO | 64 | 200 |
RAW data | ||
Autofocusing | ||
Focus manually | ||
AF touch | ||
AF continuous | ||
Single AF | ||
AF tracking | ||
AF selectice | ||
Center weighted AF | ||
Multi area AF | ||
Live view AF | ||
Face detect AF | ||
Contract detect AF | ||
Phase detect AF | ||
Number of focus points | - | 35 |
Lens | ||
Lens mounting type | fixed lens | Micro Four Thirds |
Lens focal range | 36-108mm (3.0x) | - |
Highest aperture | f/3.1-5.9 | - |
Macro focus distance | 5cm | - |
Total lenses | - | 107 |
Focal length multiplier | 5.9 | 2.1 |
Screen | ||
Type of display | Fixed Type | Tilting |
Display diagonal | 2.5" | 3" |
Display resolution | 230k dots | 460k dots |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch function | ||
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 | - | 8.0fps |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Manual mode | ||
Exposure compensation | - | Yes |
Custom WB | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Integrated flash | ||
Flash range | - | 7.00 m (bundled FL-LM1) |
Flash settings | Auto, Fill-in, Red-Eye reduction, Off, On | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) |
External flash | ||
AEB | ||
WB bracketing | ||
Max flash synchronize | - | 1/250 secs |
Exposure | ||
Multisegment exposure | ||
Average exposure | ||
Spot exposure | ||
Partial exposure | ||
AF area exposure | ||
Center weighted exposure | ||
Video features | ||
Supported video resolutions | 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15 fps) | 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) |
Max 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 | ||
Environmental sealing | ||
Water proof | ||
Dust proof | ||
Shock proof | ||
Crush proof | ||
Freeze proof | ||
Weight | 142 grams (0.31 lbs) | 325 grams (0.72 lbs) |
Dimensions | 94 x 62 x 23mm (3.7" x 2.4" 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 photos |
Battery style | - | Battery Pack |
Battery model | - | BLS-5 |
Self timer | Yes (12 seconds) | Yes (2 or 12 sec) |
Time lapse feature | ||
Storage type | xD-Picture Card, microSD, internal | SD/SDHC/SDXC |
Card slots | 1 | 1 |
Cost at release | $130 | $400 |