Olympus FE-5010 vs Panasonic GF5

Let's look a bit more closely at the Olympus FE-5010 and Panasonic GF5, one being a Small Sensor Compact and the latter is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by manufacturers Olympus and Panasonic. The resolution of the FE-5010 (12MP) and the GF5 (12MP) is relatively well matched but the FE-5010 (1/2.3") and GF5 (Four Thirds) offer different sensor sizing.

Photography Glossary

The FE-5010 was introduced 4 years earlier than the GF5 and that is quite a sizable gap as far as tech is concerned. Both of these cameras have different body design with the Olympus FE-5010 being a Compact camera and the Panasonic GF5 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before getting into a detailed comparison, here is a short summation of how the FE-5010 matches up against the GF5 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Following is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus FE-5010 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF5. The whole galleries are provided at Olympus FE-5010 Gallery and Panasonic GF5 Gallery.

If you are aiming to lug around your camera frequently, you are going to need to take into account its weight and measurements. The Olympus FE-5010 features outside measurements of 96mm x 57mm x 21mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.8") having a weight of 130 grams (0.29 lbs) and the Panasonic GF5 has proportions of 108mm x 67mm x 37mm (4.3" x 2.6" x 1.5") with a weight of 267 grams (0.59 lbs).

Look at the Olympus FE-5010 and Panasonic GF5 in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary depending on the lens you have attached at that moment. Here is a front view sizing comparison of the FE-5010 vs the GF5.

Looking at size and weight, the portability grade of the FE-5010 and GF5 is 96 and 89 respectively.

Often, its hard to visualize the difference between sensor measurements purely by looking at specs. The visual below might provide you a more clear sense of the sensor sizing in the FE-5010 and GF5.

All in all, the two cameras provide the same resolution albeit different sensor measurements. The FE-5010 uses the tinier sensor which is going to make obtaining shallow DOF trickier. The older FE-5010 is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor technology.