Olympus FE-5020 vs Olympus E-PL5

Let's take a more detailed look at the Olympus FE-5020 versus Olympus E-PL5, one is a Small Sensor Compact and the other is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and both are designed by Olympus. There exists a significant gap among the image resolutions of the FE-5020 (12MP) and E-PL5 (16MP) and the FE-5020 (1/2.3") and E-PL5 (Four Thirds) provide different sensor measurements.

Photography Glossary

The FE-5020 was brought out 4 years before the E-PL5 which is a fairly sizable gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus FE-5020 being a Compact camera and the Olympus E-PL5 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before diving straight to a in-depth comparison, here is a quick summation of how the FE-5020 grades against the E-PL5 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Below is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus FE-5020 and Olympus PEN E-PL5. The entire galleries are available at Olympus FE-5020 Gallery and Olympus E-PL5 Gallery.

For anyone who is planning to travel with your camera often, you'll have to think about its weight and volume. The Olympus FE-5020 has got external measurements of 93mm x 56mm x 25mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 1.0") along with a weight of 137 grams (0.30 lbs) whilst the Olympus E-PL5 has sizing of 111mm x 64mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.5") and a weight of 325 grams (0.72 lbs).

Check the Olympus FE-5020 versus Olympus E-PL5 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Do not forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change based on the lens you are working with at that time. The following is a front view sizing comparison of the FE-5020 against the E-PL5.

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the FE-5020 and E-PL5 is 95 and 88 respectively.

Normally, it is tough to imagine the contrast in sensor dimensions merely by going through specs. The picture here should give you a clearer sense of the sensor measurements in the FE-5020 and E-PL5.

All in all, both of the cameras feature different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The FE-5020 because of its smaller sensor is going to make getting shallower depth of field more difficult and the Olympus E-PL5 will show extra detail having its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also enable you to crop images way more aggressively. The more aged FE-5020 will be behind when it comes to sensor tech.