Olympus FE-5020 vs Olympus E-PL7

On this page, we are evaluating the Olympus FE-5020 and Olympus E-PL7, former is a Small Sensor Compact while the other is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and they are both built by Olympus. There exists a substantial gap among the resolutions of the FE-5020 (12MP) and E-PL7 (16MP) and the FE-5020 (1/2.3") and E-PL7 (Four Thirds) offer totally different sensor measurements.

Photography Glossary

The FE-5020 was launched 6 years before the E-PL7 which is a fairly big difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of the cameras have different body design with the Olympus FE-5020 being a Compact camera and the Olympus E-PL7 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before diving right into a thorough comparison, here is a brief synopsis of how the FE-5020 scores vs the E-PL7 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Here is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus FE-5020 & Olympus PEN E-PL7. The complete galleries are provided at Olympus FE-5020 Gallery & Olympus E-PL7 Gallery.

For anybody who is planning to carry around your camera regularly, you will want to factor its weight and proportions. The Olympus FE-5020 provides outside dimensions of 93mm x 56mm x 25mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 1.0") and a weight of 137 grams (0.30 lbs) while the Olympus E-PL7 has measurements of 115mm x 67mm x 38mm (4.5" x 2.6" x 1.5") with a weight of 357 grams (0.79 lbs).

Look at the Olympus FE-5020 and Olympus E-PL7 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you are using at that time. Following is a front view size comparison of the FE-5020 compared to the E-PL7.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability score of the FE-5020 and E-PL7 is 95 and 86 respectively.

Sometimes, it is very difficult to envision the gap in sensor sizes only by going through technical specs. The pic here should provide you a greater sense of the sensor sizes in the FE-5020 and E-PL7.

As you can tell, both cameras provide different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The FE-5020 due to its smaller sensor will make shooting shallower depth of field more difficult and the Olympus E-PL7 will produce greater detail utilizing its extra 4MP. Greater resolution can also let you crop photos more aggressively. The more aged FE-5020 will be disadvantaged with regard to sensor tech.