Olympus FE-5020 vs Olympus PEN-F

Below is a detailed review of the Olympus FE-5020 vs Olympus PEN-F, former being a Small Sensor Compact while the latter is a Advanced Mirrorless and both of them are designed by Olympus. There is a noticeable difference between the image resolutions of the FE-5020 (12MP) and PEN-F (20MP) and the FE-5020 (1/2.3") and PEN-F (Four Thirds) enjoy different sensor size.

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The FE-5020 was unveiled 7 years earlier than the PEN-F and that is quite a sizable difference as far as tech is concerned. Both of these cameras offer different body type with the Olympus FE-5020 being a Compact camera and the Olympus PEN-F being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before going straight into a more detailed comparison, below is a short synopsis of how the FE-5020 matches up against the PEN-F with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

The following is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus FE-5020 & Olympus PEN-F. The full galleries are viewable at Olympus FE-5020 Gallery & Olympus PEN-F Gallery.

If you are planning to lug around your camera often, you have to take into account its weight and volume. The Olympus FE-5020 features 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 PEN-F has sizing of 125mm x 72mm x 37mm (4.9" x 2.8" x 1.5") and a weight of 427 grams (0.94 lbs).

Check out the Olympus FE-5020 vs Olympus PEN-F in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you are employing at that time. The following is the front view dimensions comparison of the FE-5020 and the PEN-F.

Considering size and weight, the portability rating of the FE-5020 and PEN-F is 95 and 84 respectively.

In many cases, its hard to imagine the gap between sensor measurements merely by looking at specifications. The graphic below will give you a better sense of the sensor sizing in the FE-5020 and PEN-F.

To sum up, each of these cameras offer different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The FE-5020 having a tinier sensor is going to make shooting shallower DOF more difficult and the Olympus PEN-F will give you more detail having an extra 8 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also enable you to crop photographs a little more aggressively. The older FE-5020 is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor innovation.