Olympus E-M1 II vs Olympus E-PL5

Below, we will be contrasting the Olympus E-M1 II and Olympus E-PL5, former is a Pro Mirrorless while the latter is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and both are sold by Olympus. There is a considerable difference among the sensor resolutions of the E-M1 II (20MP) and E-PL5 (16MP) but they come with the exact same sensor measurements (Four Thirds).

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The E-M1 II was revealed 4 years after the E-PL5 which is a fairly large difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Each of these cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-M1 II being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Olympus E-PL5 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before delving in to a more detailed comparison, below is a quick synopsis of how the E-M1 II matches up against the E-PL5 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

The following is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II & Olympus PEN E-PL5. The full galleries are available at Olympus E-M1 II Gallery & Olympus E-PL5 Gallery.

For anyone who is looking to carry around your camera often, you'll have to take into account its weight and size. The Olympus E-M1 II provides physical dimensions of 134mm x 91mm x 67mm (5.3" x 3.6" x 2.6") having a weight of 574 grams (1.27 lbs) while the Olympus E-PL5 has specifications 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 E-M1 II and Olympus E-PL5 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you are using during that time. Underneath is the front view scale comparison of the E-M1 II vs the E-PL5.

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability score of the E-M1 II and E-PL5 is 68 and 88 respectively.

In many cases, its tough to picture the gap in sensor sizes just by viewing technical specs. The image underneath will offer you a much better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-M1 II and E-PL5.

As you can tell, the 2 cameras have got the exact same sensor measurements albeit different MP. You can expect the Olympus E-M1 II to result in greater detail because of its extra 4MP. Higher resolution will make it easier to crop photographs much more aggressively. The more recent E-M1 II should have an edge when it comes to sensor innovation.