Olympus E-M1 vs Olympus E-PL5

Let's look much closer at the Olympus E-M1 vs Olympus E-PL5, former being a Pro Mirrorless while the latter is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and both of them are built by Olympus. The sensor resolution of the E-M1 (16MP) and the E-PL5 (16MP) is relatively comparable and they use the same exact sensor sizing (Four Thirds).

Photography Glossary

The E-M1 was brought out 14 months later than the E-PL5 which makes the cameras a generation apart from one another. Both of the cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-M1 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Olympus E-PL5 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before diving in to a thorough comparison, below is a concise summation of how the E-M1 scores versus the E-PL5 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Here is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus OM-D E-M1 & Olympus PEN E-PL5. The entire galleries are provided at Olympus E-M1 Gallery & Olympus E-PL5 Gallery.

For anyone who is planning to carry your camera often, you're going to have to think about its weight and volume. The Olympus E-M1 enjoys external measurements of 130mm x 94mm x 63mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.5") with a weight of 497 grams (1.10 lbs) whilst the Olympus E-PL5 has sizing of 111mm x 64mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.5") with a weight of 325 grams (0.72 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus E-M1 vs Olympus E-PL5 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you are utilizing at the time. Below is the front view sizing comparison of the E-M1 vs the E-PL5.

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-M1 and E-PL5 is 71 and 88 respectively.

Quite often, its tough to envision the contrast in sensor sizing only by going through technical specs. The graphic here will give you a stronger sense of the sensor measurements in the E-M1 and E-PL5.

As you have seen, each of these cameras enjoy the same exact sensor sizing and the identical megapixels and you can expect comparable quality of images however you should take the age of the cameras into account. The younger E-M1 will have a benefit with regard to sensor innovation.