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Olympus E-M10 IV vs Olympus E-PL5

Portability
81
Imaging
62
Features
83
Overall
70
Olympus OM-D E-M10 IV front
 
Olympus PEN E-PL5 front
Portability
88
Imaging
52
Features
72
Overall
60

Olympus E-M10 IV vs Olympus E-PL5 Key Specs

Olympus E-M10 IV
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 383g - 122 x 84 x 49mm
  • Released August 2020
  • Superseded the Olympus E-M10 III
Olympus E-PL5
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 325g - 111 x 64 x 38mm
  • Introduced September 2012
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Olympus E-M10 IV vs Olympus E-PL5 Overview

Lets look much closer at the Olympus E-M10 IV and Olympus E-PL5, both Entry-Level Mirrorless digital cameras and both of them are manufactured by Olympus. There exists a sizeable gap between the sensor resolutions of the E-M10 IV (20MP) and E-PL5 (16MP) but both cameras provide the same sensor size (Four Thirds).

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The E-M10 IV was launched 7 years later than the E-PL5 and that is quite a large gap as far as technology is concerned. The two cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-M10 IV being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Olympus E-PL5 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before delving straight to a more detailed comparison, here is a concise highlight of how the E-M10 IV scores vs the E-PL5 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-M10 IV over the Olympus E-PL5

 E-M10 IV E-PL5 
IntroducedAugust 2020September 2012More recent by 96 months
Screen resolution1040k460kClearer screen (+580k dot)

Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL5 over the Olympus E-M10 IV

 E-PL5 E-M10 IV 

Common features in the Olympus E-M10 IV and Olympus E-PL5

 E-M10 IV E-PL5 
Focus manually Very precise focusing
Screen typeTiltingTiltingTilting screen
Screen dimensions3"3"Equal screen size
Selfie screen Both are selfie friendly
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Olympus E-M10 IV vs Olympus E-PL5 Physical Comparison

If you are going to lug around your camera frequently, you will need to factor in its weight and size. The Olympus E-M10 IV has got external dimensions of 122mm x 84mm x 49mm (4.8" x 3.3" x 1.9") and a weight of 383 grams (0.84 lbs) whilst the Olympus E-PL5 has specifications 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-M10 IV and Olympus E-PL5 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ depending on the lens you have attached at that time. Below is a front view dimensions comparison of the E-M10 IV vs the E-PL5.

Olympus E-M10 IV vs Olympus E-PL5 size comparison

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-M10 IV and E-PL5 is 81 and 88 respectively.

Olympus E-M10 IV vs Olympus E-PL5 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-M10 IV vs Olympus E-PL5 Sensor Comparison

Normally, it can be difficult to see the difference between sensor measurements purely by reading technical specs. The photograph underneath should offer you a more clear sense of the sensor sizes in the E-M10 IV and E-PL5.

As you have seen, both of these cameras have the same sensor dimensions albeit not the same resolution. You should count on the Olympus E-M10 IV to offer more detail utilizing its extra 4MP. Higher resolution can also allow you to crop pictures a bit more aggressively. The younger E-M10 IV is going to have a benefit in sensor innovation.

Olympus E-M10 IV vs Olympus E-PL5 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-M10 IV vs Olympus E-PL5 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-M10 IV vs Olympus E-PL5 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-M10 IV Portrait photography advice
Olympus E-PL5 Portrait photography advice
77
manual focus
resolution is good (20 megapixels)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
offers face detection focus
delivers RAW formats
71
you can focus manually
good resolution (16MP)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
has face detect focus
delivers RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-M10 IV Street photography factors
Olympus E-PL5 Street photography factors
84
has a tilting screen
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
has touch focus
good ISO range (25,600)
85
tilting screen
image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
provides focus by touch
good ISO range (25,600)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-M10 IV Sports photography details
Olympus E-PL5 Sports photography details
72
quiet shutter (1/16,000 seconds)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
resolution is good (20 megapixels)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
offers tracking autofocus
lacks phase detect auto focus
66
image stabilization (Sensor based)
good resolution (16 megapixels)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
has tracking focus
has no phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-M10 IV Travel photography features
Olympus E-PL5 Travel photography features
84
has bluetooth
has touch focus
resolution is good (20 megapixels)
built-in flash
selfie friendly display
75
provides focus by touch
good resolution (16 megapixels)
display is selfie friendly
lack of Time Lapse mode
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-M10 IV Landscape photography info
Olympus E-PL5 Landscape photography info
82
manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
nice screen size (3 inches)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
resolution is good (20 megapixels)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
good ISO range (25,600)
delivers RAW formats
74
you can focus manually
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is good (3")
image stabilization (Sensor based)
good resolution (16 megapixels)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
good ISO range (25,600)
delivers RAW formats
lack of Time Lapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-M10 IV as a Vlogging camera
Olympus E-PL5 as a Vlogging camera
78
selfie friendly display
touchscreen enabled
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
offers face detection focus
video resolution high (3840 x 2160 pxls)
missing external mic jack
78
display is selfie friendly
touchscreen functionality
image stabilization (Sensor based)
has face detect focus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
lack of mic jack
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Olympus E-M10 IV vs Olympus E-PL5 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M10 IV and Olympus E-PL5
 Olympus OM-D E-M10 IVOlympus PEN E-PL5
General Information
Make Olympus Olympus
Model type Olympus OM-D E-M10 IV Olympus PEN E-PL5
Type Entry-Level Mirrorless Entry-Level Mirrorless
Released 2020-08-04 2012-09-17
Body design SLR-style mirrorless Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Processor TruePic VIII -
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds Four Thirds
Sensor dimensions 17.4 x 13mm 17.3 x 13mm
Sensor surface area 226.2mm² 224.9mm²
Sensor resolution 20MP 16MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3
Peak resolution 5184 x 3888 4608 x 3456
Highest native ISO 25600 25600
Minimum native ISO 200 200
RAW data
Minimum enhanced ISO 100 -
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
AF continuous
Single AF
Tracking AF
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Total focus points 121 35
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds Micro Four Thirds
Available lenses 107 107
Crop factor 2.1 2.1
Screen
Range of display Tilting Tilting
Display size 3 inches 3 inches
Display resolution 1,040 thousand dot 460 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic Electronic (optional)
Viewfinder resolution 2,360 thousand dot -
Viewfinder coverage 100% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.62x -
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60 secs 60 secs
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/4000 secs
Fastest quiet shutter speed 1/16000 secs -
Continuous shutter speed 8.7 frames/s 8.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 7.20 m (at ISO 200) 7.00 m (bundled FL-LM1)
Flash settings Redeye, fill-in, off, redeye slow-sync (1st-curtain), slow sync (1st-curtain), slow sync (2nd-curtain), manual Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels)
External flash
AEB
WB bracketing
Fastest flash sync 1/250 secs 1/250 secs
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 3840 x 2160 @ 30p / 102 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM3840 x 2160 @ 25p / 102 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM3840 x 2160 @ 24p / 102 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM1920 x 1080 @ 60p / 52 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM1920 x 1080 @ 50p / 52 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM1920 x 1080 @ 30p / 52 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM1920 x 1080 @ 25p / 52 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM1920 x 1080 @ 24p / 52 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution 3840x2160 1920x1080
Video format MPEG-4, H.264 MPEG-4, H.264, Motion JPEG
Mic input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 383 gr (0.84 lbs) 325 gr (0.72 lbs)
Physical dimensions 122 x 84 x 49mm (4.8" x 3.3" x 1.9") 111 x 64 x 38mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.5")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating not tested 72
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 22.8
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 12.3
DXO Low light rating not tested 889
Other
Battery life 360 shots 360 shots
Battery format Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLS-50 BLS-5
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec, custom) Yes (2 or 12 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-II supported) SD/SDHC/SDXC
Storage slots Single Single
Cost at release $699 $400