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Olympus E-M5 II vs Olympus E-P1

Portability
80
Imaging
53
Features
84
Overall
65
Olympus OM-D E-M5 II front
 
Olympus PEN E-P1 front
Portability
86
Imaging
47
Features
42
Overall
45

Olympus E-M5 II vs Olympus E-P1 Key Specs

Olympus E-M5 II
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Display
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 469g - 124 x 85 x 45mm
  • Launched February 2015
  • Superseded the Olympus E-M5
  • Updated by Olympus E-M5 III
Olympus E-P1
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 355g - 121 x 70 x 36mm
  • Revealed July 2009
  • Updated by Olympus E-P2
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Olympus E-M5 II vs Olympus E-P1 Overview

Below is a in-depth review of the Olympus E-M5 II versus Olympus E-P1, former being a Advanced Mirrorless while the other is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and both are designed by Olympus. There is a sizable difference among the resolutions of the E-M5 II (16MP) and E-P1 (12MP) but they feature the exact same sensor measurements (Four Thirds).

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The E-M5 II was unveiled 5 years later than the E-P1 and that is a fairly significant difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Each of the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-M5 II being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Olympus E-P1 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before going in to a in depth comparison, below is a brief overview of how the E-M5 II matches up versus the E-P1 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-M5 II over the Olympus E-P1

 E-M5 II E-P1 
RevealedFebruary 2015July 2009More recent by 68 months
Display typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating display
Display resolution1037k230kCrisper display (+807k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Olympus E-P1 over the Olympus E-M5 II

 E-P1 E-M5 II 

Common features in the Olympus E-M5 II and Olympus E-P1

 E-M5 II E-P1 
Manual focus Very exact focus
Display dimension3"3"Identical display measurements

Olympus E-M5 II vs Olympus E-P1 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is intending to lug around your camera frequently, you will want to think about its weight and size. The Olympus E-M5 II has exterior dimensions of 124mm x 85mm x 45mm (4.9" x 3.3" x 1.8") along with a weight of 469 grams (1.03 lbs) whilst the Olympus E-P1 has specifications of 121mm x 70mm x 36mm (4.8" x 2.8" x 1.4") and a weight of 355 grams (0.78 lbs).

Compare the Olympus E-M5 II versus Olympus E-P1 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you are working with during that time. Below is the front view sizing comparison of the E-M5 II versus the E-P1.

Olympus E-M5 II vs Olympus E-P1 size comparison

Taking into account size and weight, the portability score of the E-M5 II and E-P1 is 80 and 86 respectively.

Olympus E-M5 II vs Olympus E-P1 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-M5 II vs Olympus E-P1 Sensor Comparison

In many cases, it is very difficult to see the contrast in sensor measurements only by viewing a spec sheet. The photograph here will help provide you a better sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-M5 II and E-P1.

As you can see, both of these cameras posses the exact same sensor measurements but not the same resolution. You can expect to see the Olympus E-M5 II to provide you with greater detail having an extra 4MP. Greater resolution will allow you to crop images somewhat more aggressively. The more recent E-M5 II is going to have an advantage in sensor technology.

Olympus E-M5 II vs Olympus E-P1 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-M5 II vs Olympus E-P1 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-M5 II vs Olympus E-P1 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-M5 II Portrait photography factors
Olympus E-P1 Portrait photography factors
71
manual focus
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
includes face detect autofocus
delivers RAW formats
60
you can focus manually
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
comes with face detect focusing
saves RAW files
sensor resolution low (12MP)
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-M5 II Street photography info
Olympus E-P1 Street photography info
82
screen articulates
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
features focus by touch
weather proofing
very good high ISO (25,600)
74
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
no moving screen
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-M5 II Sports photography details
Olympus E-P1 Sports photography details
65
great max shutter speed (1/8,000s)
silent mode (1/16,000s)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent megapixels (16MP)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
includes tracking focus
weather proofing
low battery life (310 shots)
lacks phase detect autofocus
40
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
max frames per second low (3.0 frames per second)
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
bad battery (300 shots)
does not have phase detect AF
Photography Glossary

Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus E-M5 II
Travel photography with Olympus E-P1
74
weather proofing
features focus by touch
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
selfie friendly display
low battery life (310 per charge)
43
missing Time Lapse recording
bad battery (300 shots)
sensor resolution low (12MP)
display isn't selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-M5 II as a Landscape photography camera
Olympus E-P1 as a Landscape photography camera
74
manual focus
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
decent sized screen (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
very good high ISO (25,600)
delivers RAW formats
weather proofing
low battery life (310 CIPA)
60
you can focus manually
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
bad battery (300 per charge)
missing Time Lapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus E-M5 II
Vlogging with Olympus E-P1
82
selfie friendly display
touchscreen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
includes face detect autofocus
high res video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
comes with microphone port
29
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
comes with face detect focusing
display isn't selfie friendly
video res low (1280 x 720 pixels)
missing mic port
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Olympus E-M5 II vs Olympus E-P1 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M5 II and Olympus E-P1
 Olympus OM-D E-M5 IIOlympus PEN E-P1
General Information
Make Olympus Olympus
Model Olympus OM-D E-M5 II Olympus PEN E-P1
Category Advanced Mirrorless Entry-Level Mirrorless
Launched 2015-02-06 2009-07-29
Body design SLR-style mirrorless Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Processor TruePic VII TruePic V
Sensor type MOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds Four Thirds
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 17.3 x 13mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 224.9mm²
Sensor resolution 16MP 12MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 4608 x 3456 4032 x 3024
Maximum native ISO 25600 6400
Min native ISO 200 100
RAW photos
Min boosted ISO 100 -
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch focus
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Number of focus points 81 11
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds Micro Four Thirds
Available lenses 107 107
Crop factor 2.1 2.1
Screen
Range of display Fully Articulated Fixed Type
Display sizing 3 inches 3 inches
Resolution of display 1,037k dot 230k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Display technology - HyperCrystal LCD with AR(Anti-Reflective) coating
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic None
Viewfinder resolution 2,360k dot -
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.74x -
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60s 60s
Maximum shutter speed 1/8000s 1/4000s
Maximum quiet shutter speed 1/16000s -
Continuous shooting speed 10.0 frames/s 3.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range no built-in flash no built-in flash
Flash settings Auto, redeye, fill, off, redeye slow sync, slow sync, 2nd-curtain slow sync, manual Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels)
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Maximum flash sync 1/250s 1/180s
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60p, 50p, 30p, 25p, 24p), 1280 x 720 (60p, 50p, 30p, 25p, 24p), 640 x 480 (30p) 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video format MPEG-4, H.264, Motion JPEG Motion JPEG
Mic jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 469g (1.03 pounds) 355g (0.78 pounds)
Dimensions 124 x 85 x 45mm (4.9" x 3.3" x 1.8") 121 x 70 x 36mm (4.8" x 2.8" x 1.4")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 73 55
DXO Color Depth score 23.0 21.4
DXO Dynamic range score 12.4 10.4
DXO Low light score 896 536
Other
Battery life 310 pictures 300 pictures
Battery form Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model BLN-1 BLS-1
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 secs, custom) Yes (2 or 12 sec)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC card
Storage slots 1 1
Cost at launch $699 $182