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Olympus E-M5 III vs Olympus E-PL1

Portability
80
Imaging
62
Features
88
Overall
72
Olympus OM-D E-M5 III front
 
Olympus PEN E-PL1 front
Portability
86
Imaging
47
Features
43
Overall
45

Olympus E-M5 III vs Olympus E-PL1 Key Specs

Olympus E-M5 III
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 4096 x 2160 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 414g - 125 x 85 x 50mm
  • Released October 2019
  • Earlier Model is Olympus E-M5 II
  • Renewed by OM System OM-5
Olympus E-PL1
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 334g - 115 x 72 x 42mm
  • Announced May 2010
  • Later Model is Olympus E-PL1s
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Olympus E-M5 III vs Olympus E-PL1 Overview

Let's examine more in depth at the Olympus E-M5 III and Olympus E-PL1, former being a Advanced Mirrorless while the latter is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and both are sold by Olympus. There exists a substantial gap among the sensor resolutions of the E-M5 III (20MP) and E-PL1 (12MP) but they enjoy the exact same sensor dimensions (Four Thirds).

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The E-M5 III was announced 9 years later than the E-PL1 and that is a fairly big difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both of the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-M5 III being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Olympus E-PL1 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before we go through a detailed comparison, below is a simple highlight of how the E-M5 III grades versus the E-PL1 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-M5 III over the Olympus E-PL1

 E-M5 III E-PL1 
AnnouncedOctober 2019May 2010Fresher by 115 months
Screen typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating screen
Screen dimension3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution1040k230kClearer screen (+810k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL1 over the Olympus E-M5 III

 E-PL1 E-M5 III 

Common features in the Olympus E-M5 III and Olympus E-PL1

 E-M5 III E-PL1 
Manual focus More accurate focus

Olympus E-M5 III vs Olympus E-PL1 Physical Comparison

In case you're aiming to carry your camera often, you'll need to factor in its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-M5 III has external measurements of 125mm x 85mm x 50mm (4.9" x 3.3" x 2.0") having a weight of 414 grams (0.91 lbs) while the Olympus E-PL1 has dimensions of 115mm x 72mm x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") having a weight of 334 grams (0.74 lbs).

Check the Olympus E-M5 III and Olympus E-PL1 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you select at that moment. Below is the front view dimensions comparison of the E-M5 III vs the E-PL1.

Olympus E-M5 III vs Olympus E-PL1 size comparison

Using dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-M5 III and E-PL1 is 80 and 86 respectively.

Olympus E-M5 III vs Olympus E-PL1 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-M5 III vs Olympus E-PL1 Sensor Comparison

Normally, its tough to visualize the gap in sensor sizing only by going through a spec sheet. The graphic below will help provide you a greater sense of the sensor sizing in the E-M5 III and E-PL1.

Clearly, each of the cameras have got the exact same sensor measurements albeit different MP. You can expect the Olympus E-M5 III to provide more detail with its extra 8MP. Higher resolution will help you crop shots much more aggressively. The more recent E-M5 III should have an edge in sensor innovation.

Olympus E-M5 III vs Olympus E-PL1 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-M5 III vs Olympus E-PL1 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-M5 III vs Olympus E-PL1 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-M5 III Portrait photography features
Olympus E-PL1 Portrait photography features
77
manual focus
good MP (20 megapixels)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
has face detection focusing
supports RAW files
60
manual focus
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
features face detect focusing
exports RAW formats
sensor resolution not great (12 megapixels)
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-M5 III as a Street photography camera
Olympus E-PL1 as a Street photography camera
83
screen articulates
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
includes touch to focus
environment proof
good high ISO (25,600)
74
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
screen does not articulate
Photography Glossary

Sports Comparison

Olympus E-M5 III as a Sports photography camera
Olympus E-PL1 as a Sports photography camera
76
great max shutter speed (1/8,000 seconds)
quiet shutter (1/32,000 seconds)
max fps high (30.0 frames per second)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good MP (20 megapixels)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
has tracking autofocus
environment proof
has phase detect AF
terrible battery pack (310 shots)
44
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
features tracking focus
painfully slow continuous shooting (3.0 fps)
sensor resolution not great (12MP)
bad battery power (290 per charge)
lack of phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-M5 III as a Travel photography camera
Olympus E-PL1 as a Travel photography camera
77
environment proof
has bluetooth
includes touch to focus
good MP (20MP)
screen is selfie friendly
terrible battery pack (310 per charge)
51
has built in flash
does not have Timelapse mode
bad battery power (290 shots)
sensor resolution not great (12MP)
doesn't posses selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-M5 III Landscape photography details
Olympus E-PL1 Landscape photography details
77
manual focus
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is good (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good MP (20MP)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
good high ISO (25,600)
supports RAW files
environment proof
terrible battery pack (310 per charge)
55
manual focus
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
screen is small (2.7 inches)
sensor resolution not great (12 megapixels)
bad battery power (290 per charge)
does not have Timelapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-M5 III Vlogging factors
Olympus E-PL1 Vlogging factors
84
screen is selfie friendly
touch screen
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
has face detection focusing
great video quality (4096 x 2160 pxls)
has external microphone jack
29
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
features face detect focusing
doesn't posses selfie friendly screen
video res low (1280 x 720 pixels)
does not have microphone socket
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Olympus E-M5 III vs Olympus E-PL1 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M5 III and Olympus E-PL1
 Olympus OM-D E-M5 IIIOlympus PEN E-PL1
General Information
Company Olympus Olympus
Model type Olympus OM-D E-M5 III Olympus PEN E-PL1
Category Advanced Mirrorless Entry-Level Mirrorless
Released 2019-10-17 2010-05-17
Physical type SLR-style mirrorless Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Processor TruePic VIII Truepic V
Sensor type MOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds Four Thirds
Sensor measurements 17.4 x 13mm 17.3 x 13mm
Sensor area 226.2mm² 224.9mm²
Sensor resolution 20 megapixels 12 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Highest resolution 5184 x 3888 4032 x 3024
Highest native ISO 25600 3200
Min native ISO 200 100
RAW photos
Min boosted ISO 64 -
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch focus
AF continuous
Single AF
Tracking AF
Selective AF
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Total focus points 121 11
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds Micro Four Thirds
Available lenses 107 107
Crop factor 2.1 2.1
Screen
Type of screen Fully Articulated Fixed Type
Screen diagonal 3 inch 2.7 inch
Screen resolution 1,040k dots 230k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Screen tech - HyperCrystal LCD AR (Anti-Reflective) coating
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic Electronic (optional)
Viewfinder resolution 2,360k dots -
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.68x -
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 seconds 60 seconds
Highest shutter speed 1/8000 seconds 1/2000 seconds
Highest silent shutter speed 1/32000 seconds -
Continuous shooting rate 30.0 frames/s 3.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance no built-in flash 10.00 m
Flash modes 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)
Hot shoe
AEB
WB bracketing
Highest flash synchronize 1/250 seconds 1/160 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions 4096 x 2160 @ 24p / 237 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution 4096x2160 1280x720
Video file format MPEG-4, H.264 Motion JPEG
Microphone port
Headphone port
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 sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 414 gr (0.91 lbs) 334 gr (0.74 lbs)
Dimensions 125 x 85 x 50mm (4.9" x 3.3" x 2.0") 115 x 72 x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating not tested 54
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 21.5
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 10.1
DXO Low light rating not tested 487
Other
Battery life 310 images 290 images
Battery type Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLN-1 BLS-1
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 secs, custom) Yes (2 or 12 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-II supported) SD/SDHC card
Card slots 1 1
Price at launch $1,199 $288