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Olympus E-M5 vs Olympus E-PL7

Portability
81
Imaging
52
Features
70
Overall
59
Olympus OM-D E-M5 front
 
Olympus PEN E-PL7 front
Portability
86
Imaging
53
Features
81
Overall
64

Olympus E-M5 vs Olympus E-PL7 Key Specs

Olympus E-M5
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 425g - 122 x 89 x 43mm
  • Announced April 2012
  • Successor is Olympus E-M5 II
Olympus E-PL7
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 357g - 115 x 67 x 38mm
  • Revealed September 2014
  • Old Model is Olympus E-PL6
  • Replacement is Olympus E-PL8
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Olympus E-M5 vs Olympus E-PL7 Overview

Its time to look a little more in depth at the Olympus E-M5 versus Olympus E-PL7, former is a Advanced Mirrorless while the other is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and both of them are sold by Olympus. The image resolution of the E-M5 (16MP) and the E-PL7 (16MP) is fairly close and they feature the exact same sensor sizing (Four Thirds).

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The E-M5 was unveiled 3 years prior to the E-PL7 which is a fairly significant difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-M5 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Olympus E-PL7 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before going in to a more detailed comparison, below is a short introduction of how the E-M5 scores vs the E-PL7 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-M5 over the Olympus E-PL7

 E-M5 E-PL7 

Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL7 over the Olympus E-M5

 E-PL7 E-M5 
RevealedSeptember 2014April 2012More modern by 28 months
Display resolution1037k610kCrisper display (+427k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies

Common features in the Olympus E-M5 and Olympus E-PL7

 E-M5 E-PL7 
Focus manually More exact focus
Display typeTiltingTiltingTilting display
Display dimension3"3"Identical display measurement
Touch display Easily navigate

Olympus E-M5 vs Olympus E-PL7 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is planning to carry around your camera regularly, you will need to consider its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-M5 has physical dimensions of 122mm x 89mm x 43mm (4.8" x 3.5" x 1.7") with a weight of 425 grams (0.94 lbs) and the Olympus E-PL7 has dimensions of 115mm x 67mm x 38mm (4.5" x 2.6" x 1.5") with a weight of 357 grams (0.79 lbs).

See the Olympus E-M5 versus Olympus E-PL7 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you are employing at the time. Following is the front view physical size comparison of the E-M5 against the E-PL7.

Olympus E-M5 vs Olympus E-PL7 size comparison

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-M5 and E-PL7 is 81 and 86 respectively.

Olympus E-M5 vs Olympus E-PL7 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-M5 vs Olympus E-PL7 Sensor Comparison

More often than not, it's tough to envision the difference in sensor sizes just by looking through specifications. The pic here might give you a stronger sense of the sensor sizes in the E-M5 and E-PL7.

Plainly, both the cameras posses the exact same sensor measurements and the same resolution so you can expect comparable quality of photos although you really should factor the launch date of the cameras into account. The more aged E-M5 will be behind in sensor tech.

Olympus E-M5 vs Olympus E-PL7 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-M5 vs Olympus E-PL7 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-M5 vs Olympus E-PL7 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-M5 Portrait photography info
Olympus E-PL7 Portrait photography info
71
has manual focus
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
features face detection focus
exports RAW formats
71
focusing manually
good megapixels (16MP)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
provides face detect focusing
saves RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-M5 Street photography info
Olympus E-PL7 Street photography info
82
tilting screen
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
supports focus by touch
weather proof
very good ISO range (25,600)
84
screen tilts up and down
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
has touch to focus
good ISO range (25,600)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-M5 Sports photography features
Olympus E-PL7 Sports photography features
67
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
features tracking autofocus
weather proof
lacks phase detect auto focus
66
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good megapixels (16 megapixels)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
provides tracking focus
has no phase detect AF
Photography Glossary

Travel Comparison

Olympus E-M5 Travel photography information
Olympus E-PL7 Travel photography information
66
weather proof
supports focus by touch
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
lack of Time Lapse recording
display is not selfie friendly
85
has touch to focus
good megapixels (16MP)
selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus E-M5
Landscape photography with Olympus E-PL7
73
has manual focus
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen is a good size (3")
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
resolution is good (16MP)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
very good ISO range (25,600)
exports RAW formats
weather proof
lack of Time Lapse recording
79
focusing manually
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
nice screen size (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good megapixels (16 megapixels)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
good ISO range (25,600)
saves RAW files
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-M5 Vlogging information
Olympus E-PL7 Vlogging information
34
built-in touchscreen
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
features face detection focus
high res video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
display is not selfie friendly
lack of external mic port
78
selfie friendly screen
has touchscreen
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
provides face detect focusing
video res high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
no microphone jack
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Olympus E-M5 vs Olympus E-PL7 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M5 and Olympus E-PL7
 Olympus OM-D E-M5Olympus PEN E-PL7
General Information
Company Olympus Olympus
Model Olympus OM-D E-M5 Olympus PEN E-PL7
Category Advanced Mirrorless Entry-Level Mirrorless
Announced 2012-04-30 2014-09-01
Body design SLR-style mirrorless Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Processor Chip TruePic VI TruePic VII
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds Four Thirds
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 17.3 x 13mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 224.9mm²
Sensor resolution 16MP 16MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 4608 x 3456 4608 x 3456
Max native ISO 25600 25600
Minimum native ISO 200 100
RAW pictures
Minimum boosted ISO 100 -
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch to focus
AF continuous
Single AF
AF tracking
Selective AF
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Number of focus points 35 81
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds Micro Four Thirds
Total lenses 107 107
Focal length multiplier 2.1 2.1
Screen
Range of display Tilting Tilting
Display sizing 3 inches 3 inches
Resolution of display 610 thousand dot 1,037 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Display tech Touch control in electrostatic capacitance type OLED monitor -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic Electronic (optional)
Viewfinder resolution 1,440 thousand dot -
Viewfinder coverage 100% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.58x -
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60 secs 60 secs
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/4000 secs
Continuous shooting speed 9.0 frames per second 8.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range no built-in flash no built-in flash
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync (2), Manual (3 levels) no built-in flash
External flash
AEB
WB bracketing
Maximum flash sync 1/250 secs -
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (30p), 1280 x 720 (30p), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Max video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video data format H.264, Motion JPEG H.264, Motion JPEG
Microphone input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless Eye-Fi Connected Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 425g (0.94 pounds) 357g (0.79 pounds)
Dimensions 122 x 89 x 43mm (4.8" x 3.5" x 1.7") 115 x 67 x 38mm (4.5" x 2.6" x 1.5")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 71 72
DXO Color Depth score 22.8 22.7
DXO Dynamic range score 12.3 12.4
DXO Low light score 826 873
Other
Battery life 360 shots 350 shots
Type of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model BLN-1 BLS-50
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 12 sec, custom)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC card
Storage slots 1 1
Retail pricing $799 $499