Olympus E-M5 vs Olympus E-PL7

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.

Here is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus OM-D E-M5 & Olympus PEN E-PL7. The full galleries are viewable at Olympus E-M5 Gallery & Olympus E-PL7 Gallery.

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.

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.

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

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.