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Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic FP2

Portability
81
Imaging
52
Features
70
Overall
59
Olympus OM-D E-M5 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FP2 front
Portability
95
Imaging
37
Features
17
Overall
29

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic FP2 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
  • Launched April 2012
  • Successor is Olympus E-M5 II
Panasonic FP2
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 35-140mm (F3.5-5.9) lens
  • 151g - 99 x 59 x 19mm
  • Released January 2010
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Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic FP2 Overview

Its time to look more closely at the Olympus E-M5 versus Panasonic FP2, former is a Advanced Mirrorless while the latter is a Ultracompact by rivals Olympus and Panasonic. The resolution of the E-M5 (16MP) and the FP2 (14MP) is pretty similar but the E-M5 (Four Thirds) and FP2 (1/2.3") offer different sensor dimensions.

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The E-M5 was released 2 years after the FP2 which is quite a sizable difference as far as tech is concerned. Each of the cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-M5 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic FP2 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before getting into a complete comparison, here is a brief highlight of how the E-M5 matches up against the FP2 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-M5 over the Panasonic FP2

 E-M5 FP2 
ReleasedApril 2012January 2010More modern by 29 months
Manual focus Very precise focusing
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen dimensions3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution610k230kCrisper screen (+380k dot)
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Panasonic FP2 over the Olympus E-M5

 FP2 E-M5 

Common features in the Olympus E-M5 and Panasonic FP2

 E-M5 FP2 
Selfie screen Neither comes with selfie screen

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic FP2 Physical Comparison

For anyone who is going to carry around your camera often, you'll have to factor its weight and volume. The Olympus E-M5 comes with outside dimensions of 122mm x 89mm x 43mm (4.8" x 3.5" x 1.7") having a weight of 425 grams (0.94 lbs) while the Panasonic FP2 has sizing of 99mm x 59mm x 19mm (3.9" x 2.3" x 0.7") having a weight of 151 grams (0.33 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus E-M5 versus Panasonic FP2 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you are employing during that time. Here is a front view proportions comparison of the E-M5 versus the FP2.

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic FP2 size comparison

Taking into account size and weight, the portability grade of the E-M5 and FP2 is 81 and 95 respectively.

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic FP2 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic FP2 Sensor Comparison

Usually, it's difficult to picture the contrast between sensor sizes simply by reviewing specs. The pic here might provide you a far better sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-M5 and FP2.

All in all, the two cameras have different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The E-M5 due to its bigger sensor is going to make getting shallow DOF less difficult and the Olympus E-M5 will offer you more detail as a result of its extra 2MP. Higher resolution will enable you to crop photographs a bit more aggressively. The fresher E-M5 should have an advantage when it comes to sensor tech.

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic FP2 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic FP2 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic FP2 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-M5 Portrait photography highlights
Panasonic FP2 Portrait photography highlights
71
has manual focus
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
includes face detection focus
saves RAW files
28
good MP (14 megapixels)
manual focus not available
no manual control
external flash not possible
very small sensor (1/2.3")
lack of RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-M5 Street photography information
Panasonic FP2 Street photography information
82
screen tilts up and down
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
comes with touch to focus
environment sealing
good ISO range (25,600)
55
built in image stabilization (Optical)
screen does not articulate
very small sensor (1/2.3")
lack of RAW files
more heavy than competition in class (151g)
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus E-M5
Sports photography with Panasonic FP2
67
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
includes tracking autofocus
environment sealing
no phase detect auto focus
35
built in image stabilization (Optical)
good MP (14 megapixels)
painfully slow continuous shooting (5.0 frames per second)
lack of shutter priority mode
very small sensor (1/2.3")
lack of phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-M5 as a Travel photography camera
Panasonic FP2 as a Travel photography camera
66
environment sealing
comes with touch to focus
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
doesn't have Time Lapse function
doesn't have selfie friendly display
56
good MP (14MP)
built-in flash
missing Timelapse function
more heavy than competition in class (151g)
display is not selfie friendly
wide angle not the best (35mm)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-M5 Landscape photography info
Panasonic FP2 Landscape photography info
73
has manual focus
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is good (3")
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
good ISO range (25,600)
saves RAW files
environment sealing
doesn't have Time Lapse function
33
built in image stabilization (Optical)
good MP (14 megapixels)
manual focus not available
can't change lens (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not the best (35mm)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
screen is somewhat small (2.7")
no manual control
very small sensor (1/2.3")
lack of RAW files
missing Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-M5 Vlogging information
Panasonic FP2 Vlogging information
34
built-in touchscreen
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
includes face detection focus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
doesn't have selfie friendly display
doesn't have external mic jack
25
built in image stabilization (Optical)
wide angle not the best (35mm)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
display is not selfie friendly
low quality video (1280 x 720 pixels)
missing microphone socket
more heavy than competition in class (151g)
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Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic FP2 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M5 and Panasonic FP2
 Olympus OM-D E-M5Panasonic Lumix DMC-FP2
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Panasonic
Model type Olympus OM-D E-M5 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FP2
Type Advanced Mirrorless Ultracompact
Launched 2012-04-30 2010-01-06
Physical type SLR-style mirrorless Ultracompact
Sensor Information
Processor Chip TruePic VI Venus Engine IV
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixel 14 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 4608 x 3456 4320 x 3240
Max native ISO 25600 6400
Lowest native ISO 200 80
RAW pictures
Lowest boosted ISO 100 -
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch to focus
AF continuous
Single AF
AF tracking
Selective AF
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Total focus points 35 9
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 35-140mm (4.0x)
Maximal aperture - f/3.5-5.9
Macro focusing distance - 10cm
Total lenses 107 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.9
Screen
Type of display Tilting Fixed Type
Display size 3 inches 2.7 inches
Resolution of display 610 thousand dots 230 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Display tech Touch control in electrostatic capacitance type OLED monitor -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic None
Viewfinder resolution 1,440 thousand dots -
Viewfinder coverage 100% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.58x -
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 seconds 60 seconds
Highest shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/1600 seconds
Continuous shooting rate 9.0 frames/s 5.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes -
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance no built-in flash 4.90 m
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync (2), Manual (3 levels) Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Syncro
External flash
AEB
WB bracketing
Highest flash synchronize 1/250 seconds -
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Max video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video data format H.264, Motion JPEG Motion JPEG
Microphone port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless Eye-Fi Connected None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 425g (0.94 lbs) 151g (0.33 lbs)
Physical dimensions 122 x 89 x 43mm (4.8" x 3.5" x 1.7") 99 x 59 x 19mm (3.9" x 2.3" x 0.7")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 71 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 22.8 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 12.3 not tested
DXO Low light rating 826 not tested
Other
Battery life 360 shots -
Style of battery Battery Pack -
Battery ID BLN-1 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Card slots 1 1
Retail price $799 $80