Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic FP2

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.

Here is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus OM-D E-M5 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-FP2. The complete galleries are provided at Olympus E-M5 Gallery & Panasonic FP2 Gallery.

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.

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.

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

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.