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Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic FP7

Portability
81
Imaging
52
Features
70
Overall
59
Olympus OM-D E-M5 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FP7 front
Portability
95
Imaging
39
Features
32
Overall
36

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic FP7 Key Specs

Olympus E-M5
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • 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
  • Refreshed by Olympus E-M5 II
Panasonic FP7
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3.5" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 35-140mm (F3.5-5.9) lens
  • 147g - 101 x 59 x 18mm
  • Revealed January 2011
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Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic FP7 Overview

Here is a extensive review of the Olympus E-M5 and Panasonic FP7, one being a Advanced Mirrorless and the other is a Ultracompact by rivals Olympus and Panasonic. The resolution of the E-M5 (16MP) and the FP7 (16MP) is fairly similar but the E-M5 (Four Thirds) and FP7 (1/2.3") boast different sensor measurements.

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The E-M5 was revealed 17 months later than the FP7 making them a generation apart from one another. Each of these cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-M5 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic FP7 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before we go right into a in depth comparison, here is a simple introduction of how the E-M5 matches up vs the FP7 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-M5 over the Panasonic FP7

 E-M5 FP7 
RevealedApril 2012January 2011Fresher by 17 months
Manual focus Dial accurate focus
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display resolution610k230kSharper display (+380k dot)

Reasons to pick Panasonic FP7 over the Olympus E-M5

 FP7 E-M5 
Display dimensions3.5"3"Larger display (+0.5")

Common features in the Olympus E-M5 and Panasonic FP7

 E-M5 FP7 
Selfie screen Neither offers selfie screen
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic FP7 Physical Comparison

When you are looking to carry your camera frequently, you will want to consider its weight and size. The Olympus E-M5 offers physical dimensions of 122mm x 89mm x 43mm (4.8" x 3.5" x 1.7") having a weight of 425 grams (0.94 lbs) and the Panasonic FP7 has specifications of 101mm x 59mm x 18mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 0.7") accompanied by a weight of 147 grams (0.32 lbs).

Examine the Olympus E-M5 and Panasonic FP7 in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into account, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ dependant on the lens you are working with at that time. Below is a front view overall size comparison of the E-M5 vs the FP7.

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic FP7 size comparison

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-M5 and FP7 is 81 and 95 respectively.

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic FP7 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic FP7 Sensor Comparison

Quite often, it is hard to imagine the contrast between sensor sizing merely by going over specs. The graphic below might give you a stronger sense of the sensor sizes in the E-M5 and FP7.

All in all, both of these cameras provide the same megapixel count but different sensor sizing. The E-M5 contains the larger sensor which will make getting shallow DOF easier. The newer E-M5 should have an edge when it comes to sensor innovation.

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic FP7 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic FP7 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic FP7 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-M5 Portrait photography advice
Panasonic FP7 Portrait photography advice
71
has manual focus
sensor resolution is decent (16MP)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
offers face detection focus
saves RAW formats
34
decent sensor resolution (16 megapixels)
supports face detect autofocus
lack of manual focus
no manual exposure
no external flash support
sensor is small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-M5 Street photography information
Panasonic FP7 Street photography information
82
screen tilts
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
has focus via touch
environment proof
good high ISO (25,600)
60
image stabilization (Optical)
comes with focus by touch
screen is fixed
sensor is small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
heavier than competition in class (147g)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-M5 Sports photography advice
Panasonic FP7 Sports photography advice
67
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
offers tracking autofocus
environment proof
has no phase detect auto focus
44
image stabilization (Optical)
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
supports tracking focus
better than average battery pack (240 per charge)
continuous shooting slow (4.0 fps)
no shutter priority mode
sensor is small (1/2.3")
doesn't have phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-M5 as a Travel photography camera
Panasonic FP7 as a Travel photography camera
66
environment proof
has focus via touch
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
missing Time Lapse recording
screen is not selfie friendly
63
better than average battery pack (240 CIPA)
comes with focus by touch
decent sensor resolution (16 megapixels)
has built in flash
does not have Time Lapse mode
heavier than competition in class (147 grams)
screen isn't selfie friendly
wide angle not great (35mm)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.5)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-M5 Landscape photography information
Panasonic FP7 Landscape photography information
73
has manual focus
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
good high ISO (25,600)
saves RAW formats
environment proof
missing Time Lapse recording
41
lovely big screen (3.5")
image stabilization (Optical)
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
better than average battery pack (240 per charge)
lack of manual focus
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not great (35mm)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.5)
no manual exposure
sensor is small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
does not have Time Lapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-M5 as a Vlogging camera
Panasonic FP7 as a Vlogging camera
34
touchscreen
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
offers face detection focus
great video quality (1920 x 1080 resolution)
screen is not selfie friendly
missing external mic jack
29
touchscreen enabled
image stabilization (Optical)
supports face detect autofocus
wide angle not great (35mm)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.5)
screen isn't selfie friendly
video quality not great (1280 x 720 resolution)
does not have mic socket
heavier than competition in class (147g)
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Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic FP7 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M5 and Panasonic FP7
 Olympus OM-D E-M5Panasonic Lumix DMC-FP7
General Information
Brand Olympus Panasonic
Model Olympus OM-D E-M5 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FP7
Type Advanced Mirrorless Ultracompact
Announced 2012-04-30 2011-01-05
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 dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixel 16 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Highest Possible resolution 4608 x 3456 4608 x 3456
Maximum native ISO 25600 6400
Minimum native ISO 200 100
RAW photos
Minimum enhanced ISO 100 -
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Continuous AF
Single AF
AF tracking
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Number of focus points 35 11
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 35-140mm (4.0x)
Highest aperture - f/3.5-5.9
Macro focus distance - 10cm
Total lenses 107 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.9
Screen
Screen type Tilting Fixed Type
Screen diagonal 3" 3.5"
Resolution of screen 610k dots 230k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Screen technology Touch control in electrostatic capacitance type OLED monitor TFT Touch Screen LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic None
Viewfinder resolution 1,440k dots -
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.58x -
Features
Min shutter speed 60 secs 60 secs
Max shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/1600 secs
Continuous shutter rate 9.0fps 4.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes -
Change WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range no built-in flash 4.90 m
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync (2), Manual (3 levels) Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction
External flash
AEB
White balance bracketing
Max flash synchronize 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) 1280 x 720 (24 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video data format H.264, Motion JPEG Motion JPEG
Mic 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 proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 425 gr (0.94 lbs) 147 gr (0.32 lbs)
Physical dimensions 122 x 89 x 43mm (4.8" x 3.5" x 1.7") 101 x 59 x 18mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 0.7")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score 71 not tested
DXO Color Depth score 22.8 not tested
DXO Dynamic range score 12.3 not tested
DXO Low light score 826 not tested
Other
Battery life 360 photographs 240 photographs
Battery type Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model BLN-1 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Card slots One One
Launch pricing $799 $227