Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic LX7

The following is a complete overview of the Olympus E-M5 and Panasonic LX7, one is a Advanced Mirrorless and the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by competitors Olympus and Panasonic. There is a big difference among the resolutions of the E-M5 (16MP) and LX7 (10MP) and the E-M5 (Four Thirds) and LX7 (1/1.7") offer different sensor sizing.

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The E-M5 was brought out 5 months earlier than the LX7 which means that they are of a similar generation. Both of these cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-M5 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic LX7 being a Compact camera.

Before delving right into a in depth comparison, here is a brief summary of how the E-M5 grades versus the LX7 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Below is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus OM-D E-M5 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX7. The entire galleries are provided at Olympus E-M5 Gallery and Panasonic LX7 Gallery.

If you're looking to travel with your camera frequently, you'll have to take into account its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-M5 comes with outer measurements of 122mm x 89mm x 43mm (4.8" x 3.5" x 1.7") along with a weight of 425 grams (0.94 lbs) while the Panasonic LX7 has proportions of 111mm x 68mm x 46mm (4.4" x 2.7" x 1.8") along with a weight of 298 grams (0.66 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus E-M5 and Panasonic LX7 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change based on the lens you are employing at that time. Below is a front view measurement comparison of the E-M5 compared to the LX7.

Looking at size and weight, the portability score of the E-M5 and LX7 is 81 and 86 respectively.

In many cases, it's hard to picture the gap in sensor dimensions simply by going through technical specs. The image here may provide you a greater sense of the sensor sizing in the E-M5 and LX7.

As you can tell, each of these cameras feature different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The E-M5 featuring a bigger sensor is going to make shooting shallow DOF less difficult and the Olympus E-M5 will produce greater detail having its extra 6 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also help you crop pictures way more aggressively.