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Olympus E-P1 vs Panasonic LX5

Portability
86
Imaging
47
Features
42
Overall
45
Olympus PEN E-P1 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5 front
Portability
88
Imaging
35
Features
44
Overall
38

Olympus E-P1 vs Panasonic LX5 Key Specs

Olympus E-P1
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 355g - 121 x 70 x 36mm
  • Announced July 2009
  • New Model is Olympus E-P2
Panasonic LX5
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - 1/1.63" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 12800
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 24-90mm (F2.0-3.3) lens
  • 271g - 110 x 65 x 43mm
  • Revealed December 2011
  • Succeeded the Panasonic LX3
  • Later Model is Panasonic LX7
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Olympus E-P1 vs Panasonic LX5 Overview

In this article, we are comparing the Olympus E-P1 versus Panasonic LX5, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the other is a Small Sensor Compact by manufacturers Olympus and Panasonic. The resolution of the E-P1 (12MP) and the LX5 (10MP) is fairly close but the E-P1 (Four Thirds) and LX5 (1/1.63") use totally different sensor size.

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The E-P1 was revealed 3 years before the LX5 and that is a fairly sizable difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Each of the cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-P1 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic LX5 being a Compact camera.

Before getting in to a full comparison, below is a concise summary of how the E-P1 grades against the LX5 for portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-P1 over the Panasonic LX5

 E-P1 LX5 

Reasons to pick Panasonic LX5 over the Olympus E-P1

 LX5 E-P1 
RevealedDecember 2011July 2009More recent by 28 months
Display resolution460k230kClearer display (+230k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-P1 and Panasonic LX5

 E-P1 LX5 
Focus manually More exact focus
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Display sizing3"3"Equivalent display size
Selfie screen Neither comes with selfie screen
Touch friendly display Neither comes with Touch friendly display

Olympus E-P1 vs Panasonic LX5 Physical Comparison

When you are looking to lug around your camera frequently, you are going to need to take into account its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-P1 comes with outer measurements of 121mm x 70mm x 36mm (4.8" x 2.8" x 1.4") having a weight of 355 grams (0.78 lbs) while the Panasonic LX5 has proportions of 110mm x 65mm x 43mm (4.3" x 2.6" x 1.7") with a weight of 271 grams (0.60 lbs).

Look at the Olympus E-P1 versus Panasonic LX5 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you use at that moment. Below is the front view measurement comparison of the E-P1 compared to the LX5.

Olympus E-P1 vs Panasonic LX5 size comparison

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability score of the E-P1 and LX5 is 86 and 88 respectively.

Olympus E-P1 vs Panasonic LX5 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-P1 vs Panasonic LX5 Sensor Comparison

Oftentimes, it can be difficult to envision the difference in sensor measurements only by looking through specs. The photograph here will provide you a more clear sense of the sensor measurements in the E-P1 and LX5.

All in all, both of the cameras enjoy different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The E-P1 having a larger sensor will make getting shallow depth of field simpler and the Olympus E-P1 will render more detail because of its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution will make it easier to crop images far more aggressively. The older E-P1 will be behind with regard to sensor innovation.

Olympus E-P1 vs Panasonic LX5 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-P1 vs Panasonic LX5 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-P1 vs Panasonic LX5 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus E-P1
Portrait photography with Panasonic LX5
60
has manual focus
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
has face detection autofocus
saves RAW files
low MP (12 megapixels)
41
focusing manually
delivers RAW formats
sensor resolution low (10 megapixels)
tiny sensor (1/1.63")
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-P1 Street photography information
Panasonic LX5 Street photography information
74
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
no moving screen
59
image stabilization (Optical)
delivers RAW formats
no moving screen
tiny sensor (1/1.63")
more heavy than competition in class (271 grams)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-P1 Sports photography advice
Panasonic LX5 Sports photography advice
40
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
very slow continuous shooting (3.0 frames/s)
low MP (12MP)
terrible battery (300 shots)
has no phase detect autofocus
27
image stabilization (Optical)
painfully slow continuous shooting (3.0 frames per second)
sensor resolution low (10 megapixels)
tiny sensor (1/1.63")
doesn't have phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus E-P1
Travel photography with Panasonic LX5
43
lack of Time Lapse function
terrible battery (300 per charge)
low MP (12MP)
doesn't have a selfie friendly screen
59
built-in flash
really wide (24mm)
great maximum aperture (f2.0)
no Timelapse mode
more heavy than competition in class (271 grams)
sensor resolution low (10MP)
does not offer selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-P1 Landscape photography information
Panasonic LX5 Landscape photography information
60
has manual focus
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
decent sized screen (3")
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
low MP (12 megapixels)
terrible battery (300 per charge)
lack of Time Lapse function
52
focusing manually
really wide (24mm)
great maximum aperture (f2.0)
decent sized screen (3 inches)
image stabilization (Optical)
delivers RAW formats
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
sensor resolution low (10MP)
tiny sensor (1/1.63")
no Timelapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-P1 Vlogging info
Panasonic LX5 Vlogging info
29
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
has face detection autofocus
doesn't have a selfie friendly screen
video res low (1280 x 720 resolution)
lack of external mic support
29
really wide (24mm)
great maximum aperture (f2.0)
image stabilization (Optical)
does not offer selfie friendly screen
video quality not great (1280 x 720 resolution)
no microphone support
more heavy than competition in class (271 grams)
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Olympus E-P1 vs Panasonic LX5 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-P1 and Panasonic LX5
 Olympus PEN E-P1Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5
General Information
Company Olympus Panasonic
Model type Olympus PEN E-P1 Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5
Category Entry-Level Mirrorless Small Sensor Compact
Announced 2009-07-29 2011-12-15
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Chip TruePic V Venus Engine FHD
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/1.63"
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 8.07 x 5.56mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 44.9mm²
Sensor resolution 12MP 10MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 4032 x 3024 3648 x 2736
Highest native ISO 6400 12800
Minimum native ISO 100 80
RAW format
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Continuous AF
Single AF
Tracking AF
Selective AF
AF center weighted
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Total focus points 11 23
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 24-90mm (3.8x)
Maximum aperture - f/2.0-3.3
Macro focusing distance - 1cm
Total lenses 107 -
Crop factor 2.1 4.5
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen sizing 3" 3"
Resolution of screen 230k dots 460k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Screen tech HyperCrystal LCD with AR(Anti-Reflective) coating -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None Electronic (optional)
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60s 60s
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000s 1/4000s
Continuous shutter rate 3.0 frames/s 3.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance no built-in flash 7.20 m
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync
External flash
AEB
White balance bracketing
Fastest flash synchronize 1/180s -
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution 1280x720 1280x720
Video format Motion JPEG AVCHD Lite
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 355 gr (0.78 lbs) 271 gr (0.60 lbs)
Dimensions 121 x 70 x 36mm (4.8" x 2.8" x 1.4") 110 x 65 x 43mm (4.3" x 2.6" x 1.7")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 55 41
DXO Color Depth rating 21.4 19.6
DXO Dynamic range rating 10.4 10.8
DXO Low light rating 536 132
Other
Battery life 300 photos -
Battery style Battery Pack -
Battery ID BLS-1 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD/SDHC card SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Card slots One One
Cost at release $182 $294