Olympus E-P2 vs Panasonic FH5

In this write-up, we will be looking at the Olympus E-P2 and Panasonic FH5, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by rivals Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a large gap between the image resolutions of the E-P2 (12MP) and FH5 (16MP) and the E-P2 (Four Thirds) and FH5 (1/2.3") feature totally different sensor sizing.

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The E-P2 was brought out 8 months before the FH5 and they are both of a similar age. Both cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-P2 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic FH5 being a Compact camera.

Before delving straight into a detailed comparison, below is a short introduction of how the E-P2 matches up vs the FH5 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

The following is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus PEN E-P2 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH5. The entire galleries are available at Olympus E-P2 Gallery & Panasonic FH5 Gallery.

For anyone who is aiming to lug around your camera, you will want to consider its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-P2 has outer measurements of 121mm x 70mm x 36mm (4.8" x 2.8" x 1.4") along with a weight of 355 grams (0.78 lbs) while the Panasonic FH5 has proportions of 94mm x 54mm x 19mm (3.7" x 2.1" x 0.7") accompanied by a weight of 121 grams (0.27 lbs).

Examine the Olympus E-P2 and Panasonic FH5 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you have at that time. Here is the front view physical size comparison of the E-P2 versus the FH5.

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-P2 and FH5 is 86 and 96 respectively.

Quite often, its hard to envision the gap between sensor measurements merely by reading through a spec sheet. The graphic here may give you a much better sense of the sensor measurements in the E-P2 and FH5.

Clearly, both cameras enjoy different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The E-P2 due to its bigger sensor will make achieving shallow depth of field simpler and the Panasonic FH5 will resolve extra detail having its extra 4MP. Higher resolution will also make it easier to crop shots far more aggressively. The older E-P2 is going to be behind with regard to sensor innovation.