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Olympus E-P2 vs Panasonic G5

Portability
86
Imaging
47
Features
42
Overall
45
Olympus PEN E-P2 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-G5 front
Portability
74
Imaging
52
Features
66
Overall
57

Olympus E-P2 vs Panasonic G5 Key Specs

Olympus E-P2
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 355g - 121 x 70 x 36mm
  • Launched April 2010
  • Superseded the Olympus E-P1
  • Successor is Olympus E-P3
Panasonic G5
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 160 - 12800
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 396g - 120 x 83 x 71mm
  • Released July 2012
  • Old Model is Panasonic G3
  • Updated by Panasonic G6
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Olympus E-P2 vs Panasonic G5 Overview

In this write-up, we will be contrasting the Olympus E-P2 and Panasonic G5, both Entry-Level Mirrorless digital cameras by brands Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a noticeable gap between the resolutions of the E-P2 (12MP) and G5 (16MP) but they use the same exact sensor sizes (Four Thirds).

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The E-P2 was announced 3 years before the G5 which is quite a sizable difference as far as technology is concerned. Both the cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-P2 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic G5 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before getting straight into a thorough comparison, below is a quick overview of how the E-P2 scores against the G5 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-P2 over the Panasonic G5

 E-P2 G5 

Reasons to pick Panasonic G5 over the Olympus E-P2

 G5 E-P2 
ReleasedJuly 2012April 2010More modern by 27 months
Screen typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating screen
Screen resolution920k230kClearer screen (+690k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Common features in the Olympus E-P2 and Panasonic G5

 E-P2 G5 
Manual focus Very exact focus
Screen sizing3"3"Equivalent screen dimensions

Olympus E-P2 vs Panasonic G5 Physical Comparison

For anyone who is planning to carry around your camera frequently, you should take into account its weight and volume. The Olympus E-P2 enjoys external dimensions of 121mm x 70mm x 36mm (4.8" x 2.8" x 1.4") and a weight of 355 grams (0.78 lbs) and the Panasonic G5 has sizing of 120mm x 83mm x 71mm (4.7" x 3.3" x 2.8") along with a weight of 396 grams (0.87 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus E-P2 and Panasonic G5 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you are employing at the time. The following is the front view measurements comparison of the E-P2 compared to the G5.

Olympus E-P2 vs Panasonic G5 size comparison

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-P2 and G5 is 86 and 74 respectively.

Olympus E-P2 vs Panasonic G5 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-P2 vs Panasonic G5 Sensor Comparison

More often than not, its difficult to imagine the gap between sensor sizes merely by checking specs. The picture underneath might give you a clearer sense of the sensor sizes in the E-P2 and G5.

As you can plainly see, both the cameras offer the same exact sensor sizing albeit different MP. You can expect the Panasonic G5 to give more detail with its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also make it easier to crop shots a little more aggressively. The more aged E-P2 is going to be behind in sensor tech.

Olympus E-P2 vs Panasonic G5 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-P2 vs Panasonic G5 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-P2 vs Panasonic G5 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-P2 as a Portrait photography camera
Panasonic G5 as a Portrait photography camera
60
manual focus
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
provides face detect focus
delivers RAW files
MP count low (12MP)
71
manual focus
good MP (16MP)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
features face detect focus
supports RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-P2 Street photography features
Panasonic G5 Street photography features
74
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW files
screen does not articulate
66
fully articulated screen
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
has focus by touch
no image stabilization
more heavy than others (396g)
Photography Glossary

Sports Comparison

Olympus E-P2 as a Sports photography camera
Panasonic G5 as a Sports photography camera
40
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
max frames per second very slow (3.0 fps)
MP count low (12 megapixels)
terrible battery life (300 CIPA)
doesn't have phase detect auto focus
51
good MP (16 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
features tracking focus
continuous shooting slow (6.0 fps)
no image stabilization
no phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-P2 Travel photography information
Panasonic G5 Travel photography information
43
no Time Lapse function
terrible battery life (300 per charge)
MP count low (12 megapixels)
does not feature selfie friendly display
66
has focus by touch
good MP (16 megapixels)
built-in flash
selfie friendly display
doesn't have Timelapse recording
more heavy than others (396g)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-P2 Landscape photography factors
Panasonic G5 Landscape photography factors
60
manual focus
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is good (3")
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW files
MP count low (12MP)
terrible battery life (300 shots)
no Time Lapse function
65
manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is good (3 inches)
good MP (16MP)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
no image stabilization
doesn't have Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-P2 Vlogging info
Panasonic G5 Vlogging info
29
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
provides face detect focus
does not feature selfie friendly display
low res video (1280 x 720 pxls)
no mic jack
62
selfie friendly display
touchscreen functionality
features face detect focus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
no image stabilization
doesn't have microphone jack
more heavy than others (396g)
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Olympus E-P2 vs Panasonic G5 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-P2 and Panasonic G5
 Olympus PEN E-P2Panasonic Lumix DMC-G5
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Panasonic
Model type Olympus PEN E-P2 Panasonic Lumix DMC-G5
Class Entry-Level Mirrorless Entry-Level Mirrorless
Launched 2010-04-22 2012-07-17
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Processor TruePic V Venus Engine VII FHD
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds Four Thirds
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 17.3 x 13mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 224.9mm²
Sensor resolution 12MP 16MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Highest Possible resolution 4032 x 3024 4608 x 3456
Maximum native ISO 6400 12800
Lowest native ISO 100 160
RAW support
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detect autofocus
Contract detect autofocus
Phase detect autofocus
Total focus points 11 23
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds Micro Four Thirds
Available lenses 107 107
Focal length multiplier 2.1 2.1
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fully Articulated
Display diagonal 3 inches 3 inches
Resolution of display 230k dot 920k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Display tech HyperCrystal LCD with AR(Anti-Reflective) coating TFT Color LCD with wide-viewing angle
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic (optional) Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 1,440k dot
Viewfinder coverage - 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.7x
Features
Min shutter speed 60 secs 60 secs
Max shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/4000 secs
Continuous shutter speed 3.0 frames per second 6.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance no built-in flash 10.50 m
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync
External flash
AEB
WB bracketing
Max flash sync 1/180 secs 1/160 secs
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60, 50, 30, 25fps) 1280 x 720 (60, 50, 30, 25fps), 640 x 480 (30, 25fps
Maximum video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video data format Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD
Microphone input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 355g (0.78 lbs) 396g (0.87 lbs)
Dimensions 121 x 70 x 36mm (4.8" x 2.8" x 1.4") 120 x 83 x 71mm (4.7" x 3.3" x 2.8")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 56 61
DXO Color Depth rating 21.5 21.4
DXO Dynamic range rating 10.4 11.6
DXO Low light rating 505 618
Other
Battery life 300 photos 320 photos
Battery format Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLS-1 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10 sec (3 images))
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage SD/SDHC card SD/SDHC/SDXC
Storage slots Single Single
Cost at release $799 $699