Olympus E-P2 vs Panasonic G5

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.

This is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus PEN E-P2 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-G5. The whole galleries are provided at Olympus E-P2 Gallery & Panasonic G5 Gallery.

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.

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.

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

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.