Olympus E-P5 vs Panasonic FX78

Its time to look more in depth at the Olympus E-P5 and Panasonic FX78, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by manufacturers Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a noticeable gap among the resolutions of the E-P5 (16MP) and FX78 (12MP) and the E-P5 (Four Thirds) and FX78 (1/2.3") posses totally different sensor dimensions.

Photography Glossary

The E-P5 was unveiled 2 years later than the FX78 and that is a fairly sizable difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both of these cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-P5 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic FX78 being a Compact camera.

Before diving right into a complete comparison, here is a short highlight of how the E-P5 matches up versus the FX78 for portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Here is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus PEN E-P5 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX78. The full galleries are available at Olympus E-P5 Gallery & Panasonic FX78 Gallery.

When you are aiming to lug around your camera, you will have to consider its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-P5 offers physical measurements of 122mm x 69mm x 37mm (4.8" x 2.7" x 1.5") having a weight of 420 grams (0.93 lbs) whilst the Panasonic FX78 has dimensions of 100mm x 55mm x 21mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 0.8") with a weight of 142 grams (0.31 lbs).

Look at the Olympus E-P5 and Panasonic FX78 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you use at that moment. Underneath is a front view proportions comparison of the E-P5 vs the FX78.

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-P5 and FX78 is 85 and 95 respectively.

Quite often, it is tough to visualise the difference in sensor measurements purely by checking out a spec sheet. The visual below will offer you a greater sense of the sensor sizing in the E-P5 and FX78.

As you can see, both cameras provide different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The E-P5 using its bigger sensor will make shooting shallow DOF less difficult and the Olympus E-P5 will provide extra detail having an extra 4MP. Higher resolution can also help you crop shots more aggressively. The younger E-P5 will have an advantage in sensor innovation.