Olympus E-P5 vs Panasonic FZ100

Let's look more in depth at the Olympus E-P5 and Panasonic FZ100, one is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom by rivals Olympus and Panasonic. The resolution of the E-P5 (16MP) and the FZ100 (14MP) is very comparable but the E-P5 (Four Thirds) and FZ100 (1/2.3") posses different sensor sizing.

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The E-P5 was manufactured 3 years after the FZ100 which is a fairly large gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Both the cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-P5 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic FZ100 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera.

Before delving right into a step-by-step comparison, here is a concise synopsis of how the E-P5 scores against the FZ100 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

The following is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus PEN E-P5 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ100. The entire galleries are provided at Olympus E-P5 Gallery and Panasonic FZ100 Gallery.

If you're intending to carry around your camera, you will need to consider its weight and volume. The Olympus E-P5 offers outside measurements of 122mm x 69mm x 37mm (4.8" x 2.7" x 1.5") accompanied by a weight of 420 grams (0.93 lbs) whilst the Panasonic FZ100 has sizing of 124mm x 82mm x 92mm (4.9" x 3.2" x 3.6") and a weight of 540 grams (1.19 lbs).

Check the Olympus E-P5 and Panasonic FZ100 in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ based on the lens you are working with at the time. The following is a front view measurement comparison of the E-P5 against the FZ100.

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-P5 and FZ100 is 85 and 67 respectively.

Sometimes, it is very difficult to picture the gap in sensor sizes merely by going through a spec sheet. The image underneath might give you a better sense of the sensor measurements in the E-P5 and FZ100.

As you can see, both of the cameras have different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The E-P5 featuring a larger sensor is going to make achieving shallow DOF simpler and the Olympus E-P5 will provide more detail due to its extra 2MP. Greater resolution can also make it easier to crop photos a bit more aggressively. The fresher E-P5 should have a benefit in sensor innovation.