Olympus E-P5 vs Panasonic LX5

Its time to look closer at the Olympus E-P5 vs Panasonic LX5, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the other is a Small Sensor Compact by brands Olympus and Panasonic. There is a sizeable difference among the image resolutions of the E-P5 (16MP) and LX5 (10MP) and the E-P5 (Four Thirds) and LX5 (1/1.63") feature different sensor size.

Photography Glossary

The E-P5 was released 22 months later than the LX5 making the cameras a generation apart from each other. Both cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-P5 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic LX5 being a Compact camera.

Before getting in to a thorough comparison, below is a concise summary of how the E-P5 scores against the LX5 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus PEN E-P5 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5. The complete galleries are provided at Olympus E-P5 Gallery and Panasonic LX5 Gallery.

In case you're going to lug around your camera often, you'll need to take into account its weight and volume. The Olympus E-P5 comes with exterior dimensions of 122mm x 69mm x 37mm (4.8" x 2.7" x 1.5") accompanied by a weight of 420 grams (0.93 lbs) while the Panasonic LX5 has sizing of 110mm x 65mm x 43mm (4.3" x 2.6" x 1.7") along with a weight of 271 grams (0.60 lbs).

Check the Olympus E-P5 vs Panasonic LX5 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary based on the lens you have attached during that time. Here is the front view scale comparison of the E-P5 against the LX5.

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability score of the E-P5 and LX5 is 85 and 88 respectively.

Oftentimes, it is difficult to picture the contrast in sensor measurements purely by looking through technical specs. The photograph underneath should offer you a more clear sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-P5 and LX5.

As you can tell, both of the cameras enjoy different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The E-P5 due to its larger sensor is going to make shooting shallower depth of field less difficult and the Olympus E-P5 will render more detail as a result of its extra 6MP. Greater resolution can also enable you to crop images far more aggressively. The fresher E-P5 should have an advantage in sensor tech.