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Olympus E-PL1 vs Panasonic S5

Portability
86
Imaging
47
Features
43
Overall
45
Olympus PEN E-PL1 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DC-S5 front
Portability
60
Imaging
76
Features
92
Overall
82

Olympus E-PL1 vs Panasonic S5 Key Specs

Olympus E-PL1
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 334g - 115 x 72 x 42mm
  • Launched May 2010
  • New Model is Olympus E-PL1s
Panasonic S5
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3.0" Fully Articulated Display
  • ISO 100 - 51200 (Bump to 204800)
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Leica L Mount
  • 714g - 133 x 97 x 82mm
  • Revealed August 2020
  • Newer Model is Panasonic S5 II
Photography Glossary

Olympus E-PL1 vs Panasonic S5 Overview

Following is a in depth review of the Olympus E-PL1 versus Panasonic S5, one is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the other is a Pro Mirrorless by companies Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a crucial gap between the image resolutions of the E-PL1 (12MP) and S5 (24MP) and the E-PL1 (Four Thirds) and S5 (Full frame) enjoy totally different sensor sizes.

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The E-PL1 was announced 11 years before the S5 which is quite a serious gap as far as technology is concerned. The two cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-PL1 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic S5 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before delving in to a in depth comparison, below is a short highlight of how the E-PL1 matches up against the S5 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL1 over the Panasonic S5

 E-PL1 S5 

Reasons to pick Panasonic S5 over the Olympus E-PL1

 S5 E-PL1 
RevealedAugust 2020May 2010More modern by 124 months
Display typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating display
Display sizing3.0"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")
Display resolution1840k230kClearer display (+1610k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Common features in the Olympus E-PL1 and Panasonic S5

 E-PL1 S5 
Manual focus Very exact focus

Olympus E-PL1 vs Panasonic S5 Physical Comparison

If you're intending to carry around your camera frequently, you need to take into account its weight and volume. The Olympus E-PL1 has outside dimensions of 115mm x 72mm x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") having a weight of 334 grams (0.74 lbs) whilst the Panasonic S5 has sizing of 133mm x 97mm x 82mm (5.2" x 3.8" x 3.2") having a weight of 714 grams (1.57 lbs).

Check out the Olympus E-PL1 versus Panasonic S5 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary depending on the lens you have attached at the time. Here is the front view physical size comparison of the E-PL1 against the S5.

Olympus E-PL1 vs Panasonic S5 size comparison

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-PL1 and S5 is 86 and 60 respectively.

Olympus E-PL1 vs Panasonic S5 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL1 vs Panasonic S5 Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, it is hard to see the contrast between sensor sizes just by going over specs. The picture underneath may provide you a much better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-PL1 and S5.

All in all, both of the cameras offer different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The E-PL1 having a tinier sensor will make getting shallower DOF more difficult and the Panasonic S5 will deliver more detail with its extra 12MP. Greater resolution can also help you crop pics a little more aggressively. The more aged E-PL1 is going to be behind when it comes to sensor technology.

Olympus E-PL1 vs Panasonic S5 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL1 vs Panasonic S5 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL1 vs Panasonic S5 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PL1 as a Portrait photography camera
Panasonic S5 as a Portrait photography camera
60
focusing manually
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
offers face detection focus
supports RAW formats
MP count low (12 megapixels)
85
manual focus
sensor resolution is decent (24 megapixels)
big sensor size (Full frame)
has face detection focus
exports RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-PL1 Street photography features
Panasonic S5 Street photography features
74
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
no articulating screen
78
screen can move to multiple angles
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
big sensor size (Full frame)
exports RAW formats
features focus by touch
weather proof
great ISO range (51,200)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PL1 Sports photography highlights
Panasonic S5 Sports photography highlights
44
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
offers tracking autofocus
continuous shooting slow (3.0 fps)
MP count low (12MP)
not so great battery pack (290 CIPA)
doesn't have phase detect auto focus
81
high shutter speed (1/8,000 seconds)
silent mode (1/8,000 seconds)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor resolution is decent (24MP)
big sensor size (Full frame)
has tracking autofocus
weather proof
doesn't have phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL1 as a Travel photography camera
Panasonic S5 as a Travel photography camera
51
flash built-in
does not have Timelapse recording
not so great battery pack (290 per charge)
MP count low (12MP)
display is not selfie friendly
79
weather proof
has bluetooth
features focus by touch
sensor resolution is decent (24 megapixels)
display is selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus E-PL1
Landscape photography with Panasonic S5
55
focusing manually
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
small screen (2.7 inches)
MP count low (12 megapixels)
not so great battery pack (290 CIPA)
does not have Timelapse recording
86
manual focus
swap lenses (Leica L mount)
decent sized screen (3.0 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor resolution is decent (24MP)
big sensor size (Full frame)
doesnt have low pass filter
great ISO range (51,200)
exports RAW formats
weather proof
2 card slots
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL1 as a Vlogging camera
Panasonic S5 as a Vlogging camera
29
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
offers face detection focus
display is not selfie friendly
low quality video (1280 x 720 pixels)
does not have external microphone support
79
display is selfie friendly
touchscreen functionality
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
has face detection focus
video res high (3840 x 2160 pxls)
comes with external microphone support
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Olympus E-PL1 vs Panasonic S5 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL1 and Panasonic S5
 Olympus PEN E-PL1Panasonic Lumix DC-S5
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Panasonic
Model type Olympus PEN E-PL1 Panasonic Lumix DC-S5
Category Entry-Level Mirrorless Pro Mirrorless
Launched 2010-05-17 2020-08-14
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Chip Truepic V -
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds Full frame
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 35.6 x 23.8mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 847.3mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixels 24 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 4032 x 3024 6000 x 4000
Maximum native ISO 3200 51200
Maximum boosted ISO - 204800
Minimum native ISO 100 100
RAW files
Minimum boosted ISO - 50
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
AF continuous
AF single
Tracking AF
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Total focus points 11 225
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds Leica L
Amount of lenses 107 31
Crop factor 2.1 1
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Fully Articulated
Screen size 2.7 inches 3.0 inches
Screen resolution 230k dots 1,840k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Screen tech HyperCrystal LCD AR (Anti-Reflective) coating -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic (optional) Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 2,360k dots
Viewfinder coverage - 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.74x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60s 60s
Highest shutter speed 1/2000s 1/8000s
Highest silent shutter speed - 1/8000s
Continuous shooting rate 3.0 frames per sec 7.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 10.00 m no built-in flash
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) Auto, Auto/Red-eye Reduction, Forced On, Forced On/Red-eye Reduction, Slow Sync, Slow Sync w/Red-eye Reduction, Forced Off
External flash
AEB
WB bracketing
Highest flash synchronize 1/160s 1/250s
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 3840 x 2160 @ 60p / 200 Mbps, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM
Maximum video resolution 1280x720 3840x2160
Video data format Motion JPEG MPEG-4, H.264, H.265
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) Yes (can be charged with high-power laptop/tablet chargers or portable power banks)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 334 gr (0.74 pounds) 714 gr (1.57 pounds)
Dimensions 115 x 72 x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") 133 x 97 x 82mm (5.2" x 3.8" x 3.2")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 54 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 21.5 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 10.1 not tested
DXO Low light rating 487 not tested
Other
Battery life 290 pictures 440 pictures
Style of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLS-1 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD/SDHC card SD Memory Card, SDHC Memory Card, SDXC Memory Card
Card slots Single Two
Launch pricing $288 $1,999