Olympus E-PL1 vs Panasonic FP5

Lets look more closely at the Olympus E-PL1 and Panasonic FP5, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the other is a Ultracompact by brands Olympus and Panasonic. The resolution of the E-PL1 (12MP) and the FP5 (14MP) is very comparable but the E-PL1 (Four Thirds) and FP5 (1/2.3") have different sensor sizing.

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The E-PL1 was unveiled 7 months earlier than the FP5 so they are both of a similar age. The two cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-PL1 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic FP5 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before diving right into a in-depth comparison, here is a brief overview of how the E-PL1 matches up vs the FP5 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Here is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus PEN E-PL1 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-FP5. The full galleries are available at Olympus E-PL1 Gallery & Panasonic FP5 Gallery.

For anyone who is aiming to carry your camera frequently, you have to take into account its weight and volume. The Olympus E-PL1 provides 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) and the Panasonic FP5 has sizing of 101mm x 59mm x 18mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 0.7") having a weight of 141 grams (0.31 lbs).

See the Olympus E-PL1 and Panasonic FP5 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you are utilizing at that moment. Following is a front view proportions comparison of the E-PL1 versus the FP5.

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-PL1 and FP5 is 86 and 95 respectively.

Quite often, its hard to imagine the contrast in sensor sizing only by seeing technical specs. The photograph here might provide you a greater sense of the sensor sizes in the E-PL1 and FP5.

As you have seen, each of the cameras provide different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The E-PL1 with its larger sensor is going to make achieving shallow depth of field simpler and the Panasonic FP5 will produce more detail having an extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution will enable you to crop images more aggressively. The older E-PL1 will be behind in sensor technology.