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Olympus E-PL1 vs Panasonic FP5

Portability
86
Imaging
47
Features
43
Overall
45
Olympus PEN E-PL1 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FP5 front
Portability
95
Imaging
37
Features
33
Overall
35

Olympus E-PL1 vs Panasonic FP5 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
  • Introduced May 2010
  • Successor is Olympus E-PL1s
Panasonic FP5
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 35-140mm (F3.5-5.9) lens
  • 141g - 101 x 59 x 18mm
  • Revealed January 2011
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Olympus E-PL1 vs Panasonic FP5 Overview

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.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL1 over the Panasonic FP5

 E-PL1 FP5 
Manual focus Dial exact focus

Reasons to pick Panasonic FP5 over the Olympus E-PL1

 FP5 E-PL1 
RevealedJanuary 2011May 2010Fresher by 7 months
Display dimensions3"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")
Touch display Easily navigate

Common features in the Olympus E-PL1 and Panasonic FP5

 E-PL1 FP5 
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Display resolution230k230kEqual display resolution
Selfie screen Lacking selfie screen

Olympus E-PL1 vs Panasonic FP5 Physical Comparison

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. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

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.

Olympus E-PL1 vs Panasonic FP5 size comparison

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

Olympus E-PL1 vs Panasonic FP5 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL1 vs Panasonic FP5 Sensor Comparison

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.

Olympus E-PL1 vs Panasonic FP5 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL1 vs Panasonic FP5 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL1 vs Panasonic FP5 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PL1 as a Portrait photography camera
Panasonic FP5 as a Portrait photography camera
60
has manual focus
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
includes face detection focus
supports RAW formats
low resolution (12MP)
33
decent sensor resolution (14MP)
provides face detect autofocus
lack of manual focus
manual exposure not possible
can't use external flash
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-PL1 Street photography details
Panasonic FP5 Street photography details
74
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
no moving screen
63
built in image stabilization (Optical)
supports touch focus
screen is fixed
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PL1 Sports photography details
Panasonic FP5 Sports photography details
44
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
includes tracking autofocus
max frames per second very slow (3.0 frames/s)
low resolution (12 megapixels)
terrible battery pack (290 CIPA)
lacks phase detect auto focus
43
built in image stabilization (Optical)
decent sensor resolution (14 megapixels)
provides tracking focus
better than average battery power (260 per charge)
slow frames per second (6.0 frames/s)
no shutter priority
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
lack of phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL1 Travel photography info
Panasonic FP5 Travel photography info
51
has built in flash
does not have Timelapse mode
terrible battery pack (290 CIPA)
low resolution (12 megapixels)
display is not selfie friendly
65
better than average battery power (260 shots)
supports touch focus
decent sensor resolution (14 megapixels)
has built in flash
missing Timelapse mode
screen is not selfie friendly
wide angle not fantastic (35mm)
sluggish max aperture (f3.5)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PL1 Landscape photography information
Panasonic FP5 Landscape photography information
55
has manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
tiny screen (2.7 inches)
low resolution (12MP)
terrible battery pack (290 CIPA)
does not have Timelapse mode
40
pretty good screen size (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
decent sensor resolution (14MP)
better than average battery power (260 per charge)
lack of manual focus
can't swap lenses (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not fantastic (35mm)
sluggish max aperture (f3.5)
manual exposure not possible
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
missing Timelapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL1 Vlogging features
Panasonic FP5 Vlogging features
29
image stabilization (Sensor based)
includes face detection focus
display is not selfie friendly
video res low (1280 x 720 resolution)
does not have external microphone jack
30
touchscreen functionality
built in image stabilization (Optical)
provides face detect autofocus
wide angle not fantastic (35mm)
sluggish max aperture (f3.5)
screen is not selfie friendly
video resolution low (1280 x 720 pixels)
missing microphone port
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Olympus E-PL1 vs Panasonic FP5 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL1 and Panasonic FP5
 Olympus PEN E-PL1Panasonic Lumix DMC-FP5
General Information
Company Olympus Panasonic
Model type Olympus PEN E-PL1 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FP5
Class Entry-Level Mirrorless Ultracompact
Introduced 2010-05-17 2011-01-05
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless Ultracompact
Sensor Information
Processor Chip Truepic V Venus Engine IV
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixels 14 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Highest resolution 4032 x 3024 4320 x 3240
Highest native ISO 3200 6400
Lowest native ISO 100 100
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
Continuous AF
Single AF
AF tracking
Selective AF
AF center weighted
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Total focus points 11 11
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 35-140mm (4.0x)
Maximum aperture - f/3.5-5.9
Macro focusing distance - 10cm
Total lenses 107 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.9
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen size 2.7" 3"
Resolution of screen 230 thousand dot 230 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Screen tech HyperCrystal LCD AR (Anti-Reflective) coating TFT Touch Screen LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic (optional) None
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 secs 60 secs
Highest shutter speed 1/2000 secs 1/1600 secs
Continuous shooting speed 3.0 frames/s 6.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Change WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 10.00 m 4.90 m
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction
Hot shoe
AEB
White balance bracketing
Highest flash sync 1/160 secs -
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution 1280x720 1280x720
Video data format Motion JPEG Motion JPEG
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 334g (0.74 lbs) 141g (0.31 lbs)
Physical dimensions 115 x 72 x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") 101 x 59 x 18mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 0.7")
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 images 260 images
Battery form Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLS-1 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage SD/SDHC card SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Storage slots One One
Launch price $288 $199