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Olympus E-PL1 vs Panasonic FX90

Portability
86
Imaging
47
Features
43
Overall
45
Olympus PEN E-PL1 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX90 front
Portability
95
Imaging
35
Features
34
Overall
34

Olympus E-PL1 vs Panasonic FX90 Key Specs

Olympus E-PL1
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 334g - 115 x 72 x 42mm
  • Released May 2010
  • Successor is Olympus E-PL1s
Panasonic FX90
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 24-120mm (F2.5-5.9) lens
  • 149g - 102 x 56 x 22mm
  • Revealed August 2011
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Olympus E-PL1 vs Panasonic FX90 Overview

Lets look closer at the Olympus E-PL1 versus Panasonic FX90, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by manufacturers Olympus and Panasonic. The image resolution of the E-PL1 (12MP) and the FX90 (12MP) is pretty similar but the E-PL1 (Four Thirds) and FX90 (1/2.3") enjoy different sensor sizes.

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The E-PL1 was released 15 months before the FX90 which makes the cameras a generation apart from each other. Each of these cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-PL1 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic FX90 being a Compact camera.

Before going in to a in depth comparison, below is a concise highlight of how the E-PL1 scores vs the FX90 for portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL1 over the Panasonic FX90

 E-PL1 FX90 
Manually focus Very precise focusing

Reasons to pick Panasonic FX90 over the Olympus E-PL1

 FX90 E-PL1 
RevealedAugust 2011May 2010Fresher by 15 months
Screen dimension3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution460k230kClearer screen (+230k dot)
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Common features in the Olympus E-PL1 and Panasonic FX90

 E-PL1 FX90 
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Selfie screen Neither comes with selfie screen

Olympus E-PL1 vs Panasonic FX90 Physical Comparison

When you are looking to carry your camera regularly, you have to factor its weight and size. The Olympus E-PL1 comes with physical dimensions of 115mm x 72mm x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") accompanied by a weight of 334 grams (0.74 lbs) while the Panasonic FX90 has specifications of 102mm x 56mm x 22mm (4.0" x 2.2" x 0.9") accompanied by a weight of 149 grams (0.33 lbs).

Check out the Olympus E-PL1 versus Panasonic FX90 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Always remember, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you are employing at the time. Underneath is the front view sizing comparison of the E-PL1 against the FX90.

Olympus E-PL1 vs Panasonic FX90 size comparison

Using size and weight, the portability score of the E-PL1 and FX90 is 86 and 95 respectively.

Olympus E-PL1 vs Panasonic FX90 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL1 vs Panasonic FX90 Sensor Comparison

Generally, it's hard to picture the gap between sensor sizing purely by reading a spec sheet. The visual below will offer you a greater sense of the sensor sizes in the E-PL1 and FX90.

As you can see, both the cameras have got the exact same MP albeit different sensor sizing. The E-PL1 provides the bigger sensor which is going to make getting shallow depth of field less difficult. The older E-PL1 is going to be behind when it comes to sensor innovation.

Olympus E-PL1 vs Panasonic FX90 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL1 vs Panasonic FX90 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL1 vs Panasonic FX90 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PL1 Portrait photography features
Panasonic FX90 Portrait photography features
60
has manual focus
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
includes face detect focus
saves RAW files
low megapixels (12MP)
21
focusing manually not possible
manual exposure not possible
cannot use external flash
low resolution (12MP)
small sensor size (1/2.3")
no RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-PL1 as a Street photography camera
Panasonic FX90 as a Street photography camera
74
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
no articulating screen
62
has image stabilization (Optical)
provides touch to focus
fixed screen
small sensor size (1/2.3")
no RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PL1 Sports photography advice
Panasonic FX90 Sports photography advice
44
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
includes tracking focus
slow continuous shooting (3.0 frames/s)
low megapixels (12MP)
terrible battery (290 CIPA)
does not have phase detect auto focus
30
has image stabilization (Optical)
has tracking focus
max fps low (4.0 frames per second)
no shutter priority mode
low resolution (12 megapixels)
small sensor size (1/2.3")
bad battery pack (200 CIPA)
no phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus E-PL1
Travel photography with Panasonic FX90
51
has built in flash
missing Time Lapse mode
terrible battery (290 CIPA)
low megapixels (12MP)
doesn't have a selfie friendly display
60
provides touch to focus
has built in flash
quite wide (24mm)
no Timelapse recording
bad battery pack (200 per charge)
low resolution (12 megapixels)
display is not selfie friendly
slow maximum aperture (f2.5)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PL1 as a Landscape photography camera
Panasonic FX90 as a Landscape photography camera
55
has manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
tiny screen (2.7 inch)
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
terrible battery (290 CIPA)
missing Time Lapse mode
36
quite wide (24mm)
good sized screen (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Optical)
focusing manually not possible
can't switch lens (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f2.5)
manual exposure not possible
low resolution (12 megapixels)
small sensor size (1/2.3")
no RAW files
bad battery pack (200 CIPA)
no Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus E-PL1
Vlogging with Panasonic FX90
29
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
includes face detect focus
doesn't have a selfie friendly display
low res video (1280 x 720 pxls)
missing mic support
33
quite wide (24mm)
touchscreen capability
has image stabilization (Optical)
video res high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
slow maximum aperture (f2.5)
display is not selfie friendly
no microphone port
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Olympus E-PL1 vs Panasonic FX90 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL1 and Panasonic FX90
 Olympus PEN E-PL1Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX90
General Information
Make Olympus Panasonic
Model type Olympus PEN E-PL1 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX90
Type Entry-Level Mirrorless Small Sensor Compact
Released 2010-05-17 2011-08-26
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Chip Truepic V -
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 12 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Highest Possible resolution 4032 x 3024 4000 x 3000
Maximum native ISO 3200 6400
Min native ISO 100 80
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detect autofocus
Contract detect autofocus
Phase detect autofocus
Total focus points 11 23
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 24-120mm (5.0x)
Max aperture - f/2.5-5.9
Macro focusing distance - 3cm
Total lenses 107 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.9
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display size 2.7" 3"
Resolution of display 230 thousand dot 460 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Display tech HyperCrystal LCD AR (Anti-Reflective) coating TFT LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic (optional) None
Features
Min shutter speed 60s 60s
Max shutter speed 1/2000s 1/4000s
Continuous shutter speed 3.0 frames per second 4.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes -
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 10.00 m 5.90 m
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction, Slow Sync
External flash
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Max flash sync 1/160s -
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60, 30 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video format Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 334 gr (0.74 lb) 149 gr (0.33 lb)
Dimensions 115 x 72 x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") 102 x 56 x 22mm (4.0" x 2.2" x 0.9")
DXO scores
DXO Overall 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 photos 200 photos
Type of battery 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 Single Single
Price at release $288 $227