Olympus E-PL1 vs Panasonic LX5

Lets look a bit more closely at the Olympus E-PL1 and Panasonic LX5, former is a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by competitors Olympus and Panasonic. The sensor resolution of the E-PL1 (12MP) and the LX5 (10MP) is pretty similar but the E-PL1 (Four Thirds) and LX5 (1/1.63") have different sensor size.

Photography Glossary

The E-PL1 was manufactured 19 months before the LX5 which makes them a generation away from each other. Both of these cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-PL1 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic LX5 being a Compact camera.

Before delving straight to a thorough comparison, here is a quick summation of how the E-PL1 scores versus the LX5 for portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

This is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus PEN E-PL1 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5. The entire galleries are provided at Olympus E-PL1 Gallery & Panasonic LX5 Gallery.

If you're looking to travel with your camera frequently, you will want to factor its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-PL1 provides exterior measurements of 115mm x 72mm x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") along with a weight of 334 grams (0.74 lbs) while the Panasonic LX5 has dimensions of 110mm x 65mm x 43mm (4.3" x 2.6" x 1.7") and a weight of 271 grams (0.60 lbs).

Check the Olympus E-PL1 and Panasonic LX5 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you have chosen at that moment. Following is a front view proportions comparison of the E-PL1 against the LX5.

Factoring in size and weight, the portability score of the E-PL1 and LX5 is 86 and 88 respectively.

Usually, it is very hard to imagine the gap between sensor dimensions purely by reading specs. The image below should give you a clearer sense of the sensor sizing in the E-PL1 and LX5.

As you can plainly see, the 2 cameras feature different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The E-PL1 featuring a bigger sensor is going to make achieving shallow depth of field easier and the Olympus E-PL1 will offer you more detail due to its extra 2 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also allow you to crop shots way more aggressively. The more aged E-PL1 is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor innovation.