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Olympus E-PL2 vs Panasonic S5

Portability
85
Imaging
48
Features
47
Overall
47
Olympus PEN E-PL2 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DC-S5 front
Portability
60
Imaging
76
Features
92
Overall
82

Olympus E-PL2 vs Panasonic S5 Key Specs

Olympus E-PL2
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 362g - 114 x 72 x 42mm
  • Launched February 2011
  • Succeeded the Olympus E-PL1s
  • Later Model is Olympus E-PL3
Panasonic S5
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3.0" Fully Articulated Display
  • ISO 100 - 51200 (Boost 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
  • Renewed by Panasonic S5 II
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Olympus E-PL2 vs Panasonic S5 Overview

On this page, we are comparing the Olympus E-PL2 vs Panasonic S5, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the other is a Pro Mirrorless by manufacturers Olympus and Panasonic. There is a sizeable difference between the sensor resolutions of the E-PL2 (12MP) and S5 (24MP) and the E-PL2 (Four Thirds) and S5 (Full frame) posses totally different sensor measurements.

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The E-PL2 was manufactured 10 years prior to the S5 and that is quite a large gap as far as tech is concerned. Both of these cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-PL2 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic S5 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before going right into a complete comparison, here is a short overview of how the E-PL2 matches up vs the S5 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL2 over the Panasonic S5

 E-PL2 S5 

Reasons to pick Panasonic S5 over the Olympus E-PL2

 S5 E-PL2 
RevealedAugust 2020February 2011More recent by 115 months
Display typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating display
Display resolution1840k460kClearer display (+1380k dot)
Selfie screen Take selfies
Touch display Easily navigate

Common features in the Olympus E-PL2 and Panasonic S5

 E-PL2 S5 
Manually focus Very precise focusing
Display dimensions3"3.0"Equal display measurements

Olympus E-PL2 vs Panasonic S5 Physical Comparison

When you are intending to lug around your camera frequently, you need to consider its weight and size. The Olympus E-PL2 enjoys exterior dimensions of 114mm x 72mm x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") accompanied by a weight of 362 grams (0.80 lbs) while the Panasonic S5 has specifications of 133mm x 97mm x 82mm (5.2" x 3.8" x 3.2") with a weight of 714 grams (1.57 lbs).

Check the Olympus E-PL2 vs Panasonic S5 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change based on the lens you are working with during that time. Here is a front view measurement comparison of the E-PL2 against the S5.

Olympus E-PL2 vs Panasonic S5 size comparison

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability score of the E-PL2 and S5 is 85 and 60 respectively.

Olympus E-PL2 vs Panasonic S5 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL2 vs Panasonic S5 Sensor Comparison

Often, it can be hard to envision the contrast between sensor measurements purely by reviewing specifications. The photograph underneath should provide you a far better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-PL2 and S5.

Plainly, both of those cameras have different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The E-PL2 because of its tinier sensor will make shooting shallow DOF more challenging and the Panasonic S5 will deliver greater detail due to its extra 12MP. Greater resolution will enable you to crop photos a bit more aggressively. The older E-PL2 is going to be disadvantaged in sensor innovation.

Olympus E-PL2 vs Panasonic S5 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL2 vs Panasonic S5 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL2 vs Panasonic S5 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photography Glossary

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PL2 Portrait photography factors
Panasonic S5 Portrait photography factors
60
has manual focus
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
offers face detect focusing
saves RAW files
sensor resolution not great (12MP)
85
manual focus
resolution is good (24MP)
great sensor size (Full frame)
includes face detect autofocus
exports RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-PL2 Street photography highlights
Panasonic S5 Street photography highlights
73
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
no articulating screen
78
screen can move to multiple angles
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
great sensor size (Full frame)
exports RAW files
offers touch focus
weather sealing
great high ISO (51,200)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PL2 as a Sports photography camera
Panasonic S5 as a Sports photography camera
45
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
offers tracking focus
slow fps (3.0 frames per second)
sensor resolution not great (12MP)
low battery (280 shots)
lacks phase detect AF
81
high shutter speed (1/8,000s)
quiet shooting (1/8,000s)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
resolution is good (24MP)
great sensor size (Full frame)
includes tracking focus
weather sealing
lacks phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL2 Travel photography details
Panasonic S5 Travel photography details
51
built-in flash
no Timelapse recording
low battery (280 shots)
sensor resolution not great (12 megapixels)
doesn't posses selfie friendly screen
79
weather sealing
has bluetooth
offers touch focus
resolution is good (24MP)
display is selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus E-PL2
Landscape photography with Panasonic S5
61
has manual focus
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is good (3")
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
sensor resolution not great (12MP)
low battery (280 shots)
no Timelapse recording
86
manual focus
switch lenses (Leica L mount)
screen is a good size (3.0 inches)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
resolution is good (24MP)
great sensor size (Full frame)
doesnt have anti aliasing filter
great high ISO (51,200)
exports RAW files
weather sealing
2 card slots
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL2 as a Vlogging camera
Panasonic S5 as a Vlogging camera
29
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
offers face detect focusing
doesn't posses selfie friendly screen
video quality not great (1280 x 720 pxls)
no microphone support
79
display is selfie friendly
touchscreen enabled
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
includes face detect autofocus
high video quality (3840 x 2160 pixels)
includes mic support
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Olympus E-PL2 vs Panasonic S5 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL2 and Panasonic S5
 Olympus PEN E-PL2Panasonic Lumix DC-S5
General Information
Make Olympus Panasonic
Model Olympus PEN E-PL2 Panasonic Lumix DC-S5
Type Entry-Level Mirrorless Pro Mirrorless
Launched 2011-02-11 2020-08-14
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Processor Chip Truepic V -
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds Full frame
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 35.6 x 23.8mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 847.3mm²
Sensor resolution 12MP 24MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 4032 x 3024 6000 x 4000
Maximum native ISO 6400 51200
Maximum boosted ISO - 204800
Lowest native ISO 100 100
RAW files
Lowest boosted ISO - 50
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Tracking autofocus
Autofocus selectice
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detect autofocus
Contract detect autofocus
Phase detect autofocus
Number of focus points 11 225
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds Leica L
Total lenses 107 31
Crop factor 2.1 1
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fully Articulated
Display diagonal 3 inches 3.0 inches
Display resolution 460k dots 1,840k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Display technology HyperCrystal LCD AR(Anti-Reflective) coating -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic (optional) Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 2,360k dots
Viewfinder coverage - 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.74x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 seconds 60 seconds
Highest shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/8000 seconds
Highest quiet shutter speed - 1/8000 seconds
Continuous shooting rate 3.0 frames/s 7.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 10.00 m no built-in flash
Flash options 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
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Highest flash synchronize 1/160 seconds 1/250 seconds
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) 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
Mic 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 proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 362 gr (0.80 pounds) 714 gr (1.57 pounds)
Physical dimensions 114 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 score 55 not tested
DXO Color Depth score 21.4 not tested
DXO Dynamic range score 10.2 not tested
DXO Low light score 573 not tested
Other
Battery life 280 photographs 440 photographs
Battery style Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model BLS-5 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD/SDHC SD Memory Card, SDHC Memory Card, SDXC Memory Card
Card slots Single Two
Pricing at launch $0 $1,999