Olympus E-PL2 vs Panasonic F5

Let's take a more detailed look at the Olympus E-PL2 and Panasonic F5, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the other is a Small Sensor Compact by rivals Olympus and Panasonic. The sensor resolution of the E-PL2 (12MP) and the F5 (14MP) is fairly well matched but the E-PL2 (Four Thirds) and F5 (1/2.3") posses different sensor size.

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The E-PL2 was manufactured 23 months prior to the F5 making them a generation apart from each other. Both of these cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-PL2 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic F5 being a Compact camera.

Before going straight to a detailed comparison, here is a short introduction of how the E-PL2 scores against the F5 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

The following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus PEN E-PL2 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-F5. The entire galleries are provided at Olympus E-PL2 Gallery and Panasonic F5 Gallery.

If you're going to carry your camera, you will want to factor its weight and volume. The Olympus E-PL2 provides exterior measurements of 114mm x 72mm x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") having a weight of 362 grams (0.80 lbs) and the Panasonic F5 has sizing of 97mm x 58mm x 22mm (3.8" x 2.3" x 0.9") along with a weight of 121 grams (0.27 lbs).

Check out the Olympus E-PL2 and Panasonic F5 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you are working with at that moment. Following is a front view sizing comparison of the E-PL2 and the F5.

Using size and weight, the portability rating of the E-PL2 and F5 is 85 and 96 respectively.

Usually, its difficult to imagine the difference between sensor sizing just by reading through technical specs. The photograph here might provide you a greater sense of the sensor measurements in the E-PL2 and F5.

As you can tell, the 2 cameras feature different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The E-PL2 featuring a larger sensor is going to make shooting shallow DOF easier and the Panasonic F5 will give greater detail due to its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also help you crop pics way more aggressively. The older E-PL2 is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor tech.