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Olympus E-PL2 vs Panasonic G85

Portability
85
Imaging
48
Features
47
Overall
47
Olympus PEN E-PL2 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-G85 front
Portability
69
Imaging
54
Features
84
Overall
66

Olympus E-PL2 vs Panasonic G85 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
  • Released February 2011
  • Succeeded the Olympus E-PL1s
  • Updated by Olympus E-PL3
Panasonic G85
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Display
  • ISO 200 - 25600 (Increase to 25600)
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 505g - 128 x 89 x 74mm
  • Released September 2016
  • Also Known as Lumix DMC-G80
  • Replacement is Panasonic G95
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Olympus E-PL2 vs Panasonic G85 Overview

Lets look a little more closely at the Olympus E-PL2 versus Panasonic G85, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the other is a Advanced Mirrorless by competitors Olympus and Panasonic. There is a crucial difference between the image resolutions of the E-PL2 (12MP) and G85 (16MP) but both cameras boast the identical sensor size (Four Thirds).

Photography Glossary

The E-PL2 was revealed 6 years before the G85 and that is quite a serious gap as far as tech is concerned. Both the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-PL2 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic G85 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before we go into a full comparison, here is a quick highlight of how the E-PL2 grades versus the G85 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL2 over the Panasonic G85

 E-PL2 G85 

Reasons to pick Panasonic G85 over the Olympus E-PL2

 G85 E-PL2 
ReleasedSeptember 2016February 2011More recent by 68 months
Display typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating display
Display resolution1040k460kClearer display (+580k dot)
Selfie screen Take selfies
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Common features in the Olympus E-PL2 and Panasonic G85

 E-PL2 G85 
Manual focus Very accurate focus
Display size3"3"Same display size

Olympus E-PL2 vs Panasonic G85 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is planning to lug around your camera, you are going to need to take into account its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-PL2 enjoys outer measurements of 114mm x 72mm x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") along with a weight of 362 grams (0.80 lbs) and the Panasonic G85 has proportions of 128mm x 89mm x 74mm (5.0" x 3.5" x 2.9") having a weight of 505 grams (1.11 lbs).

See the Olympus E-PL2 versus Panasonic G85 in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Do not forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary dependant on the lens you are utilizing at the time. Below is a front view over all size comparison of the E-PL2 against the G85.

Olympus E-PL2 vs Panasonic G85 size comparison

Factoring in size and weight, the portability score of the E-PL2 and G85 is 85 and 69 respectively.

Olympus E-PL2 vs Panasonic G85 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL2 vs Panasonic G85 Sensor Comparison

Often, it can be tough to see the difference between sensor measurements just by going over a spec sheet. The visual below might provide you a better sense of the sensor sizing in the E-PL2 and G85.

As you can see, both of the cameras come with the identical sensor size but not the same MP. You should expect to see the Panasonic G85 to deliver greater detail because of its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also let you crop photos a good deal more aggressively. The older E-PL2 is going to be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor technology.

Olympus E-PL2 vs Panasonic G85 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL2 vs Panasonic G85 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL2 vs Panasonic G85 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PL2 Portrait photography highlights
Panasonic G85 Portrait photography highlights
60
manual focus
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
supports face detection focusing
exports RAW files
sensor resolution low (12MP)
72
focusing manually
good resolution (16 megapixels)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
comes with face detect focus
exports RAW files
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus E-PL2
Street photography with Panasonic G85
73
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
screen is fixed
77
screen can move to multiple angles
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
features touch to focus
environment proof
good high ISO (25,600)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PL2 Sports photography details
Panasonic G85 Sports photography details
45
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
supports tracking autofocus
continuous shooting slow (3.0 frames/s)
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
bad battery power (280 shots)
no phase detect AF
64
quiet shutter (1/16,000s)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good resolution (16MP)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
comes with tracking focus
environment proof
low battery power (330 CIPA)
lack of phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL2 Travel photography highlights
Panasonic G85 Travel photography highlights
51
flash built-in
does not have Timelapse function
bad battery power (280 per charge)
sensor resolution low (12MP)
doesn't have selfie friendly screen
71
environment proof
features touch to focus
good resolution (16MP)
has built in flash
display is selfie friendly
low battery power (330 per charge)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PL2 as a Landscape photography camera
Panasonic G85 as a Landscape photography camera
61
manual focus
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is good (3")
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
bad battery power (280 per charge)
does not have Timelapse function
73
focusing manually
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is good (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good resolution (16 megapixels)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
no low pass filter
good high ISO (25,600)
exports RAW files
environment proof
low battery power (330 per charge)
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus E-PL2
Vlogging with Panasonic G85
29
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
supports face detection focusing
doesn't have selfie friendly screen
video res low (1280 x 720 pixels)
does not have external microphone jack
78
display is selfie friendly
built-in touchscreen
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
comes with face detect focus
great video quality (3840 x 2160 pxls)
comes with microphone jack
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Olympus E-PL2 vs Panasonic G85 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL2 and Panasonic G85
 Olympus PEN E-PL2Panasonic Lumix DMC-G85
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Panasonic
Model Olympus PEN E-PL2 Panasonic Lumix DMC-G85
Alternative name - Lumix DMC-G80
Type Entry-Level Mirrorless Advanced Mirrorless
Released 2011-02-11 2016-09-19
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Processor Truepic V -
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds Four Thirds
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 17.3 x 13mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 224.9mm²
Sensor resolution 12MP 16MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Highest resolution 4032 x 3024 4592 x 3448
Highest native ISO 6400 25600
Highest boosted ISO - 25600
Minimum native ISO 100 200
RAW data
Minimum boosted ISO - 100
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch to focus
Continuous AF
Single AF
AF tracking
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Number of focus points 11 49
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds Micro Four Thirds
Available lenses 107 107
Focal length multiplier 2.1 2.1
Screen
Range of display Fixed Type Fully Articulated
Display size 3 inch 3 inch
Display resolution 460 thousand dot 1,040 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Display tech HyperCrystal LCD AR(Anti-Reflective) coating -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic (optional) Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 2,360 thousand dot
Viewfinder coverage - 100%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.74x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 seconds 60 seconds
Highest shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Highest quiet shutter speed - 1/16000 seconds
Continuous shooting speed 3.0 frames/s 9.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 10.00 m 6.20 m (at ISO 100)
Flash modes 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./Red-eye Reduction, Forced Off
External flash
AEB
White balance bracketing
Highest flash sync 1/160 seconds -
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 3840 x 2160 @ 30p / 100 Mbps, MP4, H.264, AAC
Highest video resolution 1280x720 3840x2160
Video format Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD
Microphone input
Headphone input
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
Environmental seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 362g (0.80 pounds) 505g (1.11 pounds)
Physical dimensions 114 x 72 x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") 128 x 89 x 74mm (5.0" x 3.5" x 2.9")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 55 71
DXO Color Depth score 21.4 22.8
DXO Dynamic range score 10.2 12.5
DXO Low light score 573 656
Other
Battery life 280 images 330 images
Form of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model BLS-5 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 secs, 10 secs x 3 shots)
Time lapse recording
Storage media SD/SDHC SD/SDHC/SDXC card
Storage slots 1 1
Retail pricing $0 $900