Olympus E-PL2 vs Panasonic TS5

On this page, we will be evaluating the Olympus E-PL2 and Panasonic TS5, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Waterproof by rivals Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a large gap between the resolutions of the E-PL2 (12MP) and TS5 (16MP) and the E-PL2 (Four Thirds) and TS5 (1/2.3") offer totally different sensor size.

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The E-PL2 was introduced 3 years earlier than the TS5 and that is quite a serious difference as far as technology is concerned. The two cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-PL2 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic TS5 being a Compact camera.

Before going right into a step-by-step comparison, here is a quick overview of how the E-PL2 grades versus the TS5 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Following is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus PEN E-PL2 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS5. The whole galleries are viewable at Olympus E-PL2 Gallery & Panasonic TS5 Gallery.

If you're looking to lug around your camera, you will want to factor its weight and size. The Olympus E-PL2 offers outside measurements of 114mm x 72mm x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") and a weight of 362 grams (0.80 lbs) whilst the Panasonic TS5 has specifications of 110mm x 67mm x 29mm (4.3" x 2.6" x 1.1") accompanied by a weight of 214 grams (0.47 lbs).

Check the Olympus E-PL2 and Panasonic TS5 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you are employing at that time. Following is a front view overall size comparison of the E-PL2 versus the TS5.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-PL2 and TS5 is 85 and 91 respectively.

Quite often, it is tough to see the contrast between sensor measurements purely by reading through a spec sheet. The visual underneath will give you a far better sense of the sensor measurements in the E-PL2 and TS5.

As you can see, both of these cameras provide different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The E-PL2 having a bigger sensor will make shooting shallower depth of field simpler and the Panasonic TS5 will give you more detail using its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution will help you crop photographs more aggressively. The older E-PL2 is going to be behind in sensor technology.