Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic S5

Its time to look a little more closely at the Olympus E-PL3 and Panasonic S5, former is a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the other is a Pro Mirrorless by manufacturers Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a large gap between the image resolutions of the E-PL3 (12MP) and S5 (24MP) and the E-PL3 (Four Thirds) and S5 (Full frame) feature totally different sensor sizes.

Photography Glossary

The E-PL3 was revealed 10 years before the S5 which is quite a serious difference as far as technology is concerned. Both cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-PL3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic S5 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before we go in to a detailed comparison, below is a brief summary of how the E-PL3 grades vs the S5 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Following is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus PEN E-PL3 & Panasonic Lumix DC-S5. The full galleries are viewable at Olympus E-PL3 Gallery & Panasonic S5 Gallery.

For anyone who is looking to travel with your camera frequently, you have to take into account its weight and size. The Olympus E-PL3 enjoys external measurements of 110mm x 64mm x 37mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.5") along with a weight of 313 grams (0.69 lbs) whilst the Panasonic S5 has specifications of 133mm x 97mm x 82mm (5.2" x 3.8" x 3.2") along with a weight of 714 grams (1.57 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-PL3 and Panasonic S5 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you are working with at that moment. Following is the front view over all size comparison of the E-PL3 against the S5.

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-PL3 and S5 is 88 and 60 respectively.

Sometimes, it is very tough to visualise the difference between sensor dimensions only by going over specifications. The pic underneath may give you a greater sense of the sensor sizing in the E-PL3 and S5.

Plainly, both of the cameras have got different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The E-PL3 using its tinier sensor will make getting shallow depth of field more challenging and the Panasonic S5 will deliver extra detail because of its extra 12 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also make it easier to crop images much more aggressively. The more aged E-PL3 is going to be behind with regard to sensor innovation.