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Olympus E-PL5 vs Olympus SP-590 UZ

Portability
88
Imaging
52
Features
72
Overall
60
Olympus PEN E-PL5 front
 
Olympus SP-590 UZ front
Portability
72
Imaging
35
Features
38
Overall
36

Olympus E-PL5 vs Olympus SP-590 UZ Key Specs

Olympus E-PL5
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 325g - 111 x 64 x 38mm
  • Launched September 2012
Olympus SP-590 UZ
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 64 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 640 x 480 video
  • 26-676mm (F2.8-5.0) lens
  • 413g - 116 x 84 x 81mm
  • Launched January 2009
  • Newer Model is Olympus SP-600 UZ
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Olympus E-PL5 vs Olympus SP-590 UZ Overview

Following is a extensive review of the Olympus E-PL5 and Olympus SP-590 UZ, former is a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom and both are created by Olympus. There is a considerable difference among the resolutions of the E-PL5 (16MP) and SP-590 UZ (12MP) and the E-PL5 (Four Thirds) and SP-590 UZ (1/2.3") come with different sensor sizing.

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The E-PL5 was released 3 years after the SP-590 UZ which is a fairly large difference as far as camera tech is concerned. The two cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-PL5 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Olympus SP-590 UZ being a SLR-like (bridge) camera.

Before we go through a thorough comparison, below is a brief summation of how the E-PL5 matches up versus the SP-590 UZ in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL5 over the Olympus SP-590 UZ

 E-PL5 SP-590 UZ 
LaunchedSeptember 2012January 2009More modern by 45 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen dimension3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution460k230kSharper screen (+230k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Olympus SP-590 UZ over the Olympus E-PL5

 SP-590 UZ E-PL5 

Common features in the Olympus E-PL5 and Olympus SP-590 UZ

 E-PL5 SP-590 UZ 
Manual focus Very accurate focusing

Olympus E-PL5 vs Olympus SP-590 UZ Physical Comparison

For anyone who is planning to carry around your camera frequently, you have to take into account its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-PL5 enjoys outer measurements of 111mm x 64mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.5") along with a weight of 325 grams (0.72 lbs) whilst the Olympus SP-590 UZ has measurements of 116mm x 84mm x 81mm (4.6" x 3.3" x 3.2") and a weight of 413 grams (0.91 lbs).

Look at the Olympus E-PL5 and Olympus SP-590 UZ in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you have chosen during that time. The following is the front view scale comparison of the E-PL5 compared to the SP-590 UZ.

Olympus E-PL5 vs Olympus SP-590 UZ size comparison

Considering size and weight, the portability rating of the E-PL5 and SP-590 UZ is 88 and 72 respectively.

Olympus E-PL5 vs Olympus SP-590 UZ top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL5 vs Olympus SP-590 UZ Sensor Comparison

Generally, it is very difficult to imagine the contrast in sensor sizes just by viewing technical specs. The image underneath should give you a greater sense of the sensor sizing in the E-PL5 and SP-590 UZ.

As you have seen, both the cameras posses different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The E-PL5 featuring a bigger sensor is going to make getting bokeh less difficult and the Olympus E-PL5 will provide you with more detail as a result of its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution will let you crop pictures somewhat more aggressively. The fresher E-PL5 should have an edge when it comes to sensor technology.

Olympus E-PL5 vs Olympus SP-590 UZ sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL5 vs Olympus SP-590 UZ Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL5 vs Olympus SP-590 UZ Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 Portrait photography advice
Olympus SP-590 UZ Portrait photography advice
71
focusing manually
decent MP (16MP)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
comes with face detection autofocus
delivers RAW formats
37
has manual focus
delivers RAW formats
external flash not possible
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
Photography Glossary

Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus E-PL5
Street photography with Olympus SP-590 UZ
85
has a tilting screen
image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
provides touch focus
very good ISO range (25,600)
60
has image stabilization (Optical)
delivers RAW formats
environment sealing
screen is fixed
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 as a Sports photography camera
Olympus SP-590 UZ as a Sports photography camera
66
image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent MP (16 megapixels)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
comes with tracking autofocus
has no phase detect autofocus
38
excellent zoom range (26-676mm 26.0 x zoom)
has image stabilization (Optical)
environment sealing
slow fps (6.0 fps)
low megapixels (12MP)
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
doesn't have phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 Travel photography advice
Olympus SP-590 UZ Travel photography advice
75
provides touch focus
decent MP (16 megapixels)
selfie friendly display
no Time Lapse mode
58
environment sealing
flash built-in
decently wide (26mm)
very long reach (676mm)
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
display is not selfie friendly
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 as a Landscape photography camera
Olympus SP-590 UZ as a Landscape photography camera
74
focusing manually
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent MP (16MP)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
very good ISO range (25,600)
delivers RAW formats
no Time Lapse mode
46
has manual focus
decently wide (26mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
delivers RAW formats
environment sealing
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
small screen (2.7")
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 Vlogging details
Olympus SP-590 UZ Vlogging details
78
selfie friendly display
touch screen
image stabilization (Sensor based)
comes with face detection autofocus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
no external mic port
24
decently wide (26mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
display is not selfie friendly
low video resolution (640 x 480 pxls)
no external microphone port
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Olympus E-PL5 vs Olympus SP-590 UZ Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL5 and Olympus SP-590 UZ
 Olympus PEN E-PL5Olympus SP-590 UZ
General Information
Make Olympus Olympus
Model type Olympus PEN E-PL5 Olympus SP-590 UZ
Type Entry-Level Mirrorless Small Sensor Superzoom
Launched 2012-09-17 2009-01-07
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless SLR-like (bridge)
Sensor Information
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixel 12 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 -
Max resolution 4608 x 3456 3968 x 2976
Max native ISO 25600 6400
Min native ISO 200 64
RAW data
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
AF continuous
AF single
AF tracking
AF selectice
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Total focus points 35 -
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 26-676mm (26.0x)
Maximal aperture - f/2.8-5.0
Macro focusing distance - 1cm
Amount of lenses 107 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.9
Screen
Display type Tilting Fixed Type
Display size 3 inch 2.7 inch
Resolution of display 460k dot 230k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic (optional) Electronic
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60s 15s
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000s 1/2000s
Continuous shutter speed 8.0 frames/s 6.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 7.00 m (bundled FL-LM1) 8.00 m
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction, Slow Sync
External flash
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Fastest flash sync 1/250s -
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15 fps)
Max video resolution 1920x1080 640x480
Video file format MPEG-4, H.264, Motion JPEG Motion JPEG
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless Eye-Fi Connected None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 325 gr (0.72 lbs) 413 gr (0.91 lbs)
Dimensions 111 x 64 x 38mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.5") 116 x 84 x 81mm (4.6" x 3.3" x 3.2")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 72 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 22.8 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 12.3 not tested
DXO Low light rating 889 not tested
Other
Battery life 360 shots -
Battery form Battery Pack -
Battery ID BLS-5 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (12 or 2 sec)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC xD Picture Card, microSD Card, Internal
Storage slots One One
Retail cost $400 $249