Olympus E-PL5 vs Olympus SP-800 UZ

Following is a in depth assessment of the Olympus E-PL5 vs Olympus SP-800 UZ, former is a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom and both are built by Olympus. The sensor resolution of the E-PL5 (16MP) and the SP-800 UZ (14MP) is very close but the E-PL5 (Four Thirds) and SP-800 UZ (1/2.3") boast totally different sensor sizing.

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The E-PL5 was unveiled 2 years after the SP-800 UZ which is a fairly serious difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both of these cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-PL5 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Olympus SP-800 UZ being a Compact camera.

Before getting into a detailed comparison, here is a brief summary of how the E-PL5 matches up against the SP-800 UZ in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Below is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus PEN E-PL5 & Olympus SP-800 UZ. The full galleries are viewable at Olympus E-PL5 Gallery & Olympus SP-800 UZ Gallery.

If you are going to carry around your camera regularly, you need to factor in its weight and volume. The Olympus E-PL5 has external dimensions of 111mm x 64mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.5") and a weight of 325 grams (0.72 lbs) whilst the Olympus SP-800 UZ has sizing of 110mm x 90mm x 91mm (4.3" x 3.5" x 3.6") accompanied by a weight of 455 grams (1.00 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus E-PL5 vs Olympus SP-800 UZ in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you are employing at the time. The following is a front view sizing comparison of the E-PL5 versus the SP-800 UZ.

Looking at size and weight, the portability rating of the E-PL5 and SP-800 UZ is 88 and 69 respectively.

Usually, it is difficult to envision the contrast in sensor sizes just by looking through specs. The picture here might give you a stronger sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-PL5 and SP-800 UZ.

As you can plainly see, each of the cameras provide different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The E-PL5 with its larger sensor will make getting shallower DOF simpler and the Olympus E-PL5 will render greater detail having an extra 2MP. Greater resolution will allow you to crop pics more aggressively. The fresher E-PL5 will have an advantage when it comes to sensor tech.