Olympus E-PL5 vs Olympus 7040

Let's look much closer at the Olympus E-PL5 vs Olympus 7040, former is a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the other is a Small Sensor Compact and they are both produced by Olympus. The image resolution of the E-PL5 (16MP) and the 7040 (14MP) is fairly similar but the E-PL5 (Four Thirds) and 7040 (1/2.3") come with totally different sensor sizing.

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The E-PL5 was revealed 2 years after the 7040 which is quite a big difference as far as technology is concerned. Both of these cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-PL5 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Olympus 7040 being a Compact camera.

Before delving in to a more detailed comparison, below is a short highlight of how the E-PL5 scores against the 7040 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Here is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus PEN E-PL5 & Olympus Stylus 7040. The full galleries are available at Olympus E-PL5 Gallery & Olympus 7040 Gallery.

When you are going to travel with your camera regularly, you need to think about its weight and size. The Olympus E-PL5 has got outside measurements 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 7040 has specifications of 95mm x 56mm x 26mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 1.0") and a weight of 144 grams (0.32 lbs).

Check the Olympus E-PL5 vs Olympus 7040 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you are using during that time. Underneath is the front view dimensions comparison of the E-PL5 compared to the 7040.

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-PL5 and 7040 is 88 and 95 respectively.

Typically, its hard to envision the difference between sensor dimensions simply by going over technical specs. The pic here will help give you a stronger sense of the sensor sizing in the E-PL5 and 7040.

As you can tell, the 2 cameras have got different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The E-PL5 using its larger sensor will make shooting shallow DOF simpler and the Olympus E-PL5 will offer extra detail because of its extra 2MP. Greater resolution will also allow you to crop pics much more aggressively. The newer E-PL5 is going to have an advantage when it comes to sensor innovation.