Olympus E-PL5 vs Olympus SH-2

Lets look more closely at the Olympus E-PL5 and Olympus SH-2, former is a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom and both of them are manufactured by Olympus. The sensor resolution of the E-PL5 (16MP) and the SH-2 (16MP) is fairly comparable but the E-PL5 (Four Thirds) and SH-2 (1/2.3") have totally different sensor measurements.

Photography Glossary

The E-PL5 was brought out 3 years earlier than the SH-2 which is a fairly serious difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Each of the cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-PL5 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Olympus SH-2 being a Compact camera.

Before going straight to a more detailed comparison, here is a short highlight of how the E-PL5 grades versus the SH-2 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

The following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus PEN E-PL5 & Olympus Stylus SH-2. The entire galleries are viewable at Olympus E-PL5 Gallery & Olympus SH-2 Gallery.

If you're aiming to travel with your camera often, you'll need to think about its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-PL5 comes with external dimensions of 111mm x 64mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.5") accompanied by a weight of 325 grams (0.72 lbs) whilst the Olympus SH-2 has proportions of 109mm x 63mm x 42mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.7") and a weight of 271 grams (0.60 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-PL5 and Olympus SH-2 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you use at the time. The following is a front view overall size comparison of the E-PL5 compared to the SH-2.

Using size and weight, the portability grade of the E-PL5 and SH-2 is 88 and 88 respectively.

Usually, it's tough to see the contrast in sensor dimensions purely by going through specs. The image underneath will help offer you a much better sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-PL5 and SH-2.

All in all, the 2 cameras provide the same resolution but not the same sensor dimensions. The E-PL5 has the larger sensor which should make obtaining shallow depth of field less difficult. The more aged E-PL5 will be behind in sensor innovation.