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Olympus E-PL5 vs Olympus SH-2

Portability
88
Imaging
52
Features
72
Overall
60
Olympus PEN E-PL5 front
 
Olympus Stylus SH-2 front
Portability
88
Imaging
41
Features
51
Overall
45

Olympus E-PL5 vs Olympus SH-2 Key Specs

Olympus E-PL5
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • 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 SH-2
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 125 - 6400
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 25-600mm (F3.0-6.9) lens
  • 271g - 109 x 63 x 42mm
  • Launched March 2015
  • Succeeded the Olympus SH-1
  • Replacement is Olympus SH-3
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Olympus E-PL5 vs Olympus SH-2 Overview

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.

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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.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL5 over the Olympus SH-2

 E-PL5 SH-2 
Manually focus More precise focusing
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Selfie screen Take selfies

Reasons to pick Olympus SH-2 over the Olympus E-PL5

 SH-2 E-PL5 
LaunchedMarch 2015September 2012Newer by 30 months

Common features in the Olympus E-PL5 and Olympus SH-2

 E-PL5 SH-2 
Display dimensions3"3"Equal display measurements
Display resolution460k460kSame display resolution
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Olympus E-PL5 vs Olympus SH-2 Physical Comparison

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. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

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.

Olympus E-PL5 vs Olympus SH-2 size comparison

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

Olympus E-PL5 vs Olympus SH-2 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL5 vs Olympus SH-2 Sensor Comparison

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.

Olympus E-PL5 vs Olympus SH-2 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL5 vs Olympus SH-2 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL5 vs Olympus SH-2 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 Portrait photography highlights
Olympus SH-2 Portrait photography highlights
71
manual focus
megapixel count good (16MP)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
comes with face detection autofocus
saves RAW files
44
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
supports face detect autofocus
saves RAW formats
manual focus not available
external flash not possible
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 as a Street photography camera
Olympus SH-2 as a Street photography camera
85
tilting screen
image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
features focus by touch
great ISO range (25,600)
70
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
saves RAW formats
features touch to focus
lighter than competition in class (271g)
no articulating screen
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 Sports photography information
Olympus SH-2 Sports photography information
66
image stabilization (Sensor based)
megapixel count good (16MP)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
comes with tracking autofocus
no phase detect autofocus
51
great zoom range (25-600mm 24.0 x zoom)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
megapixel count decent (16MP)
supports tracking focus
great battery (380 per charge)
lack of shutter priority mode
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
has no phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 Travel photography details
Olympus SH-2 Travel photography details
75
features focus by touch
megapixel count good (16 megapixels)
screen is selfie friendly
does not have Timelapse function
74
great battery (380 shots)
lighter than competition in class (271g)
features touch to focus
megapixel count decent (16MP)
built-in flash
pretty wide (25mm)
very long reach (600mm)
doesn't have selfie friendly screen
slow max aperture (f3.0)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 as a Landscape photography camera
Olympus SH-2 as a Landscape photography camera
74
manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen is a good size (3 inches)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
megapixel count good (16 megapixels)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
great ISO range (25,600)
saves RAW files
does not have Timelapse function
55
pretty wide (25mm)
screen size is decent (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
saves RAW formats
great battery (380 per charge)
manual focus not available
can't swap lenses (fixed lens mount)
slow max aperture (f3.0)
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 Vlogging details
Olympus SH-2 Vlogging details
78
screen is selfie friendly
touchscreen functionality
image stabilization (Sensor based)
comes with face detection autofocus
high res video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
does not have external microphone support
35
pretty wide (25mm)
screen is touchscreen
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
supports face detect autofocus
video res high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
lighter than competition in class (271 grams)
slow max aperture (f3.0)
doesn't have selfie friendly screen
does not have microphone port
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Olympus E-PL5 vs Olympus SH-2 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL5 and Olympus SH-2
 Olympus PEN E-PL5Olympus Stylus SH-2
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Olympus
Model type Olympus PEN E-PL5 Olympus Stylus SH-2
Class Entry-Level Mirrorless Small Sensor Superzoom
Launched 2012-09-17 2015-03-11
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Processor - TruePic VII
Sensor type CMOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixel 16 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 4608 x 3456 4608 x 3456
Maximum native ISO 25600 6400
Min native ISO 200 125
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch to focus
AF continuous
Single AF
Tracking AF
AF selectice
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Total focus points 35 -
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 25-600mm (24.0x)
Highest aperture - f/3.0-6.9
Macro focusing range - 3cm
Available lenses 107 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.8
Screen
Range of screen Tilting Fixed Type
Screen size 3 inches 3 inches
Screen resolution 460k dot 460k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic (optional) None
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60s 30s
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000s 1/2000s
Continuous shooting speed 8.0 frames/s 11.5 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 7.00 m (bundled FL-LM1) 8.30 m (at ISO 3200)
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) Auto, redeye reduction, fill-in, off
External flash
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Maximum flash sync 1/250s -
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60p, 30p), 1280 x 720 (30p), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video data format MPEG-4, H.264, Motion JPEG H.264
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless Eye-Fi Connected Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 325 grams (0.72 lb) 271 grams (0.60 lb)
Physical dimensions 111 x 64 x 38mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.5") 109 x 63 x 42mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.7")
DXO scores
DXO All around 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 images 380 images
Battery form Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLS-5 LI-92B
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 12 sec, custom)
Time lapse shooting
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC SD, SDHC, SDXC, Internal Memory
Storage slots Single Single
Pricing at launch $400 $399