Olympus E-PL5 vs Olympus VG-120
88 Imaging
52 Features
72 Overall
60


96 Imaging
37 Features
24 Overall
31
Olympus E-PL5 vs Olympus VG-120 Key Specs
(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
- Revealed September 2012
(Full Review)
- 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
- 3" Fixed Screen
- ISO 80 - 1600
- 1280 x 720 video
- 26-130mm (F2.8-6.5) lens
- 120g - 96 x 57 x 19mm
- Released January 2011

Olympus E-PL5 vs Olympus VG-120 Overview
Below is a extended analysis of the Olympus E-PL5 versus Olympus VG-120, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Ultracompact and both are built by Olympus. The sensor resolution of the E-PL5 (16MP) and the VG-120 (14MP) is relatively comparable but the E-PL5 (Four Thirds) and VG-120 (1/2.3") enjoy totally different sensor sizing.

The E-PL5 was released 21 months later than the VG-120 which makes the cameras a generation apart from one another. Both cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-PL5 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Olympus VG-120 being a Ultracompact camera.
Before getting straight into a in depth comparison, below is a quick introduction of how the E-PL5 matches up against the VG-120 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Olympus E-PL5 vs Olympus VG-120 Gallery
Following is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus PEN E-PL5 & Olympus VG-120. The complete galleries are viewable at Olympus E-PL5 Gallery & Olympus VG-120 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL5 over the Olympus VG-120
E-PL5 | VG-120 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Released | September 2012 | ![]() | January 2011 | More recent by 21 months |
Focus manually | ![]() | More precise focusing | ||
Screen type | Tilting | ![]() | Fixed | Tilting screen |
Screen resolution | 460k | ![]() | 230k | Crisper screen (+230k dot) |
Selfie screen | ![]() | Easy selfies | ||
Touch friendly screen | ![]() | Quickly navigate |
Reasons to pick Olympus VG-120 over the Olympus E-PL5
VG-120 | E-PL5 |
---|
Common features in the Olympus E-PL5 and Olympus VG-120
E-PL5 | VG-120 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Screen sizing | 3" | ![]() | 3" | Equivalent screen measurement |
Olympus E-PL5 vs Olympus VG-120 Physical Comparison
When you are going to lug around your camera frequently, you'll need to take into account its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-PL5 enjoys outer 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) and the Olympus VG-120 has dimensions of 96mm x 57mm x 19mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.7") along with a weight of 120 grams (0.26 lbs).
Check the Olympus E-PL5 versus Olympus VG-120 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Always remember, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you are utilizing during that time. Underneath is the front view proportions comparison of the E-PL5 against the VG-120.

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-PL5 and VG-120 is 88 and 96 respectively.

Olympus E-PL5 vs Olympus VG-120 Sensor Comparison
Sometimes, it's hard to envision the gap in sensor measurements purely by going through specs. The visual underneath may provide you a much better sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-PL5 and VG-120.
As you can plainly see, both of these cameras offer different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The E-PL5 because of its bigger sensor will make getting shallow depth of field easier and the Olympus E-PL5 will produce greater detail as a result of its extra 2 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also let you crop shots a little more aggressively. The younger E-PL5 will have an advantage in sensor technology.

Olympus E-PL5 vs Olympus VG-120 Screen and ViewFinder


Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison

Street Comparison

Sports Comparison

Travel Comparison

Landscape Comparison

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 vs Olympus VG-120 Specifications
Olympus PEN E-PL5 | Olympus VG-120 | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Make | Olympus | Olympus |
Model type | Olympus PEN E-PL5 | Olympus VG-120 |
Class | Entry-Level Mirrorless | Ultracompact |
Revealed | 2012-09-17 | 2011-01-06 |
Body design | Rangefinder-style mirrorless | Ultracompact |
Sensor Information | ||
Processor Chip | - | TruePic III |
Sensor type | CMOS | CCD |
Sensor size | Four Thirds | 1/2.3" |
Sensor measurements | 17.3 x 13mm | 6.17 x 4.55mm |
Sensor area | 224.9mm² | 28.1mm² |
Sensor resolution | 16 megapixel | 14 megapixel |
Anti alias filter | ||
Aspect ratio | 4:3 | 4:3 |
Highest resolution | 4608 x 3456 | 4288 x 3216 |
Highest native ISO | 25600 | 1600 |
Minimum native ISO | 200 | 80 |
RAW data | ||
Autofocusing | ||
Focus manually | ||
AF touch | ||
AF continuous | ||
Single AF | ||
AF tracking | ||
Selective AF | ||
AF center weighted | ||
Multi area AF | ||
AF live view | ||
Face detection focusing | ||
Contract detection focusing | ||
Phase detection focusing | ||
Total focus points | 35 | - |
Lens | ||
Lens support | Micro Four Thirds | fixed lens |
Lens zoom range | - | 26-130mm (5.0x) |
Maximal aperture | - | f/2.8-6.5 |
Macro focusing range | - | 7cm |
Total lenses | 107 | - |
Focal length multiplier | 2.1 | 5.8 |
Screen | ||
Screen type | Tilting | Fixed Type |
Screen sizing | 3" | 3" |
Resolution of screen | 460 thousand dot | 230 thousand dot |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch operation | ||
Screen tech | - | TFT Color LCD |
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder | Electronic (optional) | None |
Features | ||
Slowest shutter speed | 60s | 4s |
Maximum shutter speed | 1/4000s | 1/2000s |
Continuous shooting speed | 8.0fps | - |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Expose Manually | ||
Exposure compensation | Yes | - |
Change WB | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Built-in flash | ||
Flash distance | 7.00 m (bundled FL-LM1) | 4.40 m |
Flash options | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in |
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 | ||
Video resolutions | 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) | 1280 x 720 (30, 15fps), 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15fps) |
Highest video resolution | 1920x1080 | 1280x720 |
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 lb) | 120 gr (0.26 lb) |
Dimensions | 111 x 64 x 38mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.5") | 96 x 57 x 19mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.7") |
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 pictures | 160 pictures |
Type of battery | Battery Pack | Battery Pack |
Battery ID | BLS-5 | LI-70B |
Self timer | Yes (2 or 12 sec) | Yes (2 or 12 sec) |
Time lapse feature | ||
Type of storage | SD/SDHC/SDXC | SD/SDHC |
Storage slots | One | One |
Launch price | $400 | $190 |