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Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic FZ1000 II

Portability
88
Imaging
52
Features
72
Overall
60
Olympus PEN E-PL5 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DC-FZ1000 II front
Portability
55
Imaging
55
Features
82
Overall
65

Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic FZ1000 II 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
  • Introduced September 2012
Panasonic FZ1000 II
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - 1" Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Display
  • ISO 125 - 12800 (Push to 25600)
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • 25-400mm (F2.8-4.0) lens
  • 808g - 136 x 97 x 132mm
  • Announced February 2019
  • Replaced the Panasonic FZ1000
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Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic FZ1000 II Overview

Lets examine more closely at the Olympus E-PL5 and Panasonic FZ1000 II, one is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the other is a Large Sensor Superzoom by companies Olympus and Panasonic. The sensor resolution of the E-PL5 (16MP) and the FZ1000 II (20MP) is fairly well matched but the E-PL5 (Four Thirds) and FZ1000 II (1") feature different sensor sizing.

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The E-PL5 was revealed 7 years earlier than the FZ1000 II which is quite a sizable gap as far as tech is concerned. Both cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-PL5 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic FZ1000 II being a SLR-like (bridge) camera.

Before we go straight into a in depth comparison, below is a concise synopsis of how the E-PL5 scores vs the FZ1000 II in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL5 over the Panasonic FZ1000 II

 E-PL5 FZ1000 II 

Reasons to pick Panasonic FZ1000 II over the Olympus E-PL5

 FZ1000 II E-PL5 
AnnouncedFebruary 2019September 2012More modern by 78 months
Display typeFully ArticulatedTiltingFully Articulating display
Display resolution1240k460kCrisper display (+780k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-PL5 and Panasonic FZ1000 II

 E-PL5 FZ1000 II 
Manual focus Dial accurate focus
Display dimension3"3"Identical display measurement
Selfie screen Both good for selfies
Touch display Easily navigate

Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic FZ1000 II Physical Comparison

If you are intending to carry around your camera, you have to take into account its weight and volume. The Olympus E-PL5 enjoys outer measurements of 111mm x 64mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.5") having a weight of 325 grams (0.72 lbs) and the Panasonic FZ1000 II has sizing of 136mm x 97mm x 132mm (5.4" x 3.8" x 5.2") with a weight of 808 grams (1.78 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus E-PL5 and Panasonic FZ1000 II in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Do not forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change depending on the lens you are working with during that time. The following is the front view measurements comparison of the E-PL5 and the FZ1000 II.

Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic FZ1000 II size comparison

Using size and weight, the portability grade of the E-PL5 and FZ1000 II is 88 and 55 respectively.

Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic FZ1000 II top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic FZ1000 II Sensor Comparison

Oftentimes, it is very tough to picture the gap between sensor sizes merely by checking technical specs. The pic here might provide you a more clear sense of the sensor sizing in the E-PL5 and FZ1000 II.

As you have seen, both the cameras posses different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The E-PL5 having a larger sensor is going to make shooting shallow DOF simpler and the Panasonic FZ1000 II will give more detail because of its extra 4MP. Greater resolution will also enable you to crop pics somewhat more aggressively. The more aged E-PL5 is going to be behind when it comes to sensor innovation.

Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic FZ1000 II sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic FZ1000 II Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic FZ1000 II Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 as a Portrait photography camera
Panasonic FZ1000 II as a Portrait photography camera
71
has manual focus
decent megapixels (16MP)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
supports face detect focusing
supports RAW formats
73
has manual focus
decent megapixels (20 megapixels)
sensor size is good (1")
offers face detect focusing
saves RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 Street photography details
Panasonic FZ1000 II Street photography details
85
tilting screen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
offers focus by touch
good high ISO (25,600)
71
fully articulated screen
image stabilization (Optical)
sensor size is good (1")
saves RAW files
offers touch focus
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 Sports photography features
Panasonic FZ1000 II Sports photography features
66
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
supports tracking focus
no phase detect AF
70
amazing zoom range (25-400mm 16.0 x zoom)
silent shutter (1/16,000 seconds)
image stabilization (Optical)
decent megapixels (20 megapixels)
sensor size is good (1")
offers tracking focus
no phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 as a Travel photography camera
Panasonic FZ1000 II as a Travel photography camera
75
offers focus by touch
decent megapixels (16MP)
selfie friendly screen
missing Timelapse function
68
connects via bluetooth
offers touch focus
decent megapixels (20 megapixels)
has built in flash
selfie friendly display
rather wide (25mm)
very long zoom (400mm)
slow max aperture (f2.8)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 Landscape photography highlights
Panasonic FZ1000 II Landscape photography highlights
74
has manual focus
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
decent sized screen (3")
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
good high ISO (25,600)
supports RAW formats
missing Timelapse function
66
has manual focus
rather wide (25mm)
decent sized screen (3 inches)
image stabilization (Optical)
decent megapixels (20 megapixels)
sensor size is good (1")
saves RAW files
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
slow max aperture (f2.8)
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 as a Vlogging camera
Panasonic FZ1000 II as a Vlogging camera
78
selfie friendly screen
built-in touchscreen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
supports face detect focusing
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
missing microphone jack
68
rather wide (25mm)
selfie friendly display
touch screen
image stabilization (Optical)
offers face detect focusing
video resolution high (3840 x 2160 pixels)
includes mic support
slow max aperture (f2.8)
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Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic FZ1000 II Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL5 and Panasonic FZ1000 II
 Olympus PEN E-PL5Panasonic Lumix DC-FZ1000 II
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Panasonic
Model Olympus PEN E-PL5 Panasonic Lumix DC-FZ1000 II
Type Entry-Level Mirrorless Large Sensor Superzoom
Introduced 2012-09-17 2019-02-18
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless SLR-like (bridge)
Sensor Information
Processor Chip - Venus Engine
Sensor type CMOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds 1"
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 13.2 x 8.8mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 116.2mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixel 20 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 4608 x 3456 5472 x 3648
Maximum native ISO 25600 12800
Maximum boosted ISO - 25600
Lowest native ISO 200 125
RAW files
Lowest boosted ISO - 80
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Autofocus touch
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Tracking autofocus
Selective autofocus
Autofocus center weighted
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Number of focus points 35 49
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 25-400mm (16.0x)
Maximum aperture - f/2.8-4.0
Macro focus distance - 3cm
Total lenses 107 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 2.7
Screen
Type of screen Tilting Fully Articulated
Screen diagonal 3 inches 3 inches
Screen resolution 460 thousand dots 1,240 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic (optional) Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 2,360 thousand dots
Viewfinder coverage - 100%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.74x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60 seconds 60 seconds
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Maximum silent shutter speed - 1/16000 seconds
Continuous shooting rate 8.0fps 12.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 7.00 m (bundled FL-LM1) 13.50 m (with Auto ISO)
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) Auto, Auto/Red-eye Reduction, Forced On, Forced On/Red-eye Reduction, Slow Sync, Slow Sync/Red-eye Reduction, Forced Off, 1st / 2nd Slow Sync.
Hot shoe
AEB
White balance bracketing
Maximum flash synchronize 1/250 seconds -
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) 3840x2160 (30p), 1920 x 1080 (60p, 60i, 30p, 24p) 1280x720 (30p), 640 x 480 (30p)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 3840x2160
Video file format MPEG-4, H.264, Motion JPEG MPEG-4, H.264
Mic support
Headphone support
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
Environmental sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 325g (0.72 lb) 808g (1.78 lb)
Dimensions 111 x 64 x 38mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.5") 136 x 97 x 132mm (5.4" x 3.8" x 5.2")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 72 not tested
DXO Color Depth score 22.8 not tested
DXO Dynamic range score 12.3 not tested
DXO Low light score 889 not tested
Other
Battery life 360 photographs 350 photographs
Form of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model BLS-5 DMW-BLC12PP
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes
Time lapse shooting
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC card (UHS-I supported)
Card slots Single Single
Cost at launch $400 $898