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Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic FH20

Portability
88
Imaging
52
Features
72
Overall
60
Olympus PEN E-PL5 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH20 front
Portability
93
Imaging
36
Features
21
Overall
30

Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic FH20 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
Panasonic FH20
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-224mm (F3.3-5.9) lens
  • 178g - 100 x 56 x 28mm
  • Announced January 2010
  • Other Name is Lumix DMC-FS30
Photography Glossary

Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic FH20 Overview

Let's look closer at the Olympus E-PL5 and Panasonic FH20, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the other is a Small Sensor Compact by manufacturers Olympus and Panasonic. The image resolution of the E-PL5 (16MP) and the FH20 (14MP) is fairly close but the E-PL5 (Four Thirds) and FH20 (1/2.3") possess totally different sensor measurements.

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The E-PL5 was launched 2 years later than the FH20 and that is a fairly sizable gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of the cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-PL5 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic FH20 being a Compact camera.

Before going straight into a detailed comparison, below is a quick highlight of how the E-PL5 scores against the FH20 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL5 over the Panasonic FH20

 E-PL5 FH20 
AnnouncedSeptember 2012January 2010Fresher by 33 months
Manual focus More precise focusing
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display sizing3"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")
Display resolution460k230kClearer display (+230k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Panasonic FH20 over the Olympus E-PL5

 FH20 E-PL5 

Common features in the Olympus E-PL5 and Panasonic FH20

 E-PL5 FH20 

Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic FH20 Physical Comparison

If you're looking to carry your camera frequently, you will want to factor its weight and size. The Olympus E-PL5 offers external dimensions of 111mm x 64mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.5") and a weight of 325 grams (0.72 lbs) and the Panasonic FH20 has specifications of 100mm x 56mm x 28mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 1.1") accompanied by a weight of 178 grams (0.39 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-PL5 and Panasonic FH20 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ based on the lens you select during that time. Here is the front view scale comparison of the E-PL5 compared to the FH20.

Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic FH20 size comparison

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-PL5 and FH20 is 88 and 93 respectively.

Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic FH20 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic FH20 Sensor Comparison

Quite often, it can be difficult to see the contrast in sensor sizing simply by looking through a spec sheet. The visual below will give you a more clear sense of the sensor sizes in the E-PL5 and FH20.

Clearly, both cameras offer different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The E-PL5 due to its larger sensor will make achieving bokeh simpler and the Olympus E-PL5 will render greater detail utilizing its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also enable you to crop images a little more aggressively. The fresher E-PL5 is going to have an advantage in sensor innovation.

Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic FH20 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic FH20 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic FH20 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 Portrait photography factors
Panasonic FH20 Portrait photography factors
71
focusing manually
megapixel count decent (16MP)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
comes with face detection autofocus
exports RAW formats
28
megapixel count decent (14MP)
lack of manual focus
no manual control
no external flash support
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 Street photography advice
Panasonic FH20 Street photography advice
85
tilting screen
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
boasts focus by touch
good high ISO (25,600)
56
image stabilization (Optical)
fixed screen
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 Sports photography advice
Panasonic FH20 Sports photography advice
66
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
comes with tracking autofocus
lack of phase detect autofocus
34
image stabilization (Optical)
megapixel count decent (14MP)
max frames per second low (5.0 fps)
no shutter priority
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
has no phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 Travel photography advice
Panasonic FH20 Travel photography advice
75
boasts focus by touch
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
selfie friendly display
doesn't have Timelapse mode
64
megapixel count decent (14MP)
built-in flash
pretty wide (28mm)
missing Timelapse mode
doesn't feature selfie friendly screen
sluggish max aperture (f3.3)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 Landscape photography details
Panasonic FH20 Landscape photography details
74
focusing manually
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is good (3")
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
megapixel count decent (16MP)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
good high ISO (25,600)
exports RAW formats
doesn't have Timelapse mode
37
pretty wide (28mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
megapixel count decent (14 megapixels)
lack of manual focus
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f3.3)
screen is small (2.7 inches)
no manual control
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
missing Timelapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 Vlogging factors
Panasonic FH20 Vlogging factors
78
selfie friendly display
built-in touchscreen
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
comes with face detection autofocus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
doesn't have external microphone jack
28
pretty wide (28mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
sluggish max aperture (f3.3)
doesn't feature selfie friendly screen
video quality not great (1280 x 720 resolution)
missing external microphone port
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Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic FH20 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL5 and Panasonic FH20
 Olympus PEN E-PL5Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH20
General Information
Company Olympus Panasonic
Model type Olympus PEN E-PL5 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH20
Alternate name - Lumix DMC-FS30
Category Entry-Level Mirrorless Small Sensor Compact
Launched 2012-09-17 2010-01-06
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 16MP 14MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 4608 x 3456 4320 x 3240
Max native ISO 25600 6400
Lowest native ISO 200 80
RAW files
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
Continuous AF
AF single
AF tracking
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Total focus points 35 9
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 28-224mm (8.0x)
Largest aperture - f/3.3-5.9
Macro focusing distance - 5cm
Amount of lenses 107 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.9
Screen
Screen type Tilting Fixed Type
Screen diagonal 3 inches 2.7 inches
Resolution of screen 460k dot 230k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic (optional) None
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60 seconds 60 seconds
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/1600 seconds
Continuous shooting speed 8.0fps 5.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 7.00 m (bundled FL-LM1) 5.80 m (Auto ISO)
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Syncro
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Maximum flash sync 1/250 seconds -
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Max video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video 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 325g (0.72 pounds) 178g (0.39 pounds)
Dimensions 111 x 64 x 38mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.5") 100 x 56 x 28mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 1.1")
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 photos -
Battery form Battery Pack -
Battery ID BLS-5 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Storage slots 1 1
Price at launch $400 $179