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Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic FH7

Portability
88
Imaging
52
Features
72
Overall
60
Olympus PEN E-PL5 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH7 front
Portability
96
Imaging
39
Features
36
Overall
37

Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic FH7 Key Specs

Olympus E-PL5
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 325g - 111 x 64 x 38mm
  • Announced September 2012
Panasonic FH7
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-112mm (F3.1-6.5) lens
  • 126g - 95 x 56 x 19mm
  • Released September 2011
  • Alternate Name is Lumix DMC-FS22
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Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic FH7 Overview

Following is a in depth comparison of the Olympus E-PL5 versus Panasonic FH7, one is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by competitors Olympus and Panasonic. The image resolution of the E-PL5 (16MP) and the FH7 (16MP) is pretty comparable but the E-PL5 (Four Thirds) and FH7 (1/2.3") have totally different sensor measurements.

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The E-PL5 was announced 13 months after the FH7 which makes them a generation away from one another. Each of the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-PL5 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic FH7 being a Compact camera.

Before getting right into a full comparison, here is a quick summary of how the E-PL5 matches up against the FH7 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL5 over the Panasonic FH7

 E-PL5 FH7 
ReleasedSeptember 2012September 2011More modern by 13 months
Focus manually More precise focus
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen resolution460k230kClearer screen (+230k dot)
Selfie screen Take selfies

Reasons to pick Panasonic FH7 over the Olympus E-PL5

 FH7 E-PL5 

Common features in the Olympus E-PL5 and Panasonic FH7

 E-PL5 FH7 
Screen size3"3"Same screen measurements
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic FH7 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is looking to carry around your camera, you will want to take into account its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-PL5 has got 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 Panasonic FH7 has proportions of 95mm x 56mm x 19mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.7") with a weight of 126 grams (0.28 lbs).

See the Olympus E-PL5 versus Panasonic FH7 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Keep in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary dependant on the lens you are using at that time. Here is a front view size comparison of the E-PL5 and the FH7.

Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic FH7 size comparison

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-PL5 and FH7 is 88 and 96 respectively.

Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic FH7 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic FH7 Sensor Comparison

Normally, it's hard to visualise the gap in sensor sizes purely by seeing specs. The pic below will help give you a clearer sense of the sensor sizes in the E-PL5 and FH7.

All in all, both of those cameras feature the identical megapixel count albeit not the same sensor sizes. The E-PL5 has the bigger sensor which should make achieving shallower depth of field simpler. The fresher E-PL5 will have an edge in sensor innovation.

Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic FH7 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic FH7 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic FH7 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 Portrait photography highlights
Panasonic FH7 Portrait photography highlights
71
focusing manually
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
has face detection focus
delivers RAW formats
34
good MP (16 megapixels)
provides face detection focusing
no manual focus
manual mode not available
no external flash support
sensor is small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 Street photography information
Panasonic FH7 Street photography information
85
screen tilts
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
features focus via touch
good ISO range (25,600)
67
image stabilization (Optical)
supports touch to focus
lighter than average (126 grams)
screen does not articulate
sensor is small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 as a Sports photography camera
Panasonic FH7 as a Sports photography camera
66
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
megapixel count decent (16MP)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
has tracking autofocus
lacks phase detect auto focus
40
image stabilization (Optical)
good MP (16MP)
provides tracking autofocus
slow frames per second (4.0 frames/s)
no shutter priority
sensor is small (1/2.3")
doesn't have phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 Travel photography highlights
Panasonic FH7 Travel photography highlights
75
features focus via touch
megapixel count decent (16MP)
selfie friendly screen
lack of Timelapse function
71
lighter than average (126g)
supports touch to focus
good MP (16 megapixels)
built-in flash
fairly wide (28mm)
no Time Lapse recording
display is not selfie friendly
sluggish max aperture (f3.1)
Photography Glossary

Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 Landscape photography features
Panasonic FH7 Landscape photography features
74
focusing manually
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
pretty good screen size (3")
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
megapixel count decent (16MP)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
good ISO range (25,600)
delivers RAW formats
lack of Timelapse function
43
fairly wide (28mm)
good sized screen (3 inches)
image stabilization (Optical)
good MP (16MP)
no manual focus
can't swap lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f3.1)
manual mode not available
sensor is small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
no Time Lapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus E-PL5
Vlogging with Panasonic FH7
78
selfie friendly screen
touchscreen capability
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
has face detection focus
great video quality (1920 x 1080 pixels)
lack of external microphone jack
34
fairly wide (28mm)
built-in touchscreen
image stabilization (Optical)
provides face detection focusing
lighter than average (126 grams)
sluggish max aperture (f3.1)
display is not selfie friendly
low res video (1280 x 720 pixels)
no external mic socket
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Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic FH7 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL5 and Panasonic FH7
 Olympus PEN E-PL5Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH7
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Panasonic
Model type Olympus PEN E-PL5 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH7
Otherwise known as - Lumix DMC-FS22
Category Entry-Level Mirrorless Small Sensor Compact
Announced 2012-09-17 2011-09-07
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Chip - Venus Engine IV
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 16MP 16MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Highest Possible resolution 4608 x 3456 4608 x 3456
Maximum native ISO 25600 6400
Lowest native ISO 200 100
RAW data
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch focus
Continuous AF
AF single
Tracking AF
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Total focus points 35 11
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 28-112mm (4.0x)
Maximal aperture - f/3.1-6.5
Macro focusing range - 5cm
Amount of lenses 107 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.9
Screen
Type of display Tilting Fixed Type
Display diagonal 3 inches 3 inches
Display resolution 460k dots 230k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic (optional) None
Features
Min shutter speed 60 seconds 60 seconds
Max shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/1600 seconds
Continuous shutter rate 8.0 frames/s 4.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Change WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 7.00 m (bundled FL-LM1) 3.30 m
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction
External flash
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Max 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) 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video file format MPEG-4, H.264, Motion JPEG Motion JPEG
Mic port
Headphone port
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
Environment sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 325 grams (0.72 lbs) 126 grams (0.28 lbs)
Physical dimensions 111 x 64 x 38mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.5") 95 x 56 x 19mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.7")
DXO scores
DXO Overall 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 260 pictures
Form of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLS-5 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Card slots 1 1
Cost at release $400 $149