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Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic FP2

Portability
88
Imaging
52
Features
72
Overall
60
Olympus PEN E-PL5 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FP2 front
Portability
95
Imaging
36
Features
17
Overall
28

Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic FP2 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 FP2
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 35-140mm (F3.5-5.9) lens
  • 151g - 99 x 59 x 19mm
  • Revealed January 2010
Photography Glossary

Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic FP2 Overview

Lets look more in depth at the Olympus E-PL5 and Panasonic FP2, one is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the latter is a Ultracompact by companies Olympus and Panasonic. The image resolution of the E-PL5 (16MP) and the FP2 (14MP) is relatively comparable but the E-PL5 (Four Thirds) and FP2 (1/2.3") provide different sensor dimensions.

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The E-PL5 was announced 2 years after the FP2 which is a fairly big gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Both of the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-PL5 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic FP2 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before diving into a in-depth comparison, here is a quick synopsis of how the E-PL5 scores against the FP2 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL5 over the Panasonic FP2

 E-PL5 FP2 
RevealedSeptember 2012January 2010Newer by 33 months
Manually focus More exact focus
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen size3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution460k230kCrisper screen (+230k dot)
Selfie screen Take selfies
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Panasonic FP2 over the Olympus E-PL5

 FP2 E-PL5 

Common features in the Olympus E-PL5 and Panasonic FP2

 E-PL5 FP2 

Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic FP2 Physical Comparison

If you're intending to travel with your camera, you will have to take into account its weight and size. The Olympus E-PL5 has outside dimensions of 111mm x 64mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.5") and a weight of 325 grams (0.72 lbs) while the Panasonic FP2 has specifications of 99mm x 59mm x 19mm (3.9" x 2.3" x 0.7") accompanied by a weight of 151 grams (0.33 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-PL5 and Panasonic FP2 in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Do not forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ depending on the lens you are working with at that time. Below is a front view overall size comparison of the E-PL5 vs the FP2.

Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic FP2 size comparison

Looking at size and weight, the portability rating of the E-PL5 and FP2 is 88 and 95 respectively.

Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic FP2 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic FP2 Sensor Comparison

Generally, its difficult to picture the gap in sensor dimensions simply by checking out technical specs. The pic underneath should provide you a stronger sense of the sensor sizes in the E-PL5 and FP2.

As you have seen, the two cameras come with different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The E-PL5 having a bigger sensor is going to make achieving shallower DOF easier and the Olympus E-PL5 will show extra detail with its extra 2MP. Higher resolution can also enable you to crop photographs a good deal more aggressively. The younger E-PL5 provides an advantage with regard to sensor tech.

Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic FP2 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic FP2 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic FP2 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 Portrait photography factors
Panasonic FP2 Portrait photography factors
71
focusing manually
good resolution (16 megapixels)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports face detection focus
exports RAW formats
28
decent sensor resolution (14MP)
no manual focus
manual exposure not possible
cannot use external flash
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 Street photography factors
Panasonic FP2 Street photography factors
85
has a tilting screen
image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
includes touch focus
very good ISO range (25,600)
55
built in image stabilization (Optical)
no articulating screen
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
heavier than competition in class (151 grams)
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus E-PL5
Sports photography with Panasonic FP2
66
image stabilization (Sensor based)
good resolution (16MP)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports tracking autofocus
lack of phase detect auto focus
34
built in image stabilization (Optical)
decent sensor resolution (14 megapixels)
slow frames per second (5.0 fps)
no shutter priority mode
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
has no phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 Travel photography factors
Panasonic FP2 Travel photography factors
75
includes touch focus
good resolution (16MP)
selfie friendly screen
does not have Timelapse function
56
decent sensor resolution (14MP)
flash built-in
missing Time Lapse function
heavier than competition in class (151g)
does not have selfie friendly screen
wide angle not good (35mm)
slow max aperture (f3.5)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 Landscape photography details
Panasonic FP2 Landscape photography details
74
focusing manually
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
good sized screen (3")
image stabilization (Sensor based)
good resolution (16 megapixels)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
very good ISO range (25,600)
exports RAW formats
does not have Timelapse function
32
built in image stabilization (Optical)
decent sensor resolution (14MP)
no manual focus
cannot swap lenses (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not good (35mm)
slow max aperture (f3.5)
screen is small (2.7 inches)
manual exposure not possible
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
missing Time Lapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 Vlogging highlights
Panasonic FP2 Vlogging highlights
78
selfie friendly screen
touchscreen
image stabilization (Sensor based)
supports face detection focus
video res high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
does not have external microphone port
25
built in image stabilization (Optical)
wide angle not good (35mm)
slow max aperture (f3.5)
does not have selfie friendly screen
low res video (1280 x 720 resolution)
missing external mic jack
heavier than competition in class (151 grams)
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Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic FP2 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL5 and Panasonic FP2
 Olympus PEN E-PL5Panasonic Lumix DMC-FP2
General Information
Make Olympus Panasonic
Model Olympus PEN E-PL5 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FP2
Class Entry-Level Mirrorless Ultracompact
Introduced 2012-09-17 2010-01-06
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless Ultracompact
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 area 224.9mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 16MP 14MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Max resolution 4608 x 3456 4320 x 3240
Max native ISO 25600 6400
Min native ISO 200 80
RAW files
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch to focus
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
Number of focus points 35 9
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 35-140mm (4.0x)
Largest aperture - f/3.5-5.9
Macro focus distance - 10cm
Amount of lenses 107 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.9
Screen
Range of screen Tilting Fixed Type
Screen size 3 inch 2.7 inch
Screen resolution 460 thousand dot 230 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic (optional) None
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60 secs 60 secs
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/1600 secs
Continuous shutter speed 8.0 frames per sec 5.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Set WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 7.00 m (bundled FL-LM1) 4.90 m
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Syncro
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Fastest flash sync 1/250 secs -
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
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), 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Max video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video file format MPEG-4, H.264, Motion JPEG Motion JPEG
Mic input
Headphone input
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 proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 325 gr (0.72 lbs) 151 gr (0.33 lbs)
Physical dimensions 111 x 64 x 38mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.5") 99 x 59 x 19mm (3.9" x 2.3" x 0.7")
DXO scores
DXO Overall 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 photos -
Battery format Battery Pack -
Battery model BLS-5 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Storage slots Single Single
Launch price $400 $80