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Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic FP5

Portability
88
Imaging
52
Features
72
Overall
60
Olympus PEN E-PL5 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FP5 front
Portability
95
Imaging
37
Features
33
Overall
35

Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic FP5 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 FP5
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 35-140mm (F3.5-5.9) lens
  • 141g - 101 x 59 x 18mm
  • Released January 2011
Photography Glossary

Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic FP5 Overview

Here is a thorough assessment of the Olympus E-PL5 and Panasonic FP5, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the other is a Ultracompact by competitors Olympus and Panasonic. The sensor resolution of the E-PL5 (16MP) and the FP5 (14MP) is very comparable but the E-PL5 (Four Thirds) and FP5 (1/2.3") have totally different sensor size.

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The E-PL5 was launched 21 months later than the FP5 making them a generation apart from one another. Each of the cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-PL5 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic FP5 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before going into a in-depth comparison, here is a concise summary of how the E-PL5 matches up versus the FP5 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL5 over the Panasonic FP5

 E-PL5 FP5 
ReleasedSeptember 2012January 2011Fresher by 21 months
Focus manually Very precise focusing
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display resolution460k230kSharper display (+230k dot)
Selfie screen Take selfies

Reasons to pick Panasonic FP5 over the Olympus E-PL5

 FP5 E-PL5 

Common features in the Olympus E-PL5 and Panasonic FP5

 E-PL5 FP5 
Display dimensions3"3"Equal display size
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic FP5 Physical Comparison

If you are looking to carry your camera often, you'll need to consider its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-PL5 enjoys outer measurements of 111mm x 64mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.5") along with a weight of 325 grams (0.72 lbs) whilst the Panasonic FP5 has measurements of 101mm x 59mm x 18mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 0.7") accompanied by a weight of 141 grams (0.31 lbs).

See the Olympus E-PL5 and Panasonic FP5 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you have attached during that time. Here is a front view measurement comparison of the E-PL5 compared to the FP5.

Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic FP5 size comparison

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-PL5 and FP5 is 88 and 95 respectively.

Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic FP5 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic FP5 Sensor Comparison

Normally, it can be difficult to see the gap in sensor sizing purely by checking out specs. The graphic underneath will offer you a stronger sense of the sensor sizing in the E-PL5 and FP5.

As you can plainly see, both of the cameras provide different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The E-PL5 featuring a larger sensor will make achieving bokeh easier and the Olympus E-PL5 will show greater detail utilizing its extra 2MP. Greater resolution will make it easier to crop pics more aggressively. The newer E-PL5 is going to have an advantage with regard to sensor technology.

Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic FP5 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic FP5 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic FP5 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 Portrait photography features
Panasonic FP5 Portrait photography features
71
has manual focus
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
includes face detect focus
delivers RAW formats
33
sensor resolution is decent (14MP)
comes with face detect focusing
manual focus not available
no manual mode
no external flash support
sensor is small (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 Street photography details
Panasonic FP5 Street photography details
85
screen tilts
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
features focus via touch
very good high ISO (25,600)
63
has image stabilization (Optical)
comes with focus by touch
screen does not articulate
sensor is small (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 Sports photography info
Panasonic FP5 Sports photography info
66
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
includes tracking focus
no phase detect auto focus
43
has image stabilization (Optical)
sensor resolution is decent (14 megapixels)
comes with tracking focus
good battery pack (260 shots)
max fps very slow (6.0 frames per second)
no shutter priority mode
sensor is small (1/2.3")
lacks phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus E-PL5
Travel photography with Panasonic FP5
75
features focus via touch
resolution is good (16MP)
screen is selfie friendly
lack of Time Lapse mode
65
good battery pack (260 shots)
comes with focus by touch
sensor resolution is decent (14MP)
has built in flash
missing Time Lapse mode
screen isn't selfie friendly
wide angle not good (35mm)
slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 Landscape photography highlights
Panasonic FP5 Landscape photography highlights
74
has manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
good sized screen (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
very good high ISO (25,600)
delivers RAW formats
lack of Time Lapse mode
40
pretty good screen size (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Optical)
sensor resolution is decent (14 megapixels)
good battery pack (260 per charge)
manual focus not available
cannot switch lenses (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not good (35mm)
slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
no manual mode
sensor is small (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
missing Time Lapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 as a Vlogging camera
Panasonic FP5 as a Vlogging camera
78
screen is selfie friendly
touchscreen capability
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
includes face detect focus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
lack of mic port
30
screen is touchscreen
has image stabilization (Optical)
comes with face detect focusing
wide angle not good (35mm)
slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
screen isn't selfie friendly
video res low (1280 x 720 resolution)
missing mic socket
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Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic FP5 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL5 and Panasonic FP5
 Olympus PEN E-PL5Panasonic Lumix DMC-FP5
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Panasonic
Model Olympus PEN E-PL5 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FP5
Category Entry-Level Mirrorless Ultracompact
Introduced 2012-09-17 2011-01-05
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless Ultracompact
Sensor Information
Processor 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 16 megapixel 14 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 4608 x 3456 4320 x 3240
Highest native ISO 25600 6400
Lowest native ISO 200 100
RAW format
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Tracking autofocus
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Number of focus points 35 11
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 35-140mm (4.0x)
Maximum aperture - f/3.5-5.9
Macro focus range - 10cm
Total lenses 107 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.9
Screen
Screen type Tilting Fixed Type
Screen size 3" 3"
Screen resolution 460k dots 230k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Screen technology - TFT Touch Screen LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic (optional) None
Features
Min shutter speed 60s 60s
Max shutter speed 1/4000s 1/1600s
Continuous shutter rate 8.0 frames per second 6.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes -
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated 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 reduction
External flash
AEB
White balance bracketing
Max flash synchronize 1/250s -
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
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)
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video data 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 proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 325g (0.72 pounds) 141g (0.31 pounds)
Physical dimensions 111 x 64 x 38mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.5") 101 x 59 x 18mm (4.0" 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 pictures 260 pictures
Style of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model BLS-5 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Card slots 1 1
Price at release $400 $199