Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic FS12

Let's examine more closely at the Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic FS12, former is a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Ultracompact by manufacturers Olympus and Panasonic. There is a large difference between the sensor resolutions of the E-PL5 (16MP) and FS12 (12MP) and the E-PL5 (Four Thirds) and FS12 (1/2.3") come with totally different sensor size.

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The E-PL5 was introduced 3 years after the FS12 which is quite a serious difference as far as tech is concerned. Each of the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-PL5 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic FS12 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before delving through a in-depth comparison, below is a concise highlight of how the E-PL5 matches up against the FS12 for portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

The following is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus PEN E-PL5 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS12. The whole galleries are viewable at Olympus E-PL5 Gallery & Panasonic FS12 Gallery.

For anybody who is going to carry around your camera often, you are going to need to think about its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-PL5 enjoys external dimensions 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 FS12 has dimensions of 97mm x 55mm x 22mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.9") along with a weight of 129 grams (0.28 lbs).

Examine the Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic FS12 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into account, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you are employing at that moment. Below is the front view physical size comparison of the E-PL5 and the FS12.

Taking into account size and weight, the portability grade of the E-PL5 and FS12 is 88 and 95 respectively.

Often, its difficult to see the gap between sensor sizes just by looking at specs. The pic underneath may provide you a stronger sense of the sensor sizes in the E-PL5 and FS12.

As you can plainly see, each of the cameras posses different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The E-PL5 using its bigger sensor will make getting shallow depth of field less difficult and the Olympus E-PL5 will give you more detail using its extra 4MP. Higher resolution can also enable you to crop shots somewhat more aggressively. The newer E-PL5 is going to have an edge in sensor technology.