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Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic FS12

Portability
88
Imaging
52
Features
72
Overall
60
Olympus PEN E-PL5 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS12 front
Portability
95
Imaging
35
Features
14
Overall
26

Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic FS12 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
  • Released September 2012
Panasonic FS12
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 1600 (Raise to 6400)
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 640 x 480 video
  • 31-124mm (F2.8-5.9) lens
  • 129g - 97 x 55 x 22mm
  • Introduced April 2009
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Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic FS12 Overview

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.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL5 over the Panasonic FS12

 E-PL5 FS12 
IntroducedSeptember 2012April 2009More modern by 42 months
Manual focus More accurate focus
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen dimension3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution460k230kCrisper screen (+230k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Panasonic FS12 over the Olympus E-PL5

 FS12 E-PL5 

Common features in the Olympus E-PL5 and Panasonic FS12

 E-PL5 FS12 

Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic FS12 Physical Comparison

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. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

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.

Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic FS12 size comparison

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

Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic FS12 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic FS12 Sensor Comparison

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.

Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic FS12 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic FS12 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic FS12 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 as a Portrait photography camera
Panasonic FS12 as a Portrait photography camera
71
has manual focus
decent megapixels (16MP)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
has face detection focus
supports RAW files
21
manual focus not available
manual mode not available
external flash not possible
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
Photography Glossary

Street Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 as a Street photography camera
Panasonic FS12 as a Street photography camera
85
tilting screen
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
includes focus by touch
very good ISO range (25,600)
57
has image stabilization (Optical)
no moving screen
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 as a Sports photography camera
Panasonic FS12 as a Sports photography camera
66
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
has tracking autofocus
lacks phase detect auto focus
25
has image stabilization (Optical)
max frames per second very slow (2.0 frames per second)
no shutter priority
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
lack of phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 as a Travel photography camera
Panasonic FS12 as a Travel photography camera
75
includes focus by touch
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
screen is selfie friendly
doesn't have Timelapse function
51
has built in flash
missing Time Lapse mode
low megapixels (12MP)
display isn't selfie friendly
wide angle not great (31mm)
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.8)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 Landscape photography info
Panasonic FS12 Landscape photography info
74
has manual focus
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
nice screen size (3")
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
very good ISO range (25,600)
supports RAW files
doesn't have Timelapse function
28
has image stabilization (Optical)
manual focus not available
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not great (31mm)
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.8)
screen is somewhat small (2.7 inches)
manual mode not available
low megapixels (12MP)
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
missing Time Lapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 Vlogging information
Panasonic FS12 Vlogging information
78
screen is selfie friendly
touchscreen enabled
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
has face detection focus
video res high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
doesn't have external microphone port
25
has image stabilization (Optical)
wide angle not great (31mm)
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.8)
display isn't selfie friendly
low quality video (640 x 480 pxls)
missing mic port
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Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic FS12 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL5 and Panasonic FS12
 Olympus PEN E-PL5Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS12
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Panasonic
Model Olympus PEN E-PL5 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS12
Type Entry-Level Mirrorless Ultracompact
Released 2012-09-17 2009-04-17
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless Ultracompact
Sensor Information
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 12MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 4608 x 3456 4000 x 3000
Maximum native ISO 25600 1600
Maximum boosted ISO - 6400
Minimum native ISO 200 80
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Manual focus
AF touch
Continuous AF
Single AF
AF tracking
Selective AF
AF center weighted
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Number of focus points 35 -
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 31-124mm (4.0x)
Largest aperture - f/2.8-5.9
Macro focus range - 5cm
Total lenses 107 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.9
Screen
Range of display Tilting Fixed Type
Display sizing 3 inch 2.7 inch
Resolution of display 460k dot 230k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic (optional) None
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60 secs 60 secs
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/2000 secs
Continuous shooting speed 8.0 frames/s 2.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Set WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range 7.00 m (bundled FL-LM1) 6.30 m
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Sync
Hot shoe
AEB
White balance bracketing
Maximum flash sync 1/250 secs -
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) 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 640x480
Video data format MPEG-4, H.264, Motion JPEG Motion JPEG
Mic 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 proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 325g (0.72 pounds) 129g (0.28 pounds)
Dimensions 111 x 64 x 38mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.5") 97 x 55 x 22mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.9")
DXO scores
DXO All around 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 -
Battery form Battery Pack -
Battery model BLS-5 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC card, Internal
Storage slots Single Single
Retail cost $400 $228