Clicky

Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic FS15

Portability
88
Imaging
52
Features
72
Overall
60
Olympus PEN E-PL5 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS15 front
Portability
95
Imaging
34
Features
17
Overall
27

Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic FS15 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
  • Launched September 2012
Panasonic FS15
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 1600 (Boost to 6400)
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 640 x 480 video
  • 29-145mm (F3.3-5.9) lens
  • 136g - 97 x 54 x 22mm
  • Introduced January 2009
Snapchat Adds Watermarks to AI-Created Images

Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic FS15 Overview

Lets look closer at the Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic FS15, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the other is a Ultracompact by companies Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a large gap between the sensor resolutions of the E-PL5 (16MP) and FS15 (12MP) and the E-PL5 (Four Thirds) and FS15 (1/2.3") come with different sensor size.

Photobucket discusses licensing 13 billion images with AI firms

The E-PL5 was released 3 years later than the FS15 and that is quite a serious difference as far as technology is concerned. Both the cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-PL5 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic FS15 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before going straight into a in depth comparison, below is a concise summation of how the E-PL5 grades against the FS15 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Meta to Introduce 'AI-Generated' Labels for Media starting next month
	
	

Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL5 over the Panasonic FS15

 E-PL5 FS15 
IntroducedSeptember 2012January 2009More recent by 45 months
Manual focus Dial exact focusing
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display sizing3"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")
Display resolution460k230kCrisper display (+230k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies
Touch display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Panasonic FS15 over the Olympus E-PL5

 FS15 E-PL5 

Common features in the Olympus E-PL5 and Panasonic FS15

 E-PL5 FS15 

Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic FS15 Physical Comparison

When you are planning to lug around your camera, you are going to need to factor in its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-PL5 has got 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) and the Panasonic FS15 has proportions of 97mm x 54mm x 22mm (3.8" x 2.1" x 0.9") having a weight of 136 grams (0.30 lbs).

Compare the Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic FS15 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you select at the time. Here is the front view measurements comparison of the E-PL5 versus the FS15.

Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic FS15 size comparison

Using dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-PL5 and FS15 is 88 and 95 respectively.

Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic FS15 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic FS15 Sensor Comparison

Normally, it's hard to imagine the contrast between sensor measurements just by reading through technical specs. The photograph below will provide you a clearer sense of the sensor sizing in the E-PL5 and FS15.

As you have seen, each of these cameras offer different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The E-PL5 due to its larger sensor is going to make getting shallow depth of field easier and the Olympus E-PL5 will resolve extra detail as a result of its extra 4MP. Greater resolution can also help you crop images a little more aggressively. The younger E-PL5 provides an advantage in sensor tech.

Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic FS15 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic FS15 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic FS15 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music video

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 Portrait photography advice
Panasonic FS15 Portrait photography advice
71
focusing manually
MP count decent (16MP)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
offers face detect autofocus
saves RAW files
20
no manual focus
lack of manual exposure
can't use external flash
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
sensor is small (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
Apple Innovates by Creating Next-Level Optical Stabilization for iPhone

Street Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 Street photography features
Panasonic FS15 Street photography features
85
screen tilts up and down
image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
features touch to focus
very good high ISO (25,600)
56
image stabilization (Optical)
no articulating screen
sensor is small (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
Japan-exclusive Leica Leitz Phone 3 features big sensor and new modes

Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus E-PL5
Sports photography with Panasonic FS15
66
image stabilization (Sensor based)
MP count decent (16MP)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
offers tracking focus
doesn't have phase detect autofocus
25
image stabilization (Optical)
slow fps (2.0 fps)
no shutter priority mode
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
sensor is small (1/2.3")
lacks phase detect AF
President Biden pushes bill mandating TikTok sale or ban

Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 Travel photography info
Panasonic FS15 Travel photography info
75
features touch to focus
MP count decent (16 megapixels)
selfie friendly screen
does not have Time Lapse recording
51
built-in flash
missing Time Lapse mode
sensor resolution low (12MP)
doesn't have a selfie friendly display
wide angle not great (29mm)
slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
Samsung Releases Faster Versions of EVO MicroSD Cards

Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus E-PL5
Landscape photography with Panasonic FS15
74
focusing manually
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is decent (3 inches)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
MP count decent (16 megapixels)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
very good high ISO (25,600)
saves RAW files
does not have Time Lapse recording
27
image stabilization (Optical)
no manual focus
cannot switch lens (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not great (29mm)
slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
small screen (2.7")
lack of manual exposure
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
sensor is small (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
missing Time Lapse mode
Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 Vlogging highlights
Panasonic FS15 Vlogging highlights
78
selfie friendly screen
touch screen
image stabilization (Sensor based)
offers face detect autofocus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
does not have mic port
25
image stabilization (Optical)
wide angle not great (29mm)
slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
doesn't have a selfie friendly display
video resolution low (640 x 480 pxls)
missing external mic support
Photography Glossary

Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic FS15 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL5 and Panasonic FS15
 Olympus PEN E-PL5Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS15
General Information
Company Olympus Panasonic
Model Olympus PEN E-PL5 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS15
Type Entry-Level Mirrorless Ultracompact
Launched 2012-09-17 2009-01-16
Physical type 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 surface area 224.9mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixels 12 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 16:9, 4:3 and 3:2
Full resolution 4608 x 3456 4000 x 3000
Max native ISO 25600 1600
Max boosted ISO - 6400
Lowest native ISO 200 80
RAW support
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detect autofocus
Contract detect autofocus
Phase detect autofocus
Number of focus points 35 11
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 29-145mm (5.0x)
Highest aperture - f/3.3-5.9
Macro focus distance - 5cm
Amount of lenses 107 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.9
Screen
Type of display Tilting Fixed Type
Display sizing 3" 2.7"
Resolution of display 460 thousand dots 230 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic (optional) None
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 secs 60 secs
Highest shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/2000 secs
Continuous shooting rate 8.0 frames/s 2.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes -
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 7.00 m (bundled FL-LM1) -
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) Auto, Auto Red-eye Reduction, Forced On, Forced Off
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Highest flash synchronize 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)
Max video resolution 1920x1080 640x480
Video format MPEG-4, H.264, Motion JPEG Motion JPEG
Mic support
Headphone support
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 325 gr (0.72 lbs) 136 gr (0.30 lbs)
Dimensions 111 x 64 x 38mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.5") 97 x 54 x 22mm (3.8" x 2.1" 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 photos -
Style of battery Battery Pack -
Battery model BLS-5 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/MMC/SDHC card, Internal
Card slots 1 1
Pricing at launch $400 $180