Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic FS25

Its time to take a deeper look at the Olympus E-PL5 and Panasonic FS25, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the other is a Small Sensor Compact by brands Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a significant gap among the image resolutions of the E-PL5 (16MP) and FS25 (12MP) and the E-PL5 (Four Thirds) and FS25 (1/2.3") offer totally different sensor sizes.

Photography Glossary

The E-PL5 was introduced 3 years later than the FS25 and that is a fairly sizable gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of these cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-PL5 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic FS25 being a Compact camera.

Before diving straight to a in depth comparison, here is a quick overview of how the E-PL5 matches up against the FS25 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

The following is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus PEN E-PL5 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS25. The whole galleries are available at Olympus E-PL5 Gallery and Panasonic FS25 Gallery.

For anyone who is intending to lug around your camera, you have to factor in its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-PL5 has outside measurements of 111mm x 64mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.5") having a weight of 325 grams (0.72 lbs) whilst the Panasonic FS25 has measurements of 97mm x 58mm x 22mm (3.8" x 2.3" x 0.9") and a weight of 148 grams (0.33 lbs).

Compare the Olympus E-PL5 and Panasonic FS25 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change depending on the lens you are working with at that time. Here is a front view sizing comparison of the E-PL5 compared to the FS25.

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-PL5 and FS25 is 88 and 95 respectively.

More often than not, it can be difficult to envision the difference in sensor measurements only by going through specs. The graphic below will provide you a stronger sense of the sensor measurements in the E-PL5 and FS25.

As you can plainly see, both of the cameras have different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The E-PL5 using its larger sensor will make getting shallow DOF less difficult and the Olympus E-PL5 will produce more detail using its extra 4MP. Greater resolution will help you crop photos a bit more aggressively. The more recent E-PL5 is going to have an edge with regard to sensor technology.