Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic FS7

Below, we are contrasting the Olympus E-PL5 versus Panasonic FS7, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the other is a Ultracompact by manufacturers Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a big gap between the resolutions of the E-PL5 (16MP) and FS7 (10MP) and the E-PL5 (Four Thirds) and FS7 (1/2.5") come with totally different sensor dimensions.

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The E-PL5 was unveiled 3 years later than the FS7 and that is quite a big gap as far as technology is concerned. Both the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-PL5 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic FS7 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before getting straight into a in depth comparison, below is a concise summation of how the E-PL5 scores versus the FS7 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Below is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus PEN E-PL5 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS7. The full galleries are available at Olympus E-PL5 Gallery and Panasonic FS7 Gallery.

For anybody who is intending to lug around your camera regularly, you need to think about its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-PL5 offers exterior dimensions of 111mm x 64mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.5") having a weight of 325 grams (0.72 lbs) while the Panasonic FS7 has dimensions of 97mm x 54mm x 22mm (3.8" x 2.1" x 0.9") along with a weight of 139 grams (0.31 lbs).

Check the Olympus E-PL5 versus Panasonic FS7 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary depending on the lens you are utilizing at that moment. Here is the front view over all size comparison of the E-PL5 compared to the FS7.

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-PL5 and FS7 is 88 and 95 respectively.

Sometimes, it's tough to see the gap between sensor measurements just by looking at specs. The photograph here should offer you a more clear sense of the sensor sizes in the E-PL5 and FS7.

As you can plainly see, the two cameras posses different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The E-PL5 having a larger sensor will make getting shallow DOF easier and the Olympus E-PL5 will resolve extra detail having an extra 6 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also enable you to crop images somewhat more aggressively. The fresher E-PL5 is going to have an advantage in sensor innovation.