Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic FX48

Let's look more closely at the Olympus E-PL5 and Panasonic FX48, former is a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the other is a Small Sensor Compact by rivals Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a sizable gap among the sensor resolutions of the E-PL5 (16MP) and FX48 (12MP) and the E-PL5 (Four Thirds) and FX48 (1/2.3") offer different sensor dimensions.

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The E-PL5 was unveiled 3 years after the FX48 which is a fairly significant difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-PL5 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic FX48 being a Compact camera.

Before delving straight to a comprehensive comparison, here is a concise introduction of how the E-PL5 grades vs the FX48 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Below is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus PEN E-PL5 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX48. The full galleries are provided at Olympus E-PL5 Gallery & Panasonic FX48 Gallery.

In case you're looking to travel with your camera frequently, you will need to factor in its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-PL5 offers exterior 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) and the Panasonic FX48 has measurements of 95mm x 53mm x 22mm (3.7" x 2.1" x 0.9") with a weight of 150 grams (0.33 lbs).

Check the Olympus E-PL5 and Panasonic FX48 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Always remember, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you have chosen at that time. Here is a front view dimension comparison of the E-PL5 versus the FX48.

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-PL5 and FX48 is 88 and 95 respectively.

Typically, its hard to imagine the gap in sensor dimensions only by checking out specs. The pic underneath may give you a greater sense of the sensor sizes in the E-PL5 and FX48.

As you can plainly see, each of the cameras feature different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The E-PL5 having a larger sensor is going to make getting shallow depth of field less difficult and the Olympus E-PL5 will show extra detail having an extra 4MP. Greater resolution will also let you crop images way more aggressively. The fresher E-PL5 provides a benefit when it comes to sensor tech.