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Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic FX48

Portability
88
Imaging
52
Features
72
Overall
60
Olympus PEN E-PL5 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX48 front
Portability
95
Imaging
34
Features
21
Overall
28

Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic FX48 Key Specs

Olympus E-PL5
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • 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 FX48
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.5" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 3200 (Push to 6400)
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 640 x 480 video
  • 25-125mm (F2.8-5.9) lens
  • 150g - 95 x 53 x 22mm
  • Introduced January 2009
  • Also referred to as Lumix DMC-FX40
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Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic FX48 Overview

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.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL5 over the Panasonic FX48

 E-PL5 FX48 
IntroducedSeptember 2012January 2009Newer by 45 months
Manually focus More accurate focus
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display size3"2.5"Larger display (+0.5")
Display resolution460k230kClearer display (+230k dot)
Selfie screen Take selfies
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Panasonic FX48 over the Olympus E-PL5

 FX48 E-PL5 

Common features in the Olympus E-PL5 and Panasonic FX48

 E-PL5 FX48 

Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic FX48 Physical Comparison

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. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

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.

Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic FX48 size comparison

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

Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic FX48 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic FX48 Sensor Comparison

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.

Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic FX48 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic FX48 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic FX48 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 Portrait photography information
Panasonic FX48 Portrait photography information
71
manual focus
megapixel count good (16MP)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
supports face detect focusing
supports RAW formats
27
includes face detect focus
lack of manual focus
can't use external flash
megapixel count low (12MP)
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 as a Street photography camera
Panasonic FX48 as a Street photography camera
85
screen tilts up and down
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
offers touch to focus
very good ISO range (25,600)
56
has image stabilization (Optical)
no articulating screen
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus E-PL5
Sports photography with Panasonic FX48
66
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
megapixel count good (16 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
supports tracking focus
lack of phase detect AF
25
has image stabilization (Optical)
very slow continuous shooting (2.0 fps)
lack of shutter priority mode
megapixel count low (12MP)
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
lacks phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 Travel photography features
Panasonic FX48 Travel photography features
75
offers touch to focus
megapixel count good (16MP)
selfie friendly display
lack of Time Lapse mode
58
has built in flash
reasonably wide (25mm)
lack of Timelapse mode
megapixel count low (12MP)
doesn't offer selfie friendly screen
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.8)
Photography Glossary

Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus E-PL5
Landscape photography with Panasonic FX48
74
manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
megapixel count good (16MP)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
very good ISO range (25,600)
supports RAW formats
lack of Time Lapse mode
33
reasonably wide (25mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
lack of manual focus
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.8)
small screen (2.5 inches)
megapixel count low (12MP)
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
lack of Timelapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 as a Vlogging camera
Panasonic FX48 as a Vlogging camera
78
selfie friendly display
has touchscreen
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
supports face detect focusing
video res high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
lack of mic port
30
reasonably wide (25mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
includes face detect focus
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.8)
doesn't offer selfie friendly screen
low quality video (640 x 480 pixels)
lack of microphone support
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Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic FX48 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL5 and Panasonic FX48
 Olympus PEN E-PL5Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX48
General Information
Company Olympus Panasonic
Model type Olympus PEN E-PL5 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX48
Otherwise known as - Lumix DMC-FX40
Class Entry-Level Mirrorless Small Sensor Compact
Launched 2012-09-17 2009-01-27
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixel 12 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 4608 x 3456 4000 x 3000
Max native ISO 25600 3200
Max boosted ISO - 6400
Lowest native ISO 200 80
RAW images
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Continuous autofocus
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Live view autofocus
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Total focus points 35 11
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 25-125mm (5.0x)
Max aperture - f/2.8-5.9
Macro focusing range - 5cm
Available lenses 107 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.9
Screen
Screen type Tilting Fixed Type
Screen diagonal 3" 2.5"
Screen resolution 460k dots 230k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic (optional) None
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 secs 60 secs
Highest shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/3000 secs
Continuous shooting rate 8.0 frames per second 2.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 7.00 m (bundled FL-LM1) 6.00 m
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction, Slow Sync
External flash
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Highest flash synchronize 1/250 secs -
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
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 data format MPEG-4, H.264, Motion JPEG Motion JPEG
Microphone 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
Environmental sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 325 grams (0.72 pounds) 150 grams (0.33 pounds)
Physical dimensions 111 x 64 x 38mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.5") 95 x 53 x 22mm (3.7" x 2.1" x 0.9")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 72 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 22.8 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 12.3 not tested
DXO Low light rating 889 not tested
Other
Battery life 360 photos -
Battery style Battery Pack -
Battery ID BLS-5 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/MMC/SDHC card, Internal
Card slots 1 1
Launch cost $400 $325