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Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic FX90

Portability
88
Imaging
52
Features
72
Overall
60
Olympus PEN E-PL5 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX90 front
Portability
95
Imaging
36
Features
34
Overall
35

Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic FX90 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
  • Revealed September 2012
Panasonic FX90
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 24-120mm (F2.5-5.9) lens
  • 149g - 102 x 56 x 22mm
  • Announced August 2011
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Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic FX90 Overview

Here is a extensive comparison of the Olympus E-PL5 versus Panasonic FX90, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by brands Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a noticeable gap among the resolutions of the E-PL5 (16MP) and FX90 (12MP) and the E-PL5 (Four Thirds) and FX90 (1/2.3") come with different sensor sizing.

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The E-PL5 was revealed 13 months later than the FX90 which makes the cameras a generation apart from one another. The two cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-PL5 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic FX90 being a Compact camera.

Before we go in to a more detailed comparison, below is a brief introduction of how the E-PL5 matches up against the FX90 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL5 over the Panasonic FX90

 E-PL5 FX90 
AnnouncedSeptember 2012August 2011Fresher by 13 months
Focus manually Very accurate focus
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Selfie screen Easy selfies

Reasons to pick Panasonic FX90 over the Olympus E-PL5

 FX90 E-PL5 

Common features in the Olympus E-PL5 and Panasonic FX90

 E-PL5 FX90 
Screen dimension3"3"Identical screen measurement
Screen resolution460k460kEqual screen resolution
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic FX90 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is going to carry your camera frequently, you will have to factor in its weight and size. The Olympus E-PL5 has physical 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) whilst the Panasonic FX90 has specifications of 102mm x 56mm x 22mm (4.0" x 2.2" x 0.9") having a weight of 149 grams (0.33 lbs).

Compare the Olympus E-PL5 versus Panasonic FX90 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you select during that time. Below is the front view scale comparison of the E-PL5 against the FX90.

Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic FX90 size comparison

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-PL5 and FX90 is 88 and 95 respectively.

Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic FX90 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic FX90 Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, it's tough to imagine the gap in sensor sizing purely by seeing specifications. The visual here may give you a far better sense of the sensor measurements in the E-PL5 and FX90.

To sum up, the 2 cameras have got different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The E-PL5 with its bigger sensor is going to make shooting shallow DOF less difficult and the Olympus E-PL5 will show extra detail because of its extra 4MP. Higher resolution will also help you crop pictures much more aggressively. The younger E-PL5 should have a benefit when it comes to sensor tech.

Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic FX90 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic FX90 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic FX90 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 Portrait photography info
Panasonic FX90 Portrait photography info
71
focusing manually
MP count good (16MP)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
provides face detection focus
delivers RAW files
21
lack of manual focus
no manual exposure
no external flash support
low resolution sensor (12 megapixels)
very small sensor (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
Photography Glossary

Street Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 as a Street photography camera
Panasonic FX90 as a Street photography camera
85
tilting screen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW files
features focus by touch
great ISO range (25,600)
62
has image stabilization (Optical)
offers focus via touch
screen does not articulate
very small sensor (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 Sports photography features
Panasonic FX90 Sports photography features
66
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
MP count good (16 megapixels)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
provides tracking autofocus
no phase detect auto focus
30
has image stabilization (Optical)
includes tracking autofocus
painfully slow continuous shooting (4.0 fps)
lack of shutter priority mode
low resolution sensor (12 megapixels)
very small sensor (1/2.3")
bad battery (200 per charge)
doesn't have phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 Travel photography information
Panasonic FX90 Travel photography information
75
features focus by touch
MP count good (16 megapixels)
selfie friendly display
lack of Timelapse function
60
offers focus via touch
built-in flash
pretty wide (24mm)
doesn't have Time Lapse function
bad battery (200 per charge)
low resolution sensor (12 megapixels)
screen is not selfie friendly
sluggish max aperture (f2.5)
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus E-PL5
Landscape photography with Panasonic FX90
74
focusing manually
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
nice screen size (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
MP count good (16MP)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
great ISO range (25,600)
delivers RAW files
lack of Timelapse function
36
pretty wide (24mm)
nice screen size (3")
has image stabilization (Optical)
lack of manual focus
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f2.5)
no manual exposure
low resolution sensor (12MP)
very small sensor (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
bad battery (200 CIPA)
doesn't have Time Lapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 Vlogging information
Panasonic FX90 Vlogging information
78
selfie friendly display
screen is touchscreen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
provides face detection focus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
lack of external microphone support
34
pretty wide (24mm)
touchscreen functionality
has image stabilization (Optical)
great video quality (1920 x 1080 pxls)
sluggish max aperture (f2.5)
screen is not selfie friendly
doesn't have external mic support
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Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic FX90 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL5 and Panasonic FX90
 Olympus PEN E-PL5Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX90
General Information
Make Olympus Panasonic
Model type Olympus PEN E-PL5 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX90
Type Entry-Level Mirrorless Small Sensor Compact
Revealed 2012-09-17 2011-08-26
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact
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 area 224.9mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixels 12 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 4608 x 3456 4000 x 3000
Maximum native ISO 25600 6400
Minimum native ISO 200 80
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
Continuous AF
AF single
AF tracking
Selective AF
AF center weighted
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Total focus points 35 23
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 24-120mm (5.0x)
Max aperture - f/2.5-5.9
Macro focusing distance - 3cm
Amount of lenses 107 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.9
Screen
Type of screen Tilting Fixed Type
Screen size 3 inches 3 inches
Screen resolution 460k dots 460k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Screen technology - TFT LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic (optional) None
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60s 60s
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000s 1/4000s
Continuous shooting rate 8.0fps 4.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Set WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 7.00 m (bundled FL-LM1) 5.90 m
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction, Slow Sync
Hot shoe
AEB
White balance bracketing
Maximum flash synchronize 1/250s -
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60, 30 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video format MPEG-4, H.264, Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD
Mic support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless Eye-Fi Connected Built-In
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 325g (0.72 lb) 149g (0.33 lb)
Dimensions 111 x 64 x 38mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.5") 102 x 56 x 22mm (4.0" x 2.2" 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 photographs 200 photographs
Type of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLS-5 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Card slots Single Single
Price at launch $400 $227