Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic FZ80

Here is a in-depth review of the Olympus E-PL5 and Panasonic FZ80, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by brands Olympus and Panasonic. The sensor resolution of the E-PL5 (16MP) and the FZ80 (18MP) is relatively comparable but the E-PL5 (Four Thirds) and FZ80 (1/2.3") offer totally different sensor sizing.

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The E-PL5 was unveiled 5 years earlier than the FZ80 and that is a fairly serious gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Both the cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-PL5 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic FZ80 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera.

Before getting into a more detailed comparison, here is a concise overview of how the E-PL5 scores against the FZ80 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

This is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus PEN E-PL5 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ80. The full galleries are viewable at Olympus E-PL5 Gallery and Panasonic FZ80 Gallery.

When you are going to carry your camera regularly, you need to think about its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-PL5 offers physical measurements of 111mm x 64mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.5") having a weight of 325 grams (0.72 lbs) and the Panasonic FZ80 has dimensions of 130mm x 94mm x 119mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 4.7") accompanied by a weight of 616 grams (1.36 lbs).

See the Olympus E-PL5 and Panasonic FZ80 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Do not forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ dependant on the lens you are employing at the time. Following is a front view overall size comparison of the E-PL5 vs the FZ80.

Taking into account size and weight, the portability score of the E-PL5 and FZ80 is 88 and 63 respectively.

Often, it is very difficult to envision the difference in sensor sizing purely by going through specifications. The photograph below will help offer you a far better sense of the sensor sizing in the E-PL5 and FZ80.

To sum up, the 2 cameras have different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The E-PL5 with its bigger sensor will make getting shallower depth of field less difficult and the Panasonic FZ80 will show extra detail having an extra 2 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also let you crop photographs a bit more aggressively. The older E-PL5 will be disadvantaged with regard to sensor technology.