Clicky

Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic S2

Portability
88
Imaging
52
Features
72
Overall
60
Olympus PEN E-PL5 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-S2 front
Portability
96
Imaging
37
Features
29
Overall
33

Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic S2 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
  • Released September 2012
Panasonic S2
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-112mm (F3.1-6.5) lens
  • 112g - 98 x 57 x 21mm
  • Introduced January 2012
Photography Glossary

Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic S2 Overview

Let's look much closer at the Olympus E-PL5 versus Panasonic S2, former is a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by companies Olympus and Panasonic. The sensor resolution of the E-PL5 (16MP) and the S2 (14MP) is relatively well matched but the E-PL5 (Four Thirds) and S2 (1/2.3") feature different sensor sizes.

Snapchat Adds Watermarks to AI-Created Images

The E-PL5 was released 9 months after the S2 which means that they are of a similar age. Both of the cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-PL5 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic S2 being a Compact camera.

Before diving straight into a complete comparison, below is a quick view of how the E-PL5 matches up vs the S2 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music video
	
	

Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL5 over the Panasonic S2

 E-PL5 S2 
IntroducedSeptember 2012January 2012More modern by 9 months
Manual focus Very precise focusing
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen sizing3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution460k230kSharper screen (+230k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Panasonic S2 over the Olympus E-PL5

 S2 E-PL5 

Common features in the Olympus E-PL5 and Panasonic S2

 E-PL5 S2 

Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic S2 Physical Comparison

In case you're planning to carry around your camera, you will want to factor its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-PL5 offers physical dimensions of 111mm x 64mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.5") and a weight of 325 grams (0.72 lbs) whilst the Panasonic S2 has proportions of 98mm x 57mm x 21mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 0.8") with a weight of 112 grams (0.25 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus E-PL5 versus Panasonic S2 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you are employing during that time. Here is the front view dimensions comparison of the E-PL5 and the S2.

Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic S2 size comparison

Factoring in size and weight, the portability score of the E-PL5 and S2 is 88 and 96 respectively.

Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic S2 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic S2 Sensor Comparison

Oftentimes, it can be hard to visualize the difference between sensor sizes just by reading through specifications. The pic below may offer you a stronger sense of the sensor sizes in the E-PL5 and S2.

Plainly, both the cameras offer different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The E-PL5 because of its bigger sensor is going to make achieving shallow DOF less difficult and the Olympus E-PL5 will give more detail as a result of its extra 2MP. Higher resolution will also enable you to crop photographs a little more aggressively. The more recent E-PL5 provides an advantage in sensor tech.

Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic S2 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic S2 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic S2 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Apple Innovates by Creating Next-Level Optical Stabilization for iPhone

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus E-PL5
Portrait photography with Panasonic S2
71
has manual focus
good MP (16 megapixels)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
has face detect focus
supports RAW files
33
decent megapixels (14MP)
provides face detect focusing
no manual focus
no manual control
external flash not possible
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide

Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus E-PL5
Street photography with Panasonic S2
85
screen tilts
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
offers focus via touch
great high ISO (25,600)
63
has image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than others (112 grams)
fixed screen
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
Japan-exclusive Leica Leitz Phone 3 features big sensor and new modes

Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 Sports photography features
Panasonic S2 Sports photography features
66
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
good MP (16MP)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
has tracking focus
has no phase detect auto focus
39
has image stabilization (Optical)
decent megapixels (14 megapixels)
great battery pack (280 CIPA)
max frames per second very slow (2.0 fps)
no shutter priority
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks phase detect AF
Meta to Introduce 'AI-Generated' Labels for Media starting next month

Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 as a Travel photography camera
Panasonic S2 as a Travel photography camera
75
offers focus via touch
good MP (16MP)
selfie friendly screen
no Timelapse function
70
great battery pack (280 shots)
lighter than others (112g)
decent megapixels (14 megapixels)
built-in flash
rather wide (28mm)
no Timelapse recording
screen is not selfie friendly
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.1)
Samsung Releases Faster Versions of EVO MicroSD Cards

Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 Landscape photography information
Panasonic S2 Landscape photography information
74
has manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is good (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
good MP (16MP)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
great high ISO (25,600)
supports RAW files
no Timelapse function
41
rather wide (28mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
decent megapixels (14MP)
great battery pack (280 shots)
no manual focus
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.1)
small screen (2.7")
no manual control
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
no Timelapse recording
President Biden pushes bill mandating TikTok sale or ban

Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus E-PL5
Vlogging with Panasonic S2
78
selfie friendly screen
touchscreen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
has face detect focus
good video quality (1920 x 1080 pixels)
no microphone support
32
rather wide (28mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
provides face detect focusing
lighter than others (112g)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.1)
screen is not selfie friendly
low res video (1280 x 720 pixels)
no microphone port
Photobucket discusses licensing 13 billion images with AI firms

Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic S2 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL5 and Panasonic S2
 Olympus PEN E-PL5Panasonic Lumix DMC-S2
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Panasonic
Model type Olympus PEN E-PL5 Panasonic Lumix DMC-S2
Class Entry-Level Mirrorless Small Sensor Compact
Released 2012-09-17 2012-01-09
Body design 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 14 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 4:3 and 16:9
Highest Possible resolution 4608 x 3456 4320 x 3240
Maximum native ISO 25600 6400
Minimum native ISO 200 100
RAW support
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Autofocus touch
Continuous autofocus
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Autofocus center weighted
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Total focus points 35 23
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 28-112mm (4.0x)
Maximal aperture - f/3.1-6.5
Macro focusing distance - 5cm
Total lenses 107 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.9
Screen
Range of screen Tilting Fixed Type
Screen diagonal 3" 2.7"
Screen resolution 460k dot 230k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Screen tech - TFT Color LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic (optional) None
Features
Min shutter speed 60 seconds 8 seconds
Max shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/1600 seconds
Continuous shutter speed 8.0 frames/s 2.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 7.00 m (bundled FL-LM1) 3.30 m
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction
External flash
AEB
White balance bracketing
Max flash sync 1/250 seconds -
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video file format MPEG-4, H.264, Motion JPEG Motion JPEG
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
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 seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 325 grams (0.72 lbs) 112 grams (0.25 lbs)
Dimensions 111 x 64 x 38mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.5") 98 x 57 x 21mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 0.8")
DXO scores
DXO Overall 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 280 photos
Form of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLS-5 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Storage slots 1 1
Launch cost $400 $109