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Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic XS1

Portability
88
Imaging
52
Features
72
Overall
60
Olympus PEN E-PL5 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-XS1 front
Portability
97
Imaging
40
Features
26
Overall
34

Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic XS1 Key Specs

Olympus E-PL5
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • 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 XS1
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 24-120mm (F2.8-6.9) lens
  • 103g - 94 x 54 x 14mm
  • Announced January 2013
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Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic XS1 Overview

The following is a comprehensive comparison of the Olympus E-PL5 and Panasonic XS1, former is a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by companies Olympus and Panasonic. The resolution of the E-PL5 (16MP) and the XS1 (16MP) is pretty similar but the E-PL5 (Four Thirds) and XS1 (1/2.3") provide different sensor measurements.

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The E-PL5 was brought out 3 months prior to the XS1 and they are of a similar age. Both of the cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-PL5 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic XS1 being a Compact camera.

Before delving right into a comprehensive comparison, here is a short highlight of how the E-PL5 scores vs the XS1 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL5 over the Panasonic XS1

 E-PL5 XS1 
Focus manually More accurate focusing
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen dimensions3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution460k230kCrisper screen (+230k dot)
Selfie screen Take selfies
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Panasonic XS1 over the Olympus E-PL5

 XS1 E-PL5 

Common features in the Olympus E-PL5 and Panasonic XS1

 E-PL5 XS1 
AnnouncedSeptember 2012January 2013Similar age

Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic XS1 Physical Comparison

If you're intending to travel with your camera often, you're going to have to consider its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-PL5 comes with physical dimensions 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 XS1 has measurements of 94mm x 54mm x 14mm (3.7" x 2.1" x 0.6") along with a weight of 103 grams (0.23 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus E-PL5 and Panasonic XS1 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you are utilising at the time. Following is a front view sizing comparison of the E-PL5 vs the XS1.

Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic XS1 size comparison

Factoring in size and weight, the portability score of the E-PL5 and XS1 is 88 and 97 respectively.

Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic XS1 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic XS1 Sensor Comparison

In many cases, it can be hard to imagine the difference between sensor dimensions merely by going over a spec sheet. The image below might provide you a better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-PL5 and XS1.

As you can see, both cameras have the same resolution albeit different sensor dimensions. The E-PL5 offers the bigger sensor which should make obtaining shallower DOF less difficult.

Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic XS1 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic XS1 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic XS1 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus E-PL5
Portrait photography with Panasonic XS1
71
you can focus manually
megapixel count decent (16MP)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
includes face detection focusing
delivers RAW formats
30
good resolution (16 megapixels)
manual focus not available
manual mode not possible
external flash not possible
small sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 Street photography info
Panasonic XS1 Street photography info
85
has a tilting screen
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
supports touch focus
above average high ISO (25,600)
64
has image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than average (103 grams)
fixed screen
small sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 Sports photography info
Panasonic XS1 Sports photography info
66
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
megapixel count decent (16MP)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
includes tracking autofocus
lack of phase detect AF
41
has image stabilization (Optical)
good resolution (16 megapixels)
provides tracking autofocus
low fps (1.0 frames per second)
lack of shutter priority mode
small sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 Travel photography details
Panasonic XS1 Travel photography details
75
supports touch focus
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
screen is selfie friendly
no Time Lapse function
69
lighter than average (103 grams)
good resolution (16MP)
has built in flash
quite wide (24mm)
does not have Timelapse recording
does not feature selfie friendly display
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus E-PL5
Landscape photography with Panasonic XS1
74
you can focus manually
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
nice screen size (3")
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
above average high ISO (25,600)
delivers RAW formats
no Time Lapse function
39
quite wide (24mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
good resolution (16MP)
manual focus not available
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
screen is small (2.7")
manual mode not possible
small sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of RAW files
does not have Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 Vlogging info
Panasonic XS1 Vlogging info
78
screen is selfie friendly
touchscreen enabled
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
includes face detection focusing
high quality video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
no external mic socket
31
quite wide (24mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than average (103 grams)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
does not feature selfie friendly display
low quality video (1280 x 720 resolution)
does not have external microphone port
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Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic XS1 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL5 and Panasonic XS1
 Olympus PEN E-PL5Panasonic Lumix DMC-XS1
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Panasonic
Model type Olympus PEN E-PL5 Panasonic Lumix DMC-XS1
Class Entry-Level Mirrorless Small Sensor Compact
Revealed 2012-09-17 2013-01-07
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 area 224.9mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 16MP 16MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 -
Max resolution 4608 x 3456 4608 x 3456
Max native ISO 25600 6400
Minimum native ISO 200 100
RAW data
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch focus
AF continuous
AF single
Tracking AF
Selective AF
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Total focus points 35 -
Cross type focus points - -
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 24-120mm (5.0x)
Maximal aperture - f/2.8-6.9
Macro focusing range - 5cm
Number of lenses 107 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.9
Screen
Range of display Tilting Fixed Type
Display size 3 inches 2.7 inches
Resolution of display 460k dot 230k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Display tech - TFT LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic (optional) None
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60 secs 60 secs
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/1600 secs
Continuous shutter speed 8.0 frames/s 1.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes -
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 7.00 m (bundled FL-LM1) 4.40 m
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Syncro
External flash
AEB
WB bracketing
Fastest flash sync 1/250 secs -
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
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)
Max 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
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 325g (0.72 lbs) 103g (0.23 lbs)
Physical dimensions 111 x 64 x 38mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.5") 94 x 54 x 14mm (3.7" x 2.1" x 0.6")
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 shots 260 shots
Battery form Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLS-5 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Storage slots Single Single
Pricing at release $400 $130