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Olympus E-PL6 vs Panasonic FX78

Portability
88
Imaging
53
Features
77
Overall
62
Olympus PEN E-PL6 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX78 front
Portability
95
Imaging
35
Features
31
Overall
33

Olympus E-PL6 vs Panasonic FX78 Key Specs

Olympus E-PL6
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 325g - 111 x 64 x 38mm
  • Announced August 2014
  • Renewed by Olympus E-PL7
Panasonic FX78
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3.5" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 24-120mm (F2.5-5.9) lens
  • 142g - 100 x 55 x 21mm
  • Announced January 2011
  • Additionally Known as Lumix DMC-FX77
Photography Glossary

Olympus E-PL6 vs Panasonic FX78 Overview

Below, we are evaluating the Olympus E-PL6 vs Panasonic FX78, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the other is a Small Sensor Compact by rivals Olympus and Panasonic. There is a sizeable difference among the resolutions of the E-PL6 (16MP) and FX78 (12MP) and the E-PL6 (Four Thirds) and FX78 (1/2.3") enjoy totally different sensor measurements.

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The E-PL6 was revealed 3 years later than the FX78 and that is a fairly large gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Both the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-PL6 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic FX78 being a Compact camera.

Before diving through a step-by-step comparison, below is a simple summary of how the E-PL6 grades versus the FX78 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL6 over the Panasonic FX78

 E-PL6 FX78 
AnnouncedAugust 2014January 2011More recent by 43 months
Manual focus Very precise focus
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display resolution460k230kCrisper display (+230k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies

Reasons to pick Panasonic FX78 over the Olympus E-PL6

 FX78 E-PL6 
Display dimension3.5"3"Larger display (+0.5")

Common features in the Olympus E-PL6 and Panasonic FX78

 E-PL6 FX78 
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Olympus E-PL6 vs Panasonic FX78 Physical Comparison

When you are looking to lug around your camera frequently, you are going to need to consider its weight and size. The Olympus E-PL6 has got outer dimensions of 111mm x 64mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.5") and a weight of 325 grams (0.72 lbs) while the Panasonic FX78 has specifications of 100mm x 55mm x 21mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 0.8") with a weight of 142 grams (0.31 lbs).

Compare the Olympus E-PL6 vs Panasonic FX78 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Always remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change depending on the lens you are employing at that time. Here is the front view measurement comparison of the E-PL6 vs the FX78.

Olympus E-PL6 vs Panasonic FX78 size comparison

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability grade of the E-PL6 and FX78 is 88 and 95 respectively.

Olympus E-PL6 vs Panasonic FX78 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL6 vs Panasonic FX78 Sensor Comparison

In many cases, it's hard to see the gap in sensor measurements purely by viewing specs. The graphic underneath will offer you a stronger sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-PL6 and FX78.

All in all, both of the cameras posses different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The E-PL6 with its larger sensor will make achieving shallow DOF less difficult and the Olympus E-PL6 will render greater detail because of its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution will help you crop images somewhat more aggressively. The more recent E-PL6 is going to have an edge in sensor innovation.

Olympus E-PL6 vs Panasonic FX78 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL6 vs Panasonic FX78 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL6 vs Panasonic FX78 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PL6 Portrait photography highlights
Panasonic FX78 Portrait photography highlights
71
you can focus manually
good resolution (16MP)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
provides face detect autofocus
exports RAW files
21
lack of manual focus
manual mode not possible
cannot use external flash
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-PL6 Street photography details
Panasonic FX78 Street photography details
85
screen tilts
image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
includes focus via touch
great high ISO (25,600)
57
has image stabilization (Optical)
no moving screen
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus E-PL6
Sports photography with Panasonic FX78
66
image stabilization (Sensor based)
good resolution (16 megapixels)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
provides tracking focus
no phase detect autofocus
28
has image stabilization (Optical)
features tracking autofocus
low maximum shutter speed (1/1,400s)
max frames per second low (4.0 frames/s)
no shutter priority
megapixel count low (12MP)
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
low battery pack (200 per charge)
does not have phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus E-PL6
Travel photography with Panasonic FX78
85
includes focus via touch
good resolution (16MP)
selfie friendly display
56
built-in flash
pretty wide (24mm)
missing Timelapse recording
low battery pack (200 shots)
megapixel count low (12MP)
screen isn't selfie friendly
sluggish max aperture (f2.5)
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus E-PL6
Landscape photography with Panasonic FX78
80
you can focus manually
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen is a good size (3")
image stabilization (Sensor based)
good resolution (16 megapixels)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
great high ISO (25,600)
exports RAW files
36
pretty wide (24mm)
big screen (3.5 inches)
has image stabilization (Optical)
lack of manual focus
cannot switch lenses (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f2.5)
manual mode not possible
megapixel count low (12MP)
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
low battery pack (200 CIPA)
missing Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus E-PL6
Vlogging with Panasonic FX78
79
selfie friendly display
touchscreen functionality
image stabilization (Sensor based)
provides face detect autofocus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
doesn't have microphone support
33
pretty wide (24mm)
touchscreen enabled
has image stabilization (Optical)
great video quality (1920 x 1080 pxls)
sluggish max aperture (f2.5)
screen isn't selfie friendly
missing external microphone socket
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Olympus E-PL6 vs Panasonic FX78 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL6 and Panasonic FX78
 Olympus PEN E-PL6Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX78
General Information
Make Olympus Panasonic
Model Olympus PEN E-PL6 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX78
Also called - Lumix DMC-FX77
Class Entry-Level Mirrorless Small Sensor Compact
Announced 2014-08-01 2011-01-25
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Powered by TruePic VI Venus Engine FHD
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 12MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Max resolution 4608 x 3456 4000 x 3000
Max native ISO 25600 6400
Minimum native ISO 100 100
RAW images
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Tracking autofocus
Selective autofocus
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Number of focus points 35 11
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 24-120mm (5.0x)
Highest aperture - f/2.5-5.9
Macro focus range - 5cm
Number of lenses 107 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.9
Screen
Type of screen Tilting Fixed Type
Screen diagonal 3" 3.5"
Resolution of screen 460 thousand dots 230 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Screen tech - TFT LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic (optional) None
Features
Min shutter speed 60s 60s
Max shutter speed 1/4000s 1/1400s
Continuous shutter rate 8.0 frames per sec 4.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 7.00 m (bundled FL-LM1) 5.60 m
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Syncro
Hot shoe
AEB
White balance bracketing
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 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Max video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video file format MPEG-4, Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD
Microphone port
Headphone port
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 sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 325g (0.72 pounds) 142g (0.31 pounds)
Dimensions 111 x 64 x 38mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.5") 100 x 55 x 21mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 0.8")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth score not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range score not tested not tested
DXO Low light score not tested not tested
Other
Battery life 360 shots 200 shots
Battery type Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model BLS-5 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Card slots Single Single
Pricing at release $300 $210