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Olympus E-PL7 vs Panasonic FH5

Portability
86
Imaging
53
Features
81
Overall
64
Olympus PEN E-PL7 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH5 front
Portability
96
Imaging
39
Features
31
Overall
35

Olympus E-PL7 vs Panasonic FH5 Key Specs

Olympus E-PL7
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 357g - 115 x 67 x 38mm
  • Announced September 2014
  • Older Model is Olympus E-PL6
  • Renewed by Olympus E-PL8
Panasonic FH5
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 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
  • 121g - 94 x 54 x 19mm
  • Introduced January 2011
  • Also referred to as Lumix DMC-FS18
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Olympus E-PL7 vs Panasonic FH5 Overview

The following is a comprehensive overview of the Olympus E-PL7 and Panasonic FH5, former is a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by competitors Olympus and Panasonic. The image resolution of the E-PL7 (16MP) and the FH5 (16MP) is relatively comparable but the E-PL7 (Four Thirds) and FH5 (1/2.3") posses different sensor sizes.

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The E-PL7 was introduced 3 years after the FH5 which is a fairly big difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Each of the cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-PL7 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic FH5 being a Compact camera.

Before delving right into a thorough comparison, here is a simple view of how the E-PL7 scores against the FH5 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Photography Glossary
	
	

Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL7 over the Panasonic FH5

 E-PL7 FH5 
IntroducedSeptember 2014January 2011Newer by 45 months
Manual focus Very precise focus
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen dimensions3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution1037k230kClearer screen (+807k dot)
Selfie screen Take selfies
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Panasonic FH5 over the Olympus E-PL7

 FH5 E-PL7 

Common features in the Olympus E-PL7 and Panasonic FH5

 E-PL7 FH5 

Olympus E-PL7 vs Panasonic FH5 Physical Comparison

For those who are looking to travel with your camera often, you'll have to factor in its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-PL7 provides physical dimensions of 115mm x 67mm x 38mm (4.5" x 2.6" x 1.5") along with a weight of 357 grams (0.79 lbs) and the Panasonic FH5 has measurements of 94mm x 54mm x 19mm (3.7" x 2.1" x 0.7") along with a weight of 121 grams (0.27 lbs).

Compare the Olympus E-PL7 and Panasonic FH5 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you have during that time. Here is a front view sizing comparison of the E-PL7 versus the FH5.

Olympus E-PL7 vs Panasonic FH5 size comparison

Looking at size and weight, the portability score of the E-PL7 and FH5 is 86 and 96 respectively.

Olympus E-PL7 vs Panasonic FH5 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL7 vs Panasonic FH5 Sensor Comparison

In many cases, it is very tough to picture the gap in sensor dimensions just by going through specs. The pic below will help provide you a much better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-PL7 and FH5.

As you can plainly see, both of those cameras have the same MP albeit different sensor dimensions. The E-PL7 provides the bigger sensor which is going to make obtaining shallower depth of field less difficult. The more recent E-PL7 provides an advantage in sensor innovation.

Olympus E-PL7 vs Panasonic FH5 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL7 vs Panasonic FH5 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL7 vs Panasonic FH5 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PL7 Portrait photography advice
Panasonic FH5 Portrait photography advice
71
has manual focus
good MP (16MP)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
offers face detection focus
delivers RAW files
34
megapixel count good (16MP)
includes face detect focus
manual focus not available
no manual exposure
cannot use external flash
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-PL7 Street photography features
Panasonic FH5 Street photography features
84
screen tilts
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW files
includes focus via touch
great high ISO (25,600)
67
has image stabilization (Optical)
features focus via touch
lighter than competitors (121 grams)
screen is fixed
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PL7 Sports photography information
Panasonic FH5 Sports photography information
66
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
good MP (16MP)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
offers tracking autofocus
no phase detect auto focus
40
has image stabilization (Optical)
megapixel count good (16 megapixels)
includes tracking focus
slow frames per second (4.0 frames per second)
lack of shutter priority mode
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
has no phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL7 Travel photography info
Panasonic FH5 Travel photography info
85
includes focus via touch
good MP (16 megapixels)
screen is selfie friendly
71
lighter than competitors (121g)
features focus via touch
megapixel count good (16 megapixels)
has built in flash
relatively wide (28mm)
no Time Lapse mode
display is not selfie friendly
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.1)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PL7 Landscape photography features
Panasonic FH5 Landscape photography features
79
has manual focus
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
good sized screen (3")
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
good MP (16MP)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
great high ISO (25,600)
delivers RAW files
38
relatively wide (28mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
megapixel count good (16MP)
manual focus not available
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.1)
tiny screen (2.7 inch)
no manual exposure
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
no Time Lapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL7 Vlogging advice
Panasonic FH5 Vlogging advice
78
screen is selfie friendly
touchscreen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
offers face detection focus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
does not have external microphone support
33
relatively wide (28mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
includes face detect focus
lighter than competitors (121 grams)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.1)
display is not selfie friendly
low video resolution (1280 x 720 pixels)
no mic port
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Olympus E-PL7 vs Panasonic FH5 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL7 and Panasonic FH5
 Olympus PEN E-PL7Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH5
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Panasonic
Model type Olympus PEN E-PL7 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH5
Also called as - Lumix DMC-FS18
Type Entry-Level Mirrorless Small Sensor Compact
Announced 2014-09-01 2011-01-05
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Chip TruePic VII Venus Engine IV
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 16MP 16MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 4608 x 3456 4608 x 3456
Highest native ISO 25600 6400
Minimum native ISO 100 100
RAW data
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
AF touch
AF continuous
Single AF
AF tracking
AF selectice
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Total focus points 81 11
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 28-112mm (4.0x)
Max aperture - f/3.1-6.5
Macro focusing distance - 5cm
Total lenses 107 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.9
Screen
Display type Tilting Fixed Type
Display diagonal 3 inches 2.7 inches
Resolution of display 1,037 thousand dot 230 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic (optional) None
Features
Min shutter speed 60s 60s
Max shutter speed 1/4000s 1/1600s
Continuous shutter speed 8.0fps 4.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes -
Set WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance no built-in flash 3.30 m
Flash settings no built-in flash Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction
Hot shoe
AEB
WB bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30p), 1280 x 720 (30p), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video format H.264, Motion JPEG Motion JPEG
Mic jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In 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 357g (0.79 lbs) 121g (0.27 lbs)
Physical dimensions 115 x 67 x 38mm (4.5" x 2.6" x 1.5") 94 x 54 x 19mm (3.7" x 2.1" x 0.7")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 72 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 22.7 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 12.4 not tested
DXO Low light rating 873 not tested
Other
Battery life 350 shots 260 shots
Form of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLS-50 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec, custom) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC card SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Storage slots Single Single
Pricing at release $499 $169