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Olympus E-PL7 vs Panasonic GF5

Portability
86
Imaging
53
Features
81
Overall
64
Olympus PEN E-PL7 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF5 front
Portability
89
Imaging
48
Features
54
Overall
50

Olympus E-PL7 vs Panasonic GF5 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
  • Launched September 2014
  • Superseded the Olympus E-PL6
  • Refreshed by Olympus E-PL8
Panasonic GF5
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 160 - 12800
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 267g - 108 x 67 x 37mm
  • Revealed April 2012
  • Succeeded the Panasonic GF3
  • Replacement is Panasonic GF6
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Olympus E-PL7 vs Panasonic GF5 Overview

Here is a in-depth review of the Olympus E-PL7 and Panasonic GF5, both Entry-Level Mirrorless cameras by manufacturers Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a considerable gap among the resolutions of the E-PL7 (16MP) and GF5 (12MP) but both cameras posses the identical sensor sizing (Four Thirds).

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The E-PL7 was introduced 2 years later than the GF5 and that is a fairly large difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both of the cameras feature the same body design (Rangefinder-style mirrorless).

Before getting into a detailed comparison, here is a short summary of how the E-PL7 matches up versus the GF5 for portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL7 over the Panasonic GF5

 E-PL7 GF5 
RevealedSeptember 2014April 2012Fresher by 30 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen resolution1037k920kSharper screen (+117k dot)
Selfie screen Take selfies

Reasons to pick Panasonic GF5 over the Olympus E-PL7

 GF5 E-PL7 

Common features in the Olympus E-PL7 and Panasonic GF5

 E-PL7 GF5 
Manually focus More precise focus
Screen size3"3"Same screen measurement
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Olympus E-PL7 vs Panasonic GF5 Physical Comparison

If you're planning to carry your camera often, you'll have to consider its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-PL7 offers exterior measurements of 115mm x 67mm x 38mm (4.5" x 2.6" x 1.5") along with a weight of 357 grams (0.79 lbs) whilst the Panasonic GF5 has proportions of 108mm x 67mm x 37mm (4.3" x 2.6" x 1.5") and a weight of 267 grams (0.59 lbs).

Check the Olympus E-PL7 and Panasonic GF5 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you are utilizing at the time. Below is a front view size comparison of the E-PL7 versus the GF5.

Olympus E-PL7 vs Panasonic GF5 size comparison

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-PL7 and GF5 is 86 and 89 respectively.

Olympus E-PL7 vs Panasonic GF5 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL7 vs Panasonic GF5 Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, it's tough to see the gap in sensor sizing simply by seeing specifications. The graphic here may offer you a far better sense of the sensor measurements in the E-PL7 and GF5.

To sum up, both of those cameras come with the identical sensor size albeit not the same megapixels. You can count on the Olympus E-PL7 to show extra detail using its extra 4MP. Higher resolution will let you crop shots a good deal more aggressively. The more recent E-PL7 is going to have an edge when it comes to sensor innovation.

Olympus E-PL7 vs Panasonic GF5 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL7 vs Panasonic GF5 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL7 vs Panasonic GF5 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PL7 as a Portrait photography camera
Panasonic GF5 as a Portrait photography camera
71
you can focus manually
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
provides face detect focus
delivers RAW formats
55
has manual focus
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
comes with face detection autofocus
supports RAW formats
no external flash support
MP count low (12 megapixels)
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus E-PL7
Street photography with Panasonic GF5
84
screen tilts
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
has focus via touch
great high ISO (25,600)
70
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
provides touch to focus
fixed screen
does not have image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PL7 as a Sports photography camera
Panasonic GF5 as a Sports photography camera
66
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
provides tracking focus
doesn't have phase detect auto focus
40
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
comes with tracking autofocus
low fps (4.0 fps)
does not have image stabilization
MP count low (12MP)
no phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL7 Travel photography details
Panasonic GF5 Travel photography details
85
has focus via touch
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
screen is selfie friendly
61
provides touch to focus
built-in flash
lack of Time Lapse recording
MP count low (12MP)
does not feature selfie friendly display
Photography Glossary

Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PL7 Landscape photography features
Panasonic GF5 Landscape photography features
79
you can focus manually
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen is a decent size (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor resolution (16 megapixels)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
great high ISO (25,600)
delivers RAW formats
59
has manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen is a good size (3 inches)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
does not have image stabilization
MP count low (12 megapixels)
lack of Time Lapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL7 Vlogging info
Panasonic GF5 Vlogging info
78
screen is selfie friendly
touchscreen enabled
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
provides face detect focus
video res high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
doesn't have mic support
32
screen is touchscreen
comes with face detection autofocus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
does not feature selfie friendly display
does not have image stabilization
lack of external mic jack
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Olympus E-PL7 vs Panasonic GF5 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL7 and Panasonic GF5
 Olympus PEN E-PL7Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF5
General Information
Brand Olympus Panasonic
Model type Olympus PEN E-PL7 Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF5
Category Entry-Level Mirrorless Entry-Level Mirrorless
Launched 2014-09-01 2012-04-05
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Powered by TruePic VII Venus Engine FHD
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds Four Thirds
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 17.3 x 13mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 224.9mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixel 12 megapixel
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 4000 x 3000
Highest native ISO 25600 12800
Lowest native ISO 100 160
RAW format
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch focus
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Total focus points 81 23
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds Micro Four Thirds
Number of lenses 107 107
Crop factor 2.1 2.1
Screen
Display type Tilting Fixed Type
Display size 3 inch 3 inch
Resolution of display 1,037k dot 920k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Display technology - TFT Color LCD with wide-viewing angle
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic (optional) None
Features
Min shutter speed 60 secs 60 secs
Max shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/4000 secs
Continuous shutter speed 8.0 frames per second 4.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance no built-in flash 6.30 m
Flash options no built-in flash Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync
External flash
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Max flash sync - 1/160 secs
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30p), 1280 x 720 (30p), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60, 50 fps), 1280 x 720p (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video format H.264, Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD
Mic input
Headphone input
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
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 357g (0.79 lb) 267g (0.59 lb)
Physical dimensions 115 x 67 x 38mm (4.5" x 2.6" x 1.5") 108 x 67 x 37mm (4.3" x 2.6" x 1.5")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 72 50
DXO Color Depth rating 22.7 20.5
DXO Dynamic range rating 12.4 10.0
DXO Low light rating 873 573
Other
Battery life 350 photos 360 photos
Style of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLS-50 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec, custom) Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10 sec (3 images))
Time lapse shooting
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC card SD/SDHC/SDXC
Storage slots Single Single
Price at release $499 $600