Olympus E-PL9 vs Panasonic S5

Its time to look closer at the Olympus E-PL9 versus Panasonic S5, former is a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the other is a Pro Mirrorless by rivals Olympus and Panasonic. There is a sizable difference among the sensor resolutions of the E-PL9 (16MP) and S5 (24MP) and the E-PL9 (Four Thirds) and S5 (Full frame) possess totally different sensor dimensions.

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The E-PL9 was announced 3 years before the S5 which is a fairly significant difference as far as camera tech is concerned. The two cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-PL9 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic S5 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before diving in to a in depth comparison, below is a brief synopsis of how the E-PL9 scores vs the S5 for portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Here is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus PEN E-PL9 & Panasonic Lumix DC-S5. The whole galleries are provided at Olympus E-PL9 Gallery & Panasonic S5 Gallery.

When you are intending to travel with your camera, you're going to have to factor its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-PL9 provides physical measurements of 117mm x 68mm x 39mm (4.6" x 2.7" x 1.5") and a weight of 380 grams (0.84 lbs) whilst the Panasonic S5 has proportions of 133mm x 97mm x 82mm (5.2" x 3.8" x 3.2") accompanied by a weight of 714 grams (1.57 lbs).

See the Olympus E-PL9 versus Panasonic S5 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you have chosen at that moment. The following is the front view over all size comparison of the E-PL9 vs the S5.

Taking into account size and weight, the portability grade of the E-PL9 and S5 is 85 and 60 respectively.

Usually, it is hard to see the difference in sensor dimensions purely by checking out technical specs. The picture underneath should provide you a better sense of the sensor measurements in the E-PL9 and S5.

As you can tell, both of those cameras have got different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The E-PL9 with its smaller sensor will make getting shallow DOF more challenging and the Panasonic S5 will produce greater detail with its extra 8MP. Greater resolution will make it easier to crop pics much more aggressively. The more aged E-PL9 will be behind when it comes to sensor innovation.