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Olympus E-PL9 vs Panasonic FP5

Portability
85
Imaging
55
Features
78
Overall
64
Olympus PEN E-PL9 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FP5 front
Portability
95
Imaging
37
Features
33
Overall
35

Olympus E-PL9 vs Panasonic FP5 Key Specs

Olympus E-PL9
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 200 - 6400 (Raise to 25600)
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 380g - 117 x 68 x 39mm
  • Introduced February 2018
  • Old Model is Olympus E-PL8
Panasonic FP5
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 35-140mm (F3.5-5.9) lens
  • 141g - 101 x 59 x 18mm
  • Released January 2011
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Olympus E-PL9 vs Panasonic FP5 Overview

Let's look a little more in depth at the Olympus E-PL9 and Panasonic FP5, former is a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the other is a Ultracompact by companies Olympus and Panasonic. The image resolution of the E-PL9 (16MP) and the FP5 (14MP) is very comparable but the E-PL9 (Four Thirds) and FP5 (1/2.3") provide different sensor size.

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The E-PL9 was manufactured 7 years after the FP5 which is a fairly large difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both of these cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-PL9 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic FP5 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before getting straight to a detailed comparison, here is a brief overview of how the E-PL9 scores versus the FP5 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL9 over the Panasonic FP5

 E-PL9 FP5 
ReleasedFebruary 2018January 2011More modern by 87 months
Manual focus Dial precise focusing
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display resolution1040k230kSharper display (+810k dot)

Reasons to pick Panasonic FP5 over the Olympus E-PL9

 FP5 E-PL9 

Common features in the Olympus E-PL9 and Panasonic FP5

 E-PL9 FP5 
Display dimensions3"3"Equal display size
Selfie screen Neither provides selfie screen
Touch display Easily navigate

Olympus E-PL9 vs Panasonic FP5 Physical Comparison

If you're going to carry around your camera regularly, you'll need to factor in its weight and volume. The Olympus E-PL9 provides exterior measurements of 117mm x 68mm x 39mm (4.6" x 2.7" x 1.5") and a weight of 380 grams (0.84 lbs) and the Panasonic FP5 has sizing of 101mm x 59mm x 18mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 0.7") having a weight of 141 grams (0.31 lbs).

Check the Olympus E-PL9 and Panasonic FP5 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into account, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you have at the time. The following is a front view over all size comparison of the E-PL9 against the FP5.

Olympus E-PL9 vs Panasonic FP5 size comparison

Considering size and weight, the portability grade of the E-PL9 and FP5 is 85 and 95 respectively.

Olympus E-PL9 vs Panasonic FP5 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL9 vs Panasonic FP5 Sensor Comparison

In many cases, its difficult to imagine the gap in sensor sizes just by going through specifications. The pic here will provide you a stronger sense of the sensor sizing in the E-PL9 and FP5.

To sum up, the 2 cameras provide different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The E-PL9 due to its larger sensor is going to make shooting shallow DOF simpler and the Olympus E-PL9 will provide greater detail due to its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also enable you to crop photos more aggressively. The younger E-PL9 should have a benefit in sensor tech.

Olympus E-PL9 vs Panasonic FP5 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL9 vs Panasonic FP5 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL9 vs Panasonic FP5 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PL9 Portrait photography info
Panasonic FP5 Portrait photography info
73
you can focus manually
megapixel count decent (16MP)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
has face detection focusing
saves RAW files
33
decent sensor resolution (14MP)
comes with face detection focus
focusing manually not possible
no manual mode
external flash not possible
very small sensor (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-PL9 Street photography advice
Panasonic FP5 Street photography advice
84
screen tilts
image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
supports focus via touch
63
image stabilization (Optical)
boasts focus via touch
no moving screen
very small sensor (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PL9 Sports photography advice
Panasonic FP5 Sports photography advice
69
silent shooting (1/16,000s)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
megapixel count decent (16MP)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
has tracking autofocus
has no phase detect AF
43
image stabilization (Optical)
decent sensor resolution (14 megapixels)
comes with tracking autofocus
great battery pack (260 shots)
slow frames per second (6.0 frames/s)
no shutter priority
very small sensor (1/2.3")
lack of phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL9 as a Travel photography camera
Panasonic FP5 as a Travel photography camera
77
connects via bluetooth
supports focus via touch
megapixel count decent (16MP)
built-in flash
doesn't feature selfie friendly screen
65
great battery pack (260 per charge)
boasts focus via touch
decent sensor resolution (14MP)
built-in flash
no Time Lapse mode
screen isn't selfie friendly
wide angle not good (35mm)
slow max aperture (f3.5)
Photography Glossary

Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PL9 as a Landscape photography camera
Panasonic FP5 as a Landscape photography camera
80
you can focus manually
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is good (3")
image stabilization (Sensor based)
megapixel count decent (16MP)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
40
pretty good screen size (3 inches)
image stabilization (Optical)
decent sensor resolution (14MP)
great battery pack (260 shots)
focusing manually not possible
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not good (35mm)
slow max aperture (f3.5)
no manual mode
very small sensor (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
no Time Lapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL9 Vlogging info
Panasonic FP5 Vlogging info
35
touchscreen functionality
image stabilization (Sensor based)
has face detection focusing
high video quality (3840 x 2160 pixels)
doesn't feature selfie friendly screen
lack of external microphone jack
30
touchscreen capability
image stabilization (Optical)
comes with face detection focus
wide angle not good (35mm)
slow max aperture (f3.5)
screen isn't selfie friendly
low quality video (1280 x 720 resolution)
no external mic support
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Olympus E-PL9 vs Panasonic FP5 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL9 and Panasonic FP5
 Olympus PEN E-PL9Panasonic Lumix DMC-FP5
General Information
Brand Olympus Panasonic
Model Olympus PEN E-PL9 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FP5
Category Entry-Level Mirrorless Ultracompact
Introduced 2018-02-08 2011-01-05
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless Ultracompact
Sensor Information
Powered by TruePic VIII 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 area 224.9mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixel 14 megapixel
Anti aliasing 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 4320 x 3240
Highest native ISO 6400 6400
Highest enhanced ISO 25600 -
Minimum native ISO 200 100
RAW support
Minimum enhanced ISO 100 -
Autofocusing
Manual focus
AF touch
AF continuous
AF single
AF tracking
Selective AF
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Number of focus points 121 11
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 35-140mm (4.0x)
Maximum aperture - f/3.5-5.9
Macro focus range - 10cm
Number of lenses 107 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.9
Screen
Type of screen Tilting Fixed Type
Screen size 3 inches 3 inches
Resolution of screen 1,040 thousand dots 230 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Screen technology - TFT Touch Screen LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic (optional) None
Features
Min shutter speed 60s 60s
Max shutter speed 1/4000s 1/1600s
Max silent shutter speed 1/16000s -
Continuous shutter rate 8.6fps 6.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes -
Change WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range 7.60 m (at ISO 200) 4.90 m
Flash options Auto, manual, redeye reduction, slow sync w/redeye reduction, slow sync , slow sync 2nd-curtain, fill-in, off Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction
Hot shoe
AEB
WB bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions 3840 x 2160 @ 30p / 102 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution 3840x2160 1280x720
Video data format MPEG-4, H.264 Motion JPEG
Mic support
Headphone support
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 sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 380g (0.84 lbs) 141g (0.31 lbs)
Physical dimensions 117 x 68 x 39mm (4.6" x 2.7" x 1.5") 101 x 59 x 18mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 0.7")
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 350 photographs 260 photographs
Battery style Battery Pack Battery Pack
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 secs, custom) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC card (UHS-I supported) SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Card slots 1 1
Launch price $599 $199