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Olympus E-PL9 vs Panasonic FX78

Portability
85
Imaging
56
Features
78
Overall
64
Olympus PEN E-PL9 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX78 front
Portability
95
Imaging
35
Features
31
Overall
33

Olympus E-PL9 vs Panasonic FX78 Key Specs

Olympus E-PL9
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 200 - 6400 (Raise to 25600)
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 380g - 117 x 68 x 39mm
  • Announced February 2018
  • Superseded the Olympus E-PL8
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
  • Introduced January 2011
  • Other Name is Lumix DMC-FX77
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Olympus E-PL9 vs Panasonic FX78 Overview

Lets look more closely at the Olympus E-PL9 and Panasonic FX78, one is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the other is a Small Sensor Compact by competitors Olympus and Panasonic. There is a sizeable difference between the image resolutions of the E-PL9 (16MP) and FX78 (12MP) and the E-PL9 (Four Thirds) and FX78 (1/2.3") posses different sensor measurements.

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The E-PL9 was unveiled 7 years after the FX78 which is quite a large gap as far as tech is concerned. Both the cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-PL9 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic FX78 being a Compact camera.

Before getting straight to a comprehensive comparison, here is a concise highlight of how the E-PL9 matches up against the FX78 for portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL9 over the Panasonic FX78

 E-PL9 FX78 
IntroducedFebruary 2018January 2011Newer by 86 months
Manual focus More accurate focus
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display resolution1040k230kClearer display (+810k dot)

Reasons to pick Panasonic FX78 over the Olympus E-PL9

 FX78 E-PL9 
Display dimensions3.5"3"Larger display (+0.5")

Common features in the Olympus E-PL9 and Panasonic FX78

 E-PL9 FX78 
Selfie screen Neither comes with selfie screen
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Olympus E-PL9 vs Panasonic FX78 Physical Comparison

When you are aiming to travel with your camera often, you should consider its weight and size. The Olympus E-PL9 comes with external dimensions 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 FX78 has specifications of 100mm x 55mm x 21mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 0.8") having a weight of 142 grams (0.31 lbs).

Check out the Olympus E-PL9 and Panasonic FX78 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Do not forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ dependant on the lens you have chosen at the time. Below is a front view measurements comparison of the E-PL9 versus the FX78.

Olympus E-PL9 vs Panasonic FX78 size comparison

Considering size and weight, the portability score of the E-PL9 and FX78 is 85 and 95 respectively.

Olympus E-PL9 vs Panasonic FX78 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL9 vs Panasonic FX78 Sensor Comparison

Usually, it is hard to imagine the contrast between sensor dimensions purely by reviewing a spec sheet. The image here should provide you a far better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-PL9 and FX78.

As you can see, both of those cameras have different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The E-PL9 having a larger sensor is going to make getting shallower depth of field easier and the Olympus E-PL9 will offer extra detail having an extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also let you crop pics a bit more aggressively. The more modern E-PL9 should have an advantage in sensor technology.

Olympus E-PL9 vs Panasonic FX78 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL9 vs Panasonic FX78 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL9 vs Panasonic FX78 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PL9 as a Portrait photography camera
Panasonic FX78 as a Portrait photography camera
73
has manual focus
resolution is good (16MP)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
includes face detect focus
supports RAW formats
21
manual focus not available
no manual exposure
external flash not possible
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
no RAW format
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-PL9 as a Street photography camera
Panasonic FX78 as a Street photography camera
84
screen tilts up and down
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
features touch to focus
57
built in image stabilization (Optical)
no moving screen
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
no RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PL9 as a Sports photography camera
Panasonic FX78 as a Sports photography camera
69
quiet mode (1/16,000 seconds)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
includes tracking focus
lack of phase detect auto focus
28
built in image stabilization (Optical)
comes with tracking focus
low maximum shutter speed (1/1,400 seconds)
max fps low (4.0 fps)
no shutter priority mode
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
terrible battery power (200 per charge)
no phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL9 Travel photography advice
Panasonic FX78 Travel photography advice
77
connects via bluetooth
features touch to focus
resolution is good (16MP)
built-in flash
display is not selfie friendly
56
flash built-in
relatively wide (24mm)
does not have Timelapse function
terrible battery power (200 shots)
megapixel count low (12MP)
display isn't selfie friendly
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.5)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PL9 Landscape photography info
Panasonic FX78 Landscape photography info
80
has manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen is a good size (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
resolution is good (16MP)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
36
relatively wide (24mm)
screen larger than average (3.5")
built in image stabilization (Optical)
manual focus not available
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.5)
no manual exposure
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
no RAW format
terrible battery power (200 per charge)
does not have Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus E-PL9
Vlogging with Panasonic FX78
35
screen is touchscreen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
includes face detect focus
high res video (3840 x 2160 pixels)
display is not selfie friendly
doesn't have mic support
33
relatively wide (24mm)
touchscreen
built in image stabilization (Optical)
video res high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.5)
display isn't selfie friendly
does not have microphone socket
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Olympus E-PL9 vs Panasonic FX78 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL9 and Panasonic FX78
 Olympus PEN E-PL9Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX78
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Panasonic
Model Olympus PEN E-PL9 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX78
Also Known as - Lumix DMC-FX77
Category Entry-Level Mirrorless Small Sensor Compact
Announced 2018-02-08 2011-01-25
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Chip TruePic VIII 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 surface area 224.9mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixels 12 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 4608 x 3456 4000 x 3000
Maximum native ISO 6400 6400
Maximum boosted ISO 25600 -
Min native ISO 200 100
RAW support
Min boosted ISO 100 -
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
Continuous autofocus
Single autofocus
Tracking autofocus
Autofocus selectice
Autofocus center weighted
Autofocus multi area
Live view autofocus
Face detect autofocus
Contract detect autofocus
Phase detect autofocus
Number of focus points 121 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 distance - 5cm
Total lenses 107 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.9
Screen
Type of display Tilting Fixed Type
Display size 3 inches 3.5 inches
Display resolution 1,040k dots 230k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Display tech - TFT LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic (optional) None
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 secs 60 secs
Highest shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/1400 secs
Highest quiet shutter speed 1/16000 secs -
Continuous shooting rate 8.6 frames per second 4.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes -
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 7.60 m (at ISO 200) 5.60 m
Flash modes Auto, manual, redeye reduction, slow sync w/redeye reduction, slow sync , slow sync 2nd-curtain, fill-in, off Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Syncro
External flash
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 3840 x 2160 @ 30p / 102 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution 3840x2160 1920x1080
Video format MPEG-4, H.264 MPEG-4, AVCHD
Microphone port
Headphone port
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 sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 380 gr (0.84 lb) 142 gr (0.31 lb)
Physical dimensions 117 x 68 x 39mm (4.6" x 2.7" x 1.5") 100 x 55 x 21mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 0.8")
DXO scores
DXO All around 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 200 photographs
Battery type Battery Pack Battery Pack
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 secs, custom) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC card (UHS-I supported) SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Card slots One One
Retail pricing $599 $210