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Olympus E-PM2 vs Panasonic FX48

Portability
89
Imaging
52
Features
63
Overall
56
Olympus PEN E-PM2 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX48 front
Portability
95
Imaging
34
Features
21
Overall
28

Olympus E-PM2 vs Panasonic FX48 Key Specs

Olympus E-PM2
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 269g - 110 x 64 x 34mm
  • Introduced May 2013
  • Older Model is Olympus E-PM1
Panasonic FX48
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.5" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 3200 (Increase to 6400)
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 640 x 480 video
  • 25-125mm (F2.8-5.9) lens
  • 150g - 95 x 53 x 22mm
  • Revealed January 2009
  • Alternate Name is Lumix DMC-FX40
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Olympus E-PM2 vs Panasonic FX48 Overview

Below is a thorough assessment of the Olympus E-PM2 vs Panasonic FX48, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by manufacturers Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a noticeable gap between the sensor resolutions of the E-PM2 (16MP) and FX48 (12MP) and the E-PM2 (Four Thirds) and FX48 (1/2.3") feature totally different sensor size.

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The E-PM2 was released 4 years later than the FX48 and that is quite a sizable difference as far as technology is concerned. Both the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-PM2 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic FX48 being a Compact camera.

Before diving in to a comprehensive comparison, below is a quick overview of how the E-PM2 grades against the FX48 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PM2 over the Panasonic FX48

 E-PM2 FX48 
RevealedMay 2013January 2009More recent by 53 months
Manually focus Dial accurate focusing
Screen dimension3"2.5"Bigger screen (+0.5")
Screen resolution460k230kClearer screen (+230k dot)
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Panasonic FX48 over the Olympus E-PM2

 FX48 E-PM2 

Common features in the Olympus E-PM2 and Panasonic FX48

 E-PM2 FX48 
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Selfie screen No selfie screen

Olympus E-PM2 vs Panasonic FX48 Physical Comparison

In case you're intending to lug around your camera often, you need to think about its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-PM2 has got external dimensions of 110mm x 64mm x 34mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.3") with a weight of 269 grams (0.59 lbs) while the Panasonic FX48 has measurements of 95mm x 53mm x 22mm (3.7" x 2.1" x 0.9") along with a weight of 150 grams (0.33 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus E-PM2 vs Panasonic FX48 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you select during that time. Here is the front view over all size comparison of the E-PM2 and the FX48.

Olympus E-PM2 vs Panasonic FX48 size comparison

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-PM2 and FX48 is 89 and 95 respectively.

Olympus E-PM2 vs Panasonic FX48 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PM2 vs Panasonic FX48 Sensor Comparison

Quite often, its tough to see the gap between sensor measurements merely by going over technical specs. The photograph below might offer you a far better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-PM2 and FX48.

As you have seen, each of these cameras posses different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The E-PM2 due to its bigger sensor will make getting shallower depth of field easier and the Olympus E-PM2 will offer you greater detail as a result of its extra 4MP. Higher resolution can also help you crop pictures somewhat more aggressively. The younger E-PM2 is going to have an edge when it comes to sensor tech.

Olympus E-PM2 vs Panasonic FX48 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PM2 vs Panasonic FX48 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PM2 vs Panasonic FX48 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PM2 as a Portrait photography camera
Panasonic FX48 as a Portrait photography camera
71
focusing manually
good megapixels (16MP)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports face detection focusing
delivers RAW formats
27
offers face detection autofocus
manual focus not available
can't use external flash
resolution not great (12MP)
very small sensor (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW format
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-PM2 Street photography info
Panasonic FX48 Street photography info
79
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
features focus by touch
great ISO range (25,600)
no moving screen
56
has image stabilization (Optical)
no articulating screen
very small sensor (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PM2 Sports photography details
Panasonic FX48 Sports photography details
66
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
good megapixels (16MP)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports tracking autofocus
lacks phase detect AF
25
has image stabilization (Optical)
slow continuous shooting (2.0 frames per second)
no shutter priority mode
resolution not great (12MP)
very small sensor (1/2.3")
doesn't have phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PM2 as a Travel photography camera
Panasonic FX48 as a Travel photography camera
66
features focus by touch
good megapixels (16 megapixels)
lack of Timelapse mode
does not have a selfie friendly display
58
built-in flash
fairly wide (25mm)
missing Time Lapse mode
resolution not great (12 megapixels)
display is not selfie friendly
sluggish max aperture (f2.8)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PM2 Landscape photography advice
Panasonic FX48 Landscape photography advice
74
focusing manually
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
good sized screen (3")
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
good megapixels (16MP)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
great ISO range (25,600)
delivers RAW formats
lack of Timelapse mode
33
fairly wide (25mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
manual focus not available
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f2.8)
screen is somewhat small (2.5 inches)
resolution not great (12 megapixels)
very small sensor (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW format
missing Time Lapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PM2 Vlogging factors
Panasonic FX48 Vlogging factors
36
touchscreen functionality
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
supports face detection focusing
high res video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
does not have a selfie friendly display
lack of external microphone support
30
fairly wide (25mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
offers face detection autofocus
sluggish max aperture (f2.8)
display is not selfie friendly
video resolution low (640 x 480 pixels)
missing external mic socket
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Olympus E-PM2 vs Panasonic FX48 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PM2 and Panasonic FX48
 Olympus PEN E-PM2Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX48
General Information
Brand Olympus Panasonic
Model type Olympus PEN E-PM2 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX48
Alternate name - Lumix DMC-FX40
Class Entry-Level Mirrorless Small Sensor Compact
Introduced 2013-05-21 2009-01-27
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
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 16MP 12MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Highest resolution 4608 x 3456 4000 x 3000
Highest native ISO 25600 3200
Highest boosted ISO - 6400
Minimum native ISO 200 80
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
AF touch
Continuous AF
AF single
AF tracking
Selective AF
AF center weighted
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Total focus points 35 11
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 25-125mm (5.0x)
Maximal aperture - f/2.8-5.9
Macro focusing range - 5cm
Amount of lenses 107 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.9
Screen
Type of display Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display diagonal 3" 2.5"
Resolution of display 460 thousand dots 230 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic (optional) None
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60s 60s
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000s 1/3000s
Continuous shooting rate 8.0 frames per sec 2.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 7.00 m (bundled FL-LM1) 6.00 m
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction, Slow Sync
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Maximum flash synchronize 1/250s -
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 640x480
Video file format MPEG-4, H.264, Motion JPEG Motion JPEG
Mic port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless Eye-Fi Connected None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 269g (0.59 lb) 150g (0.33 lb)
Dimensions 110 x 64 x 34mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.3") 95 x 53 x 22mm (3.7" x 2.1" x 0.9")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 72 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 22.7 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 12.2 not tested
DXO Low light rating 932 not tested
Other
Battery life 360 shots -
Style of battery Battery Pack -
Battery ID BLS-5 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/MMC/SDHC card, Internal
Card slots 1 1
Retail cost $448 $325