Olympus E-PM2 vs Panasonic FX580

Lets look closer at the Olympus E-PM2 and Panasonic FX580, one is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the other is a Small Sensor Compact by companies Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a big gap among the sensor resolutions of the E-PM2 (16MP) and FX580 (12MP) and the E-PM2 (Four Thirds) and FX580 (1/2.3") enjoy different sensor sizing.

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The E-PM2 was unveiled 4 years after the FX580 which is a fairly big gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Both of these cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-PM2 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic FX580 being a Compact camera.

Before diving in to a full comparison, below is a brief summary of how the E-PM2 grades against the FX580 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Below is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus PEN E-PM2 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX580. The full galleries are provided at Olympus E-PM2 Gallery and Panasonic FX580 Gallery.

If you are looking to carry around your camera regularly, you're going to have to take into account its weight and size. The Olympus E-PM2 features outside dimensions of 110mm x 64mm x 34mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.3") along with a weight of 269 grams (0.59 lbs) whilst the Panasonic FX580 has specifications of 95mm x 57mm x 22mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9") having a weight of 167 grams (0.37 lbs).

Compare the Olympus E-PM2 and Panasonic FX580 in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into account, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change depending on the lens you choose at the time. Below is the front view sizing comparison of the E-PM2 vs the FX580.

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-PM2 and FX580 is 89 and 95 respectively.

More often than not, it is difficult to picture the gap in sensor sizes merely by looking through specs. The picture here may offer you a much better sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-PM2 and FX580.

As you can plainly see, the 2 cameras posses different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The E-PM2 with its larger sensor is going to make getting shallower DOF easier and the Olympus E-PM2 will provide you with more detail having an extra 4MP. Greater resolution will let you crop photos somewhat more aggressively. The fresher E-PM2 should have an advantage with regard to sensor tech.