Olympus E-PM2 vs Panasonic LX100

Here, we are reviewing the Olympus E-PM2 and Panasonic LX100, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the other is a Large Sensor Compact by rivals Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a noticeable gap between the sensor resolutions of the E-PM2 (16MP) and LX100 (13MP) but both cameras offer the identical sensor sizes (Four Thirds).

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The E-PM2 was revealed 16 months before the LX100 making them a generation apart from one another. Each of these cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-PM2 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic LX100 being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before delving into a step-by-step comparison, here is a quick summation of how the E-PM2 matches up vs the LX100 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Below is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus PEN E-PM2 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX100. The full galleries are available at Olympus E-PM2 Gallery & Panasonic LX100 Gallery.

For those who are planning to lug around your camera often, you will need to factor its weight and volume. The Olympus E-PM2 offers outside dimensions of 110mm x 64mm x 34mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.3") having a weight of 269 grams (0.59 lbs) and the Panasonic LX100 has sizing of 115mm x 66mm x 55mm (4.5" x 2.6" x 2.2") and a weight of 393 grams (0.87 lbs).

See the Olympus E-PM2 and Panasonic LX100 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you are utilizing at that time. Following is a front view measurements comparison of the E-PM2 vs the LX100.

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-PM2 and LX100 is 89 and 83 respectively.

Normally, it is very tough to picture the gap between sensor measurements simply by reading specs. The graphic below will help provide you a greater sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-PM2 and LX100.

All in all, both of these cameras come with the identical sensor size but different megapixels. You can expect to see the Olympus E-PM2 to deliver more detail because of its extra 3 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also enable you to crop images a good deal more aggressively. The older E-PM2 is going to be behind in sensor technology.