Olympus SH-2 vs Panasonic GF5

On this page, we will be contrasting the Olympus SH-2 and Panasonic GF5, former being a Small Sensor Superzoom while the latter is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by rivals Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a large gap among the sensor resolutions of the SH-2 (16MP) and GF5 (12MP) and the SH-2 (1/2.3") and GF5 (Four Thirds) provide different sensor sizes.

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The SH-2 was manufactured 2 years later than the GF5 and that is a fairly serious difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both of these cameras have different body design with the Olympus SH-2 being a Compact camera and the Panasonic GF5 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before going straight to a full comparison, here is a simple summary of how the SH-2 grades versus the GF5 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

The following is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus Stylus SH-2 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF5. The entire galleries are available at Olympus SH-2 Gallery & Panasonic GF5 Gallery.

For anyone who is planning to lug around your camera, you're going to have to consider its weight and proportions. The Olympus SH-2 has outside measurements of 109mm x 63mm x 42mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.7") accompanied by a weight of 271 grams (0.60 lbs) while the Panasonic GF5 has measurements of 108mm x 67mm x 37mm (4.3" x 2.6" x 1.5") having a weight of 267 grams (0.59 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus SH-2 and Panasonic GF5 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you have at that time. The following is a front view proportions comparison of the SH-2 versus the GF5.

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability score of the SH-2 and GF5 is 88 and 89 respectively.

More often than not, it's difficult to visualize the difference in sensor measurements simply by seeing a spec sheet. The visual underneath may offer you a far better sense of the sensor measurements in the SH-2 and GF5.

As you can see, both the cameras have different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The SH-2 featuring a smaller sensor is going to make getting shallower DOF tougher and the Olympus SH-2 will show more detail due to its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also allow you to crop pictures a bit more aggressively. The more modern SH-2 should have a benefit in sensor technology.