Olympus PEN E-PL5 vs Olympus OM-D E-M5 Preview

Olympus OM-D E-M5 Vs Olympus PEN E-PL5

The Olympus PEN Lite E-PL5 features the same 16 megapixel Micro Four Thirds sensor as the Olympus OM-D E-M5, although the body lacks the EVF, weather sealing, and 5-axis image stabilisation, instead features just 2-axis sensor-shift based image stabilisation. Another big difference is the price, with the E-PL5 available for nearly half the price of the E-M5.


Olympus OM-D E-M5 Vs Olympus PEN E-PL5 - both cameras feature a tilting rear touch-screen, although the E-PL5 can be tilted to face forwards. A comparison of the specifications can be found at the end of the article.


Olympus O-MD E-M5 and 12-50mm lens cut in half.


Olympus O-MD E-M5 image stabilisation system.


Olympus OM-D E-M5 with Carl Zeiss lens.


Olympus suggest that the LS-100 audio recorder is an ideal companion for the Olympus OM-D E-M5 for high quality audio to go with video recorded on the E-M5, although it makes the camera look quite small in comparison.

Read our full Olympus OM-D E-M5 Review.
Read our Olympus PEN Lite E-PL5 Hands-On Preview.

Comparison Table

		Olympus OM-D E-M5	Olympus PEN Lite E-PL5
Manufacturer		Olympus	Olympus
Image Sensor
	CCD pixels	16.1Mp (Megapixels)	16.1Mp (Megapixels)
	Pixels (W)	4608	4608
	Pixels (H)	3456	3456
	Sensor Type	Live MOS Sensor	Live MOS Sensor
	Sensor Size	Micro / Four Thirds	Micro / Four Thirds
	Sensor Size (width)	17.3mm	17.3mm
	Sensor Size (height)	13mm	13mm
	Aspect Ratio	4:3 3:2 16:9 1:1	4:3 3:2 16:9 1:1
LCD Monitor
	LCD Monitor	3in	3in
	Screen resolution	610k dots	460,000 dots
	Touch Screen	Yes	Yes
Focusing
	Focusing modes	Autofocus Manual Face Detection AF Tracking Touch AF Spot Multi	Autofocus Manual Spot Face Detection Multi AF Tracking Touch AF
Exposure Control
	Shutter speeds shortest	1/4000sec	1/4000sec
	Shutter speeds longest	60sec	60sec
	Exp modes	Program Aperture-Priority Shutter-Priority Manual Scene modes	Program Aperture-Priority Shutter-Priority Manual Scene modes
	Metering	Centre-weighted - Average Multi Pattern Spot	Centre-weighted - Average Spot ESP Light Metering
	ISO sensitivity	200 - 25600	200 - 25600
	White balance	Auto Manual Incandescent Fluorescent Outdoors/Daylight Cloudy Shade Flash Underwater	Auto Manual Bracket Outdoors/Daylight Cloudy Incandescent Fluorescent Shade
	Exposure Comp	+/-3	+/-3
Viewfinder
	Viewfinder Resolution	1.44million dots	No Data
Shooting Options
	Continuous shooting	9fps	8fps
Video
	Movie mode	Yes	Yes
	Video Resolution	1920x1080 1280x720 720p 640x480 VGA	1920x1080 1280x720 720p 640x480 VGA
	Video FPS	30	30
	Stereo Sound	Yes	Yes
	Optical Zoom with Video	Yes	Yes
Other Features
	Image Stabilisation	Yes	Yes
Interface
	HDMI	Yes	Yes
	USB	USB 2	USB 2
Storage
	Card Type	SD SDHC SDXC	SD SDHC SDXC
	File Type	RAW JPG RAW + JPG	RAW JPG RAW + JPG
Power Source
	Battery Type	Lithium Ion	BLS-5 Li-ion
	CIPA Rating	330	360
Box Contents
	Box Contents	Body, Flash FL-LM2, Li-ion battery BLN-1, Li-ion battery charger BCN-1, USB/Video Multi cable, Shoulder strap, OLYMPUS Viewer 2/ib CD-ROM, Instruction manual, Warranty card	Flash, flash case, strap, basic manual (multi language), full manual on cd/dvd, camera, battery, battery charger, AV cable, USB cable, Warranty Card
Dimensions
	Weight	373g	325g
	Width	121mm	110.5mm
	Height	89.6mm	63.7mm
	Depth	41.9mm	38.2mm
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