Olympus PEN E-P5 vs Panasonic Lumix DMC G5 — Which Is Better?

The Olympus PEN E-P5 and the Panasonic Lumix DMC G5 are both Micro Four Thirds mirrorless cameras, so any lens in that mount fits either body. The E-P5 arrived in May 2013, the G5 in July 2012. Their shapes differ most in depth: the E-P5 is 122 x 69 x 37 mm, the G5 a deeper 120 x 83 x 71 mm. The G5 is also lighter at 396 g against 420 g.

The E-P5 is the stronger choice for handheld shooting in dim rooms, with in-body stabilisation the G5 lacks. That stabilisation steadies the sensor itself, so it works with any lens you mount. It also offers 9 fps against the G5's 6, with 35 autofocus points against 23. Its 1/8000 second top shutter, against 1/4000, keeps wide apertures usable in bright light, and its standard ISO ceiling is 25600 against 12800.

The G5 answers with a built-in electronic viewfinder of 1,440,000 dots, while the E-P5 has none and must be composed on its rear screen. Neither gives more cropping room, as resolution is effectively matched at 16.1 versus 16.05 megapixels on CMOS sensors in the shared Micro Four Thirds format.

For smoother motion the G5 is the clear winner, with a maximum video frame rate of 60 fps against the E-P5's 30. The doubled frame rate lets you slow footage to half speed in editing without stutter. Both cameras cap at Full HD resolution, so neither offers 4K.

The E-P5 counters for timelapse work with a built-in timelapse function the G5 lacks. File formats differ too: the E-P5 writes MOV and AVI, the G5 AVCHD and MP4, useful if your editing workflow prefers one container.

The G5's flip screen makes awkward angles easier, letting you frame waist-level portraits or overhead shots without crouching. The E-P5's screen is fixed. The E-P5 instead has Wi-Fi for wireless transfer to a phone, which the G5 lacks, so transfers need a card reader or cable.

Both have 3-inch touch screens, but the E-P5's shows 1,036,800 dots against the G5's 920,000. Each camera also has a built-in flash and supports external flash units. Neither offers GPS for geotagging travel images, and neither is weather sealed.

Storage is a shared arrangement: each camera records to a single SD, SDHC or SDXC card, with no second slot for backup or overflow. The batteries differ, with the E-P5 using a BLN-2 and the G5 a DMW-BLC12, so spares do not carry between bodies.

Rated battery life is nearly identical, with the E-P5 at 330 shots and the G5 at 320.