Olympus E-5 Comparison Review

The Olympus E-5 is a DSLR (Digital Single Lens Reflex) camera that was announced in September 2010 and is equipped with a Four Thirds sensor. It offers a resolution of 12.2 megapixel.

Is the Olympus E-5 a good camera? The E-5 has a Camera Elo of 1577. This rating puts the E-5 below average of all digital single lens reflex cameras. In terms of its sensor size category (Four Thirds cameras), the E-5 also ranks below average. Based on its within category standings, the camera earns a 2.5-star performance rating. – Well, the Olympus E-5 is more than 14 years old, and there have been many other good digital cameras released since 2010.

Read on to find out more about the camera's size, sensor, features, reception by expert reviewers, and how it compares to other digital cameras.

Body comparison with a credit card

The side-by-side display below illustrates the physical size of the Olympus E-5 vis-à-vis a credit card. Three consecutive perspectives from the front, the top, and the back are presented. All width, height and depth dimensions are rounded to the nearest millimeter.

The table below summarizes the key physical specs of the Olympus E-5 alongside a set of similar cameras. If you want to review a particular camera pair side-by-side, just move across to the CAM-parator tool and choose from the broad selection of possible comparisons there.

Body Specifications

		Camera Model	Camera Width	Camera Height	Camera Depth	Camera Weight	Battery Life	Weather Sealing	Camera Launch	Launch Price	Street Price
1.		Olympus E-5	142 mm	117 mm	75 mm	873 g	750	Y	Sep 2010	US$ 1 699	ebay.com
2.		Olympus E-1	141 mm	104 mm	81 mm	738 g	750	Y	Jun 2003	US$ 1 699	ebay.com
3.		Olympus E-3	142 mm	116 mm	75 mm	876 g	750	Y	Oct 2007	US$ 1 699	ebay.com
4.		Olympus E-30	142 mm	108 mm	75 mm	701 g	750	n	Nov 2008	US$ 1 299	ebay.com
5.		Olympus E-510	136 mm	92 mm	68 mm	538 g	750	n	Mar 2007	US$ 799	ebay.com
6.		Olympus E-520	136 mm	92 mm	68 mm	535 g	750	n	May 2008	US$ 699	ebay.com
7.		Olympus E-600	130 mm	94 mm	60 mm	535 g	500	n	Aug 2009	US$ 449	ebay.com
8.		Olympus E-620	130 mm	94 mm	60 mm	521 g	500	n	Feb 2009	US$ 699	ebay.com
9.		Olympus E-P1	121 mm	70 mm	36 mm	355 g	300	n	Jun 2009	US$ 799	ebay.com
10.		Olympus E-P2	121 mm	70 mm	36 mm	355 g	300	n	Nov 2009	US$ 799	ebay.com
11.		Olympus E-PL1	115 mm	72 mm	42 mm	334 g	290	n	Feb 2010	US$ 599	ebay.com
Note: Measurements and pricing do not include easily detachable parts, such as add-on or interchangeable lenses or optional viewfinders.
Convert to Imperial

The listed prices provide an indication of the market segment that the manufacturer of the cameras have been targeting. The Olympus E-5 was launched in the US market at a price of $1,699. Usually, retail prices stay at first close to the launch price, but after several months, discounts become available. Later in the product cycle and, in particular, when the replacement model is about to appear, further discounting and stock clearance sales often push the camera price considerably down. Then, after the new model is out, very good deals can frequently be found on the pre-owned market.

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Sensor comparison with a 35mm slide

The size of the imaging sensor is a crucial determinant of image quality. A large sensor will tend to have larger individual pixels that provide better low-light sensitivity, wider dynamic range, and richer color-depth than smaller pixel-units in a sensor of the same technological generation. Moreover, a large sensor camera will give the photographer more control over depth-of-field in the image and, thus, the ability to better isolate a subject from the background. On the downside, larger sensors tend to be more expensive and lead to bigger and heavier cameras and lenses.

The Olympus E-5 features a Four Thirds sensor and has a format factor (sometimes also referred to as "crop factor") of 2.0. Within the spectrum of camera sensors, this places the Olympus E-5 among the medium-sized sensor cameras that aim to strike a balance between image quality and portability.

Since 2007, DXO Mark has published sensor performance measurements that have been derived using a consistent methodology. This service determines an overall sensor rating, as well as sub-scores for low-light sensitivity ("DXO Sports"), dynamic range ("DXO Landscape"), and color depth ("DXO Portrait"). The following table provides an overview of the physical sensor characteristics, as well as the sensor quality measurements for a selection of alternatives.

Sensor Characteristics

		Camera Model	Sensor Class	Resolution (MP)	Horiz. Pixels	Vert. Pixels	Video Format	DXO Portrait	DXO Landscape	DXO Sports	DXO Overall
1.		Olympus E-5	Four Thirds	12.2	4032	3024	720/30p	21.6	10.5	519	56
2.		Olympus E-1	Four Thirds	4.9	2560	1920	none	20.0	9.7	-145	44
3.		Olympus E-3	Four Thirds	10.0	3648	2736	none	21.6	10.5	571	56
4.		Olympus E-30	Four Thirds	12.2	4032	3024	none	21.3	10.4	530	55
5.		Olympus E-510	Four Thirds	10.0	3648	2736	none	21.2	10.0	442	52
6.		Olympus E-520	Four Thirds	10.0	3648	2736	none	21.4	10.4	548	55
7.		Olympus E-600	Four Thirds	12.2	4032	3024	none	21.5	10.3	541	55
8.		Olympus E-620	Four Thirds	12.2	4032	3024	none	21.3	10.3	536	55
9.		Olympus E-P1	Four Thirds	12.2	4032	3024	720/30p	21.4	10.4	536	55
10.		Olympus E-P2	Four Thirds	12.2	4032	3024	720/30p	21.5	10.4	505	56
11.		Olympus E-PL1	Four Thirds	12.2	4032	3024	720/30p	21.5	10.1	487	54
Note: DXO values in italics represent estimates based on sensor size and age.

Many modern cameras are not only capable of taking still images, but also of capturing video footage. The E-5 indeed provides movie recording capabilities. The highest resolution format that the E-5 can use is 720/30p.

Feature comparison

Apart from body and sensor, cameras can and do differ across a range of features. For example, the E-5 has an optical viewfinder that provides a field of view of 100% and a magnification of 0.58x. The following tables report on some other key feature differences and similarities of the Olympus E-5 and comparable cameras.

Core Features

		Camera Model	Viewfinder (Type or 000 dots)	Control Panel (yes/no)	LCD Specifications (inch/000 dots)	LCD Attach- ment	Touch Screen (yes/no)	Max Shutter Speed *	Max Shutter Flaps *	Built-in Flash (yes/no)	Built-in Image Stab
1.		Olympus E-5	optical	Y	3.0 / 920	swivel	n	1/8000s	5.0/s	Y	Y
2.		Olympus E-1	optical	Y	1.8 / 134	fixed	n	1/4000s	3.0/s	n	n
3.		Olympus E-3	optical	Y	2.5 / 230	swivel	n	1/8000s	5.0/s	Y	Y
4.		Olympus E-30	optical	Y	2.7 / 230	swivel	n	1/8000s	5.0/s	Y	Y
5.		Olympus E-510	optical	n	2.5 / 215	fixed	n	1/4000s	3.0/s	Y	Y
6.		Olympus E-520	optical	n	2.7 / 215	fixed	n	1/4000s	3.5/s	Y	Y
7.		Olympus E-600	optical	n	2.7 / 230	swivel	n	1/4000s	4.0/s	Y	Y
8.		Olympus E-620	optical	n	2.7 / 230	swivel	n	1/4000s	4.0/s	Y	Y
9.		Olympus E-P1	none	n	3.0 / 230	fixed	n	1/4000s	3.0/s	n	Y
10.		Olympus E-P2	optional	n	3.0 / 230	fixed	n	1/4000s	3.0/s	n	Y
11.		Olympus E-PL1	optional	n	2.7 / 230	fixed	n	1/2000s	3.0/s	Y	Y
Note: *) Information refers to the mechanical shutter, unless the camera only has an electronic one.

The LCD screen on the Olympus E-5 is flexibly attached to the body. In particular, the LCD is hinged on the side and can be flipped out for odd-angle shots in both portrait and landscape orientation. Also, this fully articulated, swivel type of LCD attachment is often appreciated by videographers for its flexibility. Moreover, v-loggers like the design because the screen can be turned to be front-facing.

One convenient feature of the E-5 is the presence of an on-board flash. While this built-in flash is not very powerful, it can at times be useful as a fill-in light to brighten deep shadow areas.

Connection comparison

For some imaging applications, the extent to which a camera can communicate with its environment can be an important aspect in the camera decision process. The table below provides an overview of the connectivity of the Olympus E-5 and, in particular, the interfaces the cameras (and selected comparators) provide for accessory control and data transfer.

Input-Output Connections

		Camera Model	Hotshoe Port	Internal Mic / Speaker	Microphone Port	Headphone Port	HDMI Port	USB Port	WiFi Support	NFC Support	Bluetooth Support
1.		Olympus E-5	Y	stereo / -	-	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-
2.		Olympus E-1	Y	- / -	-	-	-	2.0	-	-	-
3.		Olympus E-3	Y	- / -	-	-	-	2.0	-	-	-
4.		Olympus E-30	Y	- / -	-	-	-	2.0	-	-	-
5.		Olympus E-510	Y	- / -	-	-	-	2.0	-	-	-
6.		Olympus E-520	Y	- / -	-	-	-	2.0	-	-	-
7.		Olympus E-600	Y	- / -	-	-	-	2.0	-	-	-
8.		Olympus E-620	Y	- / -	-	-	-	2.0	-	-	-
9.		Olympus E-P1	Y	stereo / -	-	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-
10.		Olympus E-P2	Y	stereo / -	-	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-
11.		Olympus E-PL1	Y	stereo / -	-	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-

Further information on the features and operation of the E-5 can be found in the free online Olympus E-5 Manual or on the Olympus support site.

Expert reviews

While the comparison of technical specifications can provide a useful overview of the capabilities of different cameras, it remains partial and cannot reveal, for example, the handling experience and imaging performance when actually working with the E-5. User reviews that are available, for instance, at amazon can sometimes shed light on these issues, but such feedback is all too often partial, inconsistent, and inaccurate. This is where reviews by experts come in. The adjacent table relays the overall verdicts of several of the most popular camera review sites (amateurphotographer [AP], cameralabs [CL], digitalcameraworld [DCW], dpreview [DPR], ephotozine [EPZ], photographyblog [PB]).

Review Scores

		Camera   Model	AP   score	CL   score	DCW   score	DPR   score	EPZ   score	PB   score	Camera Launch	Launch Price	Street Price
1.		Olympus E-5	4/5	..	..	75/100	4/5	4.5/5	Sep 2010	US$ 1 699	ebay.com
2.		Olympus E-1	..	..	..	+	o	..	Jun 2003	US$ 1 699	ebay.com
3.		Olympus E-3	..	88/100	..	+ +	o	4/5	Oct 2007	US$ 1 699	ebay.com
4.		Olympus E-30	..	..	..	71/100	4.5/5	4/5	Nov 2008	US$ 1 299	ebay.com
5.		Olympus E-510	..	89/100	..	+ +	3.5/5	4.5/5	Mar 2007	US$ 799	ebay.com
6.		Olympus E-520	..	87/100	..	+ +	4.5/5	4.5/5	May 2008	US$ 699	ebay.com
7.		Olympus E-600	..	..	..	..	..	4.5/5	Aug 2009	US$ 449	ebay.com
8.		Olympus E-620	3/5	88/100	..	72/100	4.5/5	5/5	Feb 2009	US$ 699	ebay.com
9.		Olympus E-P1	..	+	..	66/100	4/5	4.5/5	Jun 2009	US$ 799	ebay.com
10.		Olympus E-P2	3/5	+	..	69/100	4/5	4.5/5	Nov 2009	US$ 799	ebay.com
11.		Olympus E-PL1	..	86/100	..	69/100	4/5	4.5/5	Feb 2010	US$ 599	ebay.com
Note: (+ +) highly recommended; (+) recommended; (o) reviewed; (..) not available.

Care should be taken when interpreting the review scores above, though. The ratings were established in reference to similarly priced cameras that were available in the market at the time of the review. Hence, a score should always be seen in the context of the camera's market launch date and its price, and comparing ratings of very distinct cameras or ones that are far apart in terms of their release date have little meaning. It should also be noted that some of the review sites have over time altered the way they render their verdicts.

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Camera to camera comparisons

In case you are interested in seeing how this camera compares to another one, just use the search menu below. There is also a set of direct links to comparison reviews that other users of the CAM-parator app explored.

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