Specifications#
- Brand
- Olympus
- Model
- PEN E-PL5
- Also known as
- E-PL5, Olympus E-PL5
- Camera type
- Mirrorless
- Released
- 2012-09-17
- Lens mount
- Micro Four Thirds
- Sensor size
- 18.0 × 13.5 mm (1.5" sensor)
- Crop factor
- 1.92×
- Resolution
- 16.1 MP (4,608 × 3,456 px)
- ISO range
- 200 – 25,600
- Continuous shooting
- 8 fps
- Weight
- 279 g (9.8 oz)
- Sensor
- Four Thirds System 18.00 × 13.50 mm Live MOS
- Storage
- Secure Digital card; SDHC; SDXC
- Viewfinder
- live preview, optional electronic viewfinder VF-2; optional electronic viewfinder VF-3 and VF-4; optional optical viewfinder VF-1
- AF points / area
- 35 area contrast detect auto-focus, selectable
- Metering
- Digital ESP metering, Centre weighted average metering, Spot metering
- Exposure modes
- Program, shutter-priority, aperture-priority, manual
- Shutter
- 1/4,000 to 60 s, up to 30 minutes bulb
- Flash
- Clip-on (included), TTL, GN 10m equivalent (ISO200 · m); hotshoe for external flash attachment
- Battery
- Olympus BLS-5 Lithium-ion battery
- Dimensions
- 110.5 × 63.7 × 38.2 mm (4.35" × 2.51" × 1.50")
- Lens
- Micro Four Thirds System mount
- Drive
- 8.0 frames/s (in case of "I.S. OFF")
Specifications merged from Wikipedia, Wikidata, Lensfun and openMVG. Spot an error? Tell us.
Sensor size compared#
Focal length equivalents & field of view#
Multiply any focal length by 1.92 to get the full-frame field of view. Angles are for a rectilinear lens focused at infinity.
| Lens on this camera | Full-frame equivalent | Horizontal | Vertical | Diagonal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 mm | 15 mm | 96.7° | 80.3° | 109.2° |
| 10 mm | 19 mm | 84.0° | 68.0° | 96.7° |
| 12 mm | 23 mm | 73.7° | 58.7° | 86.3° |
| 14 mm | 27 mm | 65.5° | 51.5° | 77.6° |
| 16 mm | 31 mm | 58.7° | 45.7° | 70.2° |
| 18 mm | 35 mm | 53.1° | 41.1° | 64.0° |
| 20 mm | 38 mm | 48.5° | 37.3° | 58.7° |
| 24 mm | 46 mm | 41.1° | 31.4° | 50.2° |
| 28 mm | 54 mm | 35.6° | 27.1° | 43.8° |
| 35 mm | 67 mm | 28.8° | 21.8° | 35.6° |
| 40 mm | 77 mm | 25.4° | 19.2° | 31.4° |
| 50 mm | 96 mm | 20.4° | 15.4° | 25.4° |
| 56 mm | 108 mm | 18.3° | 13.7° | 22.7° |
| 70 mm | 135 mm | 14.7° | 11.0° | 18.3° |
| 85 mm | 163 mm | 12.1° | 9.1° | 15.1° |
| 100 mm | 192 mm | 10.3° | 7.7° | 12.8° |
| 135 mm | 260 mm | 7.6° | 5.7° | 9.5° |
| 200 mm | 385 mm | 5.2° | 3.9° | 6.4° |
| 300 mm | 577 mm | 3.4° | 2.6° | 4.3° |
| 400 mm | 769 mm | 2.6° | 1.9° | 3.2° |
| 600 mm | 1154 mm | 1.7° | 1.3° | 2.1° |
Depth of field table#
Total depth of field at each subject distance, using a circle of confusion of 15.6 µm (the 0.030 mm full-frame standard scaled by the crop factor). Detailed tables: 24 mm f/1.8, 24 mm f/2.8, 35 mm f/1.8, 35 mm f/2.8, 50 mm f/1.8, 50 mm f/2.8.
| Focal | Aperture | 50.0 cm | 1.00 m | 2.00 m | 3.00 m | 5.00 m | 10.0 m | Hyperfocal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 mm | f/1.8 | 11.5 cm | 48.5 cm | 2.35 m | 8.02 m | ∞ | ∞ | 4.32 m |
| 11 mm | f/2.8 | 18.2 cm | 81.8 cm | 5.93 m | ∞ | ∞ | ∞ | 2.78 m |
| 11 mm | f/4 | 26.9 cm | 1.38 m | ∞ | ∞ | ∞ | ∞ | 1.95 m |
| 11 mm | f/8 | 67.6 cm | ∞ | ∞ | ∞ | ∞ | ∞ | 98.0 cm |
| 22 mm | f/1.8 | 2.8 cm | 11.4 cm | 46.5 cm | 1.07 m | 3.15 m | 17.4 m | 17.3 m |
| 22 mm | f/2.8 | 4.3 cm | 17.8 cm | 73.8 cm | 1.74 m | 5.63 m | 95.3 m | 11.1 m |
| 22 mm | f/4 | 6.2 cm | 25.6 cm | 1.09 m | 2.70 m | 10.9 m | ∞ | 7.78 m |
| 22 mm | f/8 | 12.5 cm | 53.9 cm | 2.76 m | 11.2 m | ∞ | ∞ | 3.90 m |
| 37 mm | f/1.8 | 0.9 cm | 4.0 cm | 16.1 cm | 36.6 cm | 1.03 m | 4.27 m | 48.8 m |
| 37 mm | f/2.8 | 1.5 cm | 6.2 cm | 25.2 cm | 57.2 cm | 1.62 m | 7.07 m | 31.4 m |
| 37 mm | f/4 | 2.1 cm | 8.8 cm | 36.1 cm | 82.5 cm | 2.38 m | 11.4 m | 22.0 m |
| 37 mm | f/8 | 4.2 cm | 17.7 cm | 74.0 cm | 1.75 m | 5.69 m | 104 m | 11.0 m |
| 62 mm | f/1.8 | 0.3 cm | 1.4 cm | 5.7 cm | 12.9 cm | 36.1 cm | 1.46 m | 137 m |
| 62 mm | f/2.8 | 0.5 cm | 2.1 cm | 8.8 cm | 20.1 cm | 56.3 cm | 2.29 m | 88.1 m |
| 62 mm | f/4 | 0.7 cm | 3.0 cm | 12.6 cm | 28.7 cm | 80.7 cm | 3.31 m | 61.7 m |
| 62 mm | f/8 | 1.4 cm | 6.1 cm | 25.3 cm | 57.8 cm | 1.65 m | 7.20 m | 30.9 m |
Equivalent aperture#
Exposure is identical at the same f-number on any format; equivalence only describes depth of field and total light.
Diffraction & pixel pitch#
With 3.91 µm pixels, diffraction starts to soften pixel-level detail around f/5.8. For maximum sharpness keep landscapes between f/3.2 and f/6; stopping down further trades detail for depth of field.
| Aperture | Airy disk diameter | Spread over | At 100% view |
|---|---|---|---|
| f/2.8 | 3.8 µm | 1.0 px | sharp |
| f/4 | 5.4 µm | 1.4 px | sharp |
| f/5.6 | 7.5 µm | 1.9 px | sharp |
| f/8 | 10.7 µm | 2.7 px | slight softening |
| f/11 | 14.8 µm | 3.8 px | visibly soft |
| f/16 | 21.5 µm | 5.5 px | visibly soft |
| f/22 | 29.5 µm | 7.6 px | visibly soft |
Maximum print sizes#
At 16.1 MP the Olympus PEN E-PL5 produces 4,608 × 3,456 pixel images. See the 16 megapixel guide or the print size calculator.
| Resolution | Typical use | Inches | Centimetres |
|---|---|---|---|
| 300 DPI | Photo-lab quality | 15.4 × 11.5 in | 39 × 29 cm |
| 240 DPI | Fine-art inkjet | 19.2 × 14.4 in | 49 × 37 cm |
| 200 DPI | Wall print | 23.0 × 17.3 in | 59 × 44 cm |
| 150 DPI | Poster, viewed from 1 m+ | 30.7 × 23.0 in | 78 × 59 cm |
Night-sky exposure limits#
Longest exposure before stars trail. The NPF rule accounts for pixel pitch and is stricter than the classic 500 rule — use it for pin-sharp stars on high-resolution sensors.
| Focal length | 500 rule | NPF f/1.8 | NPF f/2.8 | NPF f/4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 mm (13 mm eq.) | 37.1 s | 25.7 s | 30.7 s | 36.7 s |
| 10 mm (19 mm eq.) | 26.0 s | 18.0 s | 21.5 s | 25.7 s |
| 12 mm (23 mm eq.) | 21.7 s | 15.0 s | 17.9 s | 21.4 s |
| 18 mm (35 mm eq.) | 14.4 s | 10.0 s | 12.0 s | 14.3 s |
| 26 mm (50 mm eq.) | 10.0 s | 6.9 s | 8.3 s | 9.9 s |
Handheld shutter speed guide#
The reciprocal rule uses the equivalent focal length. High-resolution sensors may need one stop faster than this for pixel-sharp results.
| Focal length | No stabilisation (1/equiv. focal) | With 3-stop IS | With 5-stop IBIS |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12 mm | 1/25 s | 0.3 s | 1.3 s |
| 26 mm | 1/50 s | 1/6 s | 0.6 s |
| 52 mm | 1/100 s | 1/13 s | 0.3 s |
| 104 mm | 1/200 s | 1/25 s | 1/6 s |
Lenses for the Olympus PEN E-PL5#
Native Micro Four Thirds lenses in our database (100 total). Also adaptable: T-mount (T2), M39 / LTM (Leica thread), M42 screw mount, Deckel (DKL).
- Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 7-14mm f/2.8 Pro 7–14 mm
- Panasonic G Vario 7-14mm f/4.0 Asph. 7–14 mm
- Laowa 7.5mm f/2.0 7.5 mm
- Samyang 7.5mm f/3.5 UMC Fish-eye MFT 7.5 mm
- Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 8-25mm f/4.0 PRO 8–25 mm
- Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 8mm f/1.8 Fisheye Pro 8 mm
- Panasonic Leica DG Vario-Elmarit 8-18mm f/2.8-4 Asph. 8–18 mm
- Samyang 8mm f/3.5 Fish-Eye CS 8 mm
- Laowa 9mm f/2.8 Zero-D 9 mm
- Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 9-18mm f/4.0-5.6 9–18 mm
- Panasonic Leica DG Summilux 9mm f/1.7 Asph. 9 mm
- Panasonic Leica DG Vario-Summilux 10-25mm f/1.7 Asph. 10–25 mm
- Samyang 10mm f/2.8 ED AS NCS CS 10 mm
- OM System 12-100mm F4.0 12–100 mm
- OM System 12-45mm F4.0 12–45 mm
- Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-100mm f/4.0 IS Pro 12–100 mm
- Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-200mm f/3.5-6.3 12–200 mm
- Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-40mm f/2.8 Pro 12–40 mm
- Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-45mm f/4.0 Pro 12–45 mm
- Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-50mm f/3.5-6.3 EZ 12–50 mm
- Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12mm f/2.0 12 mm
- Panasonic G Vario 12-32mm f/3.5-5.6 Asph. Mega OIS 12–32 mm
- Panasonic G Vario 12-60mm f/3.5-5.6 Asph. Power OIS 12–60 mm
- Panasonic G X Vario 12-35mm f/2.8 Asph. Power OIS 12–35 mm
- Panasonic G X Vario 12-35mm f/2.8 II Asph. Power OIS 12–35 mm
- Panasonic Leica DG Vario-Elmarit 12-60mm f/2.8-4.0 Asph. Power OIS 12–60 mm
- Samyang 12mm f/2.0 NCS CS 12 mm
- Olympus M.Zuiko Digital 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 II 14–42 mm
- Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 14-150mm f/4.0-5.6 14–150 mm
- Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 14-150mm f/4.0-5.6 II 14–150 mm
- Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 14–42 mm
- Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 EZ 14–42 mm
- Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 II R 14–42 mm
- Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 L 14–42 mm
- Panasonic G 14mm f/2.5 Asph. 14 mm
- Panasonic G 14mm f/2.5 Asph. + GWC1 0.79× 14 mm
Similar cameras#
Other 1.5" cameras from around the same time.
Frequently asked questions#
What is the crop factor of the Olympus PEN E-PL5?
The Olympus PEN E-PL5 has a crop factor of 1.92× relative to 35 mm full frame (diagonal 22.5 mm vs 43.3 mm).
What size is the Olympus PEN E-PL5 sensor?
18.0 × 13.5 mm (1.5"), an area of 243 mm² — 28% of full frame.
Is the Olympus PEN E-PL5 full frame?
No — its sensor is 1.5", which is 3.6× smaller in area than full frame.
How many megapixels does the Olympus PEN E-PL5 have?
16.1 megapixels (4,608 × 3,456 pixels), enough for a 15 × 12 inch print at 300 DPI.
What lens mount does the Olympus PEN E-PL5 use?
The Olympus PEN E-PL5 uses the Micro Four Thirds (flange distance 19.25 mm).
How long can I expose the night sky with the Olympus PEN E-PL5?
With a 10 mm lens (19 mm equivalent) the 500 rule gives 26 s and the stricter NPF rule at f/2.8 gives 22 s.
Sources & licences#
- Wikipedia: Olympus PEN E-PL5 — CC BY-SA 4.0
- Wikidata Q7089245 — CC0
- Lensfun camera database — CC BY-SA 3.0
- openMVG sensor width database — MPL-2.0
Last updated October 03, 2026 · How we calculate · Sources