Epson R-D1x vs Olympus PEN E-PL5

In this comparison, we will evaluate the Epson R-D1x and the Olympus PEN E-PL5, highlighting the advantages of each over the other, discussing their pros and cons, shared strengths and weaknesses, and providing a rating based on their available features and specifications to assist you in choosing the one that best suits your needs.

Epson R-D1x was introduced in February 2009 and Olympus PEN E-PL5 was introduced in September 2012. Let us first list highlights of the models.

Now that we've looked at the most essential specifications and gained a basic understanding of these cameras, we can delve into more details and see the differences between them.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Epson R-D1x over Olympus PEN E-PL5.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Olympus PEN E-PL5 over Epson R-D1x.

We already listed pros and cons of each model. However, you may also find useful to look at their common strengths and weaknesses shown side-by-side.

Screen

Epson R-D1x has a 2.5" Fixed screen with 235k dot resolution and Olympus PEN E-PL5 has a 3.0" Tilting screen with 460k dot resolution. Tilting screen makes Olympus PEN E-PL5 very useful for photography purposes but not so useful for video shooting. Olympus PEN E-PL5 also features touchscreen which has advantages such as easy menu navigation, intuitive controls, quick setting adjustment and most importantly a Touch-to-Focus functionality (available only on Olympus PEN E-PL5) allowing users to select a specific point on the screen where they want the camera to focus. This feature can be helpful for achieving precise focus in both photo and video recording.

Viewfinder

Epson R-D1x has a built-in Optical (rangefinder) viewfinder. It has a .Olympus PEN E-PL5 does not have a built-in viewfinder but an optional electronic viewfinder can be attached.

Epson R-D1x features a 6 megapixel APS-C CCD sensor with dimensions of 23.7 x 15.6 mm and a total area of 369.7 mm². Its native ISO range is 200 - 1,600. Olympus PEN E-PL5 features a 16.1 megapixel Micro Four Thirds CMOS sensor with dimensions of 17.3 x 13 mm and a total area of 169 mm². Its native ISO range is 200 - 25,600.

Here is a sensor size comparison chart where you can see how different sensors compare with each other:

Sensor size chart

	Sensor	Dimensions	Area	Aspect Ratio	Crop Factor
	Medium Format	44 x 33 mm	1452 mm2	4:3	0.79x
	Full Frame	36 x 24 mm	864 mm2	3:2	1x
	APS-H	27 x 18 mm	486 mm2	3:2	1.3x
	APS-C	23.6 x 15.6 mm	368.2 mm2	3:2	1.5x
	APS-C (Canon)	22.3 x 14.9 mm	332.3 mm2	3:2	1.6x
	Micro Four Thirds	17.4 x 13 mm	226.2 mm2	4:3	2x
	1-inch	13.2 x 8.8 mm	116.2 mm2	3:2	2.7x
	1/1.7-inch	7.44 x 5.58 mm	41.5 mm2	4:3	4.7x
	1/2.3-inch	6.17 x 4.55 mm	28.1 mm2	4:3	5.6x

Epson R-D1x can take pictures up to 3008 x 2000 resolution. It can also take pictures with lower resolution like 2240 x 1488 with 3:2 aspect ratios. Olympus PEN E-PL5 can take pictures up to 4608 x 3456 resolution. It can also take pictures with lower resolution like 2560 x 1920, 1024 x 768 with 4:3, 16:9 aspect ratios.

Lens Mount

Epson R-D1x has Leica M lens mount and Olympus PEN E-PL5 has Micro Four Thirds lens mount. Due to APS-C sensor in Epson R-D1x its crop factor is equal to 1.5x, this means that a 35mm equivalent focal length of the mounted lens will be equal to its actual focal length times 1.5. Due to Micro Four Thirds sensor in Olympus PEN E-PL5 its crop factor is equal to 2x, this means that a 35mm equivalent focal length of the mounted lens will be equal to its actual focal length times 2.

In-Body Image Stabilization on Olympus PEN E-PL5

Olympus PEN E-PL5 has a built-in Sensor Shift in-body image stabilization (IBIS). This means that you are still getting vibration reduction when camera is paired with non-image stabilizied lenses. It also works with lenses with optical image stabilization and in combination can achieve even better compensation.

USB Inputs and HDMI Outputs

Olympus PEN E-PL5 has a USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) input for data transfer. connector for video signal output.

Battery

Olympus PEN E-PL5 comes with BLS-5 battery pack with battery life of 360 shots.

External Storage Slots

Epson R-D1x has a single SD/SDHC card slot. Olympus PEN E-PL5 has a single SD/SDHC/SDXC card slot.

Shutter

Shutter speed can go up to 1/2000 sec on Epson R-D1x, and up to 1/4000 sec on Olympus PEN E-PL5. Olympus PEN E-PL5 can shoot continuously up to 8.0 fps.

Flash

Cameras have no built-in flash but an external flash may be connected to both of them via Hot Shoe or Wireless connection to Olympus PEN E-PL5. The fastest flash synchronization speed is 1/250 sec on Olympus PEN E-PL5.

Epson R-D1x body has dimensions of 142 x 89 x 40 mm (5.59 x 3.5 x 1.57") and Olympus PEN E-PL5 body has dimensions of 111 x 64 x 38 mm (4.37 x 2.52 x 1.5"). Epson R-D1x weighs 620 g (1.37 lb / 21.87 oz) and Olympus PEN E-PL5 weighs 325 g (0.72 lb / 11.46 oz).

Epson R-D1x

Olympus PEN E-PL5

142 mm

89 mm

111 mm

64 mm