Fujifilm X-M1 vs Olympus PEN E-PL7

In this comparison, we will evaluate the Fujifilm X-M1 and the Olympus PEN E-PL7, 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.

Fujifilm X-M1 was introduced in September 2013 and Olympus PEN E-PL7 was introduced in September 2014. 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 Fujifilm X-M1 over Olympus PEN E-PL7.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Olympus PEN E-PL7 over Fujifilm X-M1.

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

Fujifilm X-M1 and Olympus PEN E-PL7 have 3.0" Tilting screens with 920k dot and 1,037k dot resolutions respectively. Tilting screen makes cameras very useful for photography purposes but not so useful for video shooting. Olympus PEN E-PL7 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-PL7) 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.

Camera does not have a built-in viewfinder but an optional electronic viewfinder can be attached on Olympus PEN E-PL7.

Fujifilm X-M1 features a 16.3 megapixel APS-C CMOS X-TRANS I sensor with dimensions of 23.6 x 15.6 mm and a total area of 368.2 mm². Its native ISO range is 200 - 6,400. Olympus PEN E-PL7 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 100 - 25,600.

Fujifilm X-M1 has CMOS X-TRANS I sensor

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

Fujifilm X-M1 is equipped with EXR Processor II processor and can take pictures up to 4896 x 3264 resolution. It can also take pictures with lower resolution like S: (3:2) 2496 x 1664 / (16:9) 2496 x 1408 / (1:1) 1664 x 1664 with 1:1, 3:2, 16:9 aspect ratios. Olympus PEN E-PL7 is equipped with TruePic VII processor and can take pictures up to 4608 x 3456 resolution. It can also take pictures with lower resolution like 3200 x 2400, 1280 x 960 with 1:1, 4:3, 3:2, 16:9 aspect ratios.

Lens Mount

Fujifilm X-M1 has Fujifilm X lens mount and Olympus PEN E-PL7 has Micro Four Thirds lens mount. Due to APS-C sensor in Fujifilm X-M1 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-PL7 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.

No Low-Pass Filter on Fujifilm X-M1

There is no optical low-pass filter (OLPF), also known as an anti-aliasing filter, in front of the sensor on Fujifilm X-M1. This results in a slightly sharper image but may also introduce moiré patterns and aliasing artifacts when photographing subjects with fine, repetitive patterns or details.

In-Body Image Stabilization on Olympus PEN E-PL7

Olympus PEN E-PL7 has a built-in Sensor Shift in-body image stabilization (IBIS) with 3.5 stops of compensation. 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.

Built-in Wi-Fi

Cameras have built-in Wi-Fi (802.11b/g/n 2.4 GHz on Olympus PEN E-PL7) which allows to easily transfer photos and videos from the camera to other Wi-Fi-enabled devices, such as smartphones, tablets, printers, or computers. This eliminates the need for cables and allows for quick and convenient media sharing and social media integration. It gives you the ability to control your camera remotely using a smartphone or tablet. This is particularly useful for taking self-portraits, group shots, or capturing images in challenging conditions without having to touch the camera. Firmware updates can also be downloaded and installed wirelessly.
  Check out the cameras in our database that have built-in WiFi.

USB Inputs and HDMI Outputs

Both models have USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) inputs for data transfer. Fujifilm X-M1 has a Mini Type C HDMI and Olympus PEN E-PL7 has a Micro HDMI connector for video signal output.

Battery

Fujifilm X-M1 comes with NP-W126 battery pack with battery life of 350 shots and Olympus PEN E-PL7 comes with BLS-50 battery pack with battery life of 350 shots.

External Storage Slots

Fujifilm X-M1 has a single SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-I) card slot. Olympus PEN E-PL7 has a single SD/SDHC/SDXC card slot.

Shutter

Shutter speed can go up to 1/4000 sec on Fujifilm X-M1, and up to 1/4000 sec on Olympus PEN E-PL7. Fujifilm X-M1 can shoot continuously up to 5.6 fps. Olympus PEN E-PL7 can shoot continuously up to 8.0 fps.

Exposure

Exposure meterings of Olympus PEN E-PL7 ranges from -2 to +20 EV and you can set the exposure compensation within the ±2 EV range on Fujifilm X-M1 and ±5 EV range on Olympus PEN E-PL7. You can also do exposure bracketing and manual exposure adjustment on Fujifilm X-M1 and exposure lock, exposure bracketing and manual exposure adjustment on Olympus PEN E-PL7.

Flash

Fujifilm X-M1 has a built-in flash with maximum range of 7.00 m at ISO 200 and also accepts external flash which can be connected via Hot Shoe. Olympus PEN E-PL7 has no built-in flash but an external flash may be connected via Hot Shoe. The fastest flash synchronization speed is 1/180 sec on Fujifilm X-M1.

Fujifilm X-M1 body has dimensions of 117 x 67 x 39 mm (4.6 x 2.62 x 1.54") and Olympus PEN E-PL7 body has dimensions of 115 x 67 x 38 mm (4.53 x 2.64 x 1.5"). Fujifilm X-M1 weighs 330 g (0.73 lb / 11.64 oz) and Olympus PEN E-PL7 weighs 357 g (0.79 lb / 12.59 oz).

Fujifilm X-M1

Olympus PEN E-PL7

117 mm

67 mm

115 mm

67 mm

67 mm

67 mm

39 mm

38 mm