Canon 400D vs Olympus E-5 Comparison

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Canon 400D

10 MP | APS-C (22.2 x 14.8 mm) CMOS Sensor

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Olympus E-5

12 MP | Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) CMOS Sensor

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Canon 400D vs Olympus E-5 Comparison Overview

Here we are comparing two DSLR cameras from Canon and Olympus. Canon 400D was introduced to market in October 2006 and Olympus E-5 was launched in February 2011. As you can see, 400D is 5 years older than E-5. Let's see if this age difference between two cameras makes a big difference.

Canon 400D has a 10.0MP APS-C sensor whereas Olympus E-5 has a 12.0MP Four Thirds sensor.

Here is a brief look at the main features of Canon 400D and Olympus E-5 before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Canon 400D Key Specs

Announcement Date: 2006-10-14

10MP - APS-C CMOS Sensor

ISO 100 - 1600

Canon EF/EF-S Mount

2.5" Fixed Type Screen

Optical (pentamirror) viewfinder

3 fps continuous shooting

No Video Mode

556g. 127 x 94 x 65 mm

Also known as EOS Digital Rebel XTi / EOS Kiss Digital X

Replaced Canon EOS 350D Compare

Olympus E-5 Key Specs

Announcement Date: 2011-02-03

12MP - Four Thirds CMOS Sensor

ISO 100 - 6400

Four Thirds Mount

Sensor-shift Image Stabilization

3" Fully Articulated Screen

Optical (pentaprism) viewfinder

5 fps continuous shooting

HD - 1280 x 720 video resolution

800g. 143 x 117 x 75 mm

Weather Sealed Body

Replaced Olympus E-3 Compare

Canon 400D was replaced by Canon EOS 450D. You may also be interested in these comparisons:
Canon EOS 450D vs Canon EOS 400D (EOS Digital Rebel XTi / EOS Kiss Digital X)
Canon EOS 450D vs Olympus E-5

Let's read on the following sections in order to better understand in detail how Canon 400D and Olympus E-5 compares and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one is better for you.

Reasons to choose Canon EOS 400D over Olympus E-5

Weight	556 g vs 800 g	244 g lighter
Color Depth	22.1 vs 21.6	higher color depth
Dynamic Range	11.0 vs 10.5	higher dynamic range
Low Light ISO	664 vs 519	better High ISO performance
Sensor Pixel Area	32.60µm² vs 18.45µm²	76% larger pixel area

Reasons to choose Olympus E-5 over Canon EOS 400D

Image Stabilization	Sensor-shift vs None	Sharper images at longer focal lengths and long exposures
LCD Screen	Fully Articulated vs Fixed Type	Flexible shooting positions
Viewfinder Magnification	0.58x vs 0.5x	Larger Viewfinder
Face Detection Focus	Yes vs No	very handy for portraits
Max Sensor Resolution	12 MP vs 10 MP	19% more pixels
Max ISO	6.400 vs 1.600	300% higher Max ISO
Number of Focus Points	11 vs 9	2 more focus points
LCD Screen Size	3" vs 2.5"	0.5 inches larger display
LCD Screen Resolution	920k dots vs 230k dots	300% higher resolution screen
Viewfinder Coverage	100% vs 95%	More accurate viewfinder
Max Mech. Shutter	1/8000s vs 1/4000s	faster mechanical shutter
Continuous Shooting	5.0fps vs 3.0fps	2 fps faster
Microphone Port	Yes vs No	High quality audio recording option
Environmental Sealing	Yes vs No	shoot at tough conditions
Flash Coverage	18.0m vs 12.0m	6m longer range
Max Video Resolution	1280 x 720 vs None	Higher Resolution Video
Top LCD	Yes vs No	Help viewing and changing settings easily
AE Bracketing	Yes vs No	Useful for tough lighting conditions and HDR
Flash Sync Port	Yes vs No	Connect off-camera flash
Optical Viewfinder Type	Pentaprism vs Pentamirror	Pentaprism Viewfinders are brighter than Pentamirror type
Selfie & Vlogger Friendly LCD	Yes vs No	Rotate LCD for taking Selfies
AF Micro Adjustment (Fine Tune)	Yes vs No	Adjust each lens for more accurate focusing
Storage Slot	2 vs 1	Extra storage slot

Common Strengths of Canon EOS 400D and Olympus E-5

Built-in Flash	Yes vs Yes	Useful in low-light
External Flash Shoe	Yes vs Yes	Better for flash photography
Viewfinder	Yes (Optical) vs Yes (Optical)	Better framing and control
RAW Support	Yes vs Yes	Better image quality

Common Weaknesses of Canon EOS 400D and Olympus E-5

Canon 400D vs Olympus E-5: Physical Specs and Body features Comparison

Size and weight is a big decision factor when you are trying to find the ideal camera for your needs. In this section, We are going to illustrate Canon 400D and Olympus E-5 side-by-side from the front, back and top in their relative dimensions. Canon 400D has external dimensions of 127 x 94 x 65 mm (5 x 3.7 x 2.56″) and weighs 556 g (1.23 lb / 19.61 oz) (including batteries). Olympus E-5 has external dimensions of 143 x 117 x 75 mm (5.63 x 4.61 x 2.95″) and weighs 800 g (1.76 lb / 28.22 oz) (including batteries).

Below you can see the front view size comparison of Canon 400D and Olympus E-5. Canon 400D is clearly the smaller of the two cameras. Its body is 16mm narrower, 23mm shorter and 10mm thinner than Olympus E-5.

Comparison image of Canon 400D and Olympus E-5 Size, Weight and External Dimensions - Front View

Now lets look at the top view comparison of Canon 400D and Olympus E-5.

Top View Comparison image of Canon 400D and Olympus E-5 Size

Weight is another important factor especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day. Canon 400D is significantly lighter (244g ) than the Olympus E-5 which may become a big advantage especially on long walking trips.

Also keep in mind that body weight is not the only deciding factor when comparing two interchangeable camera bodies, you have to also take into account the lenses that you will be using with these bodies. Since Canon 400D has an APS-C sized sensor and Olympus E-5 has a smaller Four Thirds sensor, Olympus E-5's lenses for a similar focal length and aperture will generally be lighter and smaller than the Canon 400D lenses.

Weight Comparison

DSLR Cameras

400D

E-5

Min

Average

Max

Thickness Comparison

DSLR Cameras

400D

E-5

Min

Average

Max

Weather Sealing

Thanks to the weather sealed body of E-5, you can use this camera with more confidence under conditions where there is risk of exposure to water and dust compared to 400D.

LCD Screen Size and Features

Olympus E-5's 3" LCD screen is slightly larger than Canon 400D's 2.5" screen.

Moreover, Olympus E-5 sports a Fully Articulated screen which you can change the angle and position of the screen almost freely, making it possible to shoot from waist or over the head levels, and especially very useful for shooting selfies and video. On the other hand, Canon 400D has a fixed type screen which provides almost no flexibility in shooting positions compared to E-5.

Canon 400D vs Olympus E-5: Sensor Comparison

Canon 400D has a 10.0MP APS-C (22.2 x 14.8 mm ) sized CMOS sensor . On the other hand, Olympus E-5 has a 12.0MP Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features TruePic V+ processor.

Below you can see the 400D and E-5 sensor size comparison.

Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Canon 400D and Olympus E-5 Cameras

As seen above, Canon 400D has a 1.5x Larger sensor area than Olympus E-5. Larger sensors give photographer more control on the depth of field and blurry background compared to smaller sensor when shot in same focal length and aperture.

DxOMark Sensor Scores

Both Canon 400D and Olympus E-5 sensors have been tested by DxoMark. DxoMark scores camera sensors for color depth (DXO Portrait), dynamic range (DXO Landscape) and low-light sensitivity (DXO Sports), and also gives them an overall score. Of the two cameras that we are comparing, 400D has scored 62, 6 points higher than E-5.

Model	Overall	Color Depth	Dynamic Range	Low-light ISO
Canon 400D	62	22.1 bits	11.0 Evs	664 ISO
Olympus E-5	56	21.6 bits	10.5 Evs	519 ISO

Canon 400D vs Olympus E-5 Comparison of Available Lenses

Which camera has more lenses?

Number of available lenses is a big decision factor while choosing your interchangeable lens camera. When we look at the available lenses for these two cameras, we see that Canon 400D has an advantage over Olympus E-5. There are 326 lenses for Canon 400D's Canon EF/EF-S mount, on the other hand there are only 45 lenses for Olympus E-5's Four Thirds lens mount.

Another important factor is the availability of image stabilization. Olympus E-5 has a big advantage in this regard because it has a sensor based image stabilization which means that all the lenses mounted to this body will be stabilized. On the other hand, Canon 400D doesn't have this feature so you have to buy a lens with optical stabilization feature. Currently there are 112 lenses for Canon EF/EF-S mount with Optical Image Stabilization features.

Lens Type	# of Canon 400D Lenses	# of Olympus E-5 Lenses
Standard Zoom	40	8
Standard Prime	19	4
Wideangle Zoom	37	4
Wideangle Prime	49	9
Telephoto Zoom	58	6
Telephoto Prime	43	4
SuperZoom	28	2
Wideangle Fisheye Prime	7	3
Macro Prime	28	4
Perspective Control Prime	16	n/a
Telephoto Mirror Prime	1	1
TOTAL	326	45

What types of Photography are Canon 400D and Olympus E-5 Good for?

In this section, we rank and compare Canon 400D and Olympus E-5 for five different photography types in order to make your decision process easier in case you are specifically interested in one or more of these areas.

Canon 400D for Portrait Photography

AVERAGE

Olympus E-5 for Portrait Photography

GOOD

Large APS-C (22.2 x 14.8 mm) sensor
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Very Low Resolution Sensor: 10.0MP
No Image Stabilization
Read the details

Large Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) sensor
Image Stabilization
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Average Resolution Sensor: 12.0MP
Read the details

Canon 400D for Street Photography

AVERAGE

Olympus E-5 for Street Photography

EXCELLENT

Large APS-C (22.2 x 14.8 mm) sensor
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
No Image Stabilization
No Live-view
Large Body
Read the details

Large Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) sensor
Image Stabilization
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Fully Articulated LCD Screen
Large Body
Read the details

Canon 400D for Sports Photography

GOOD

Olympus E-5 for Sports Photography

GOOD

Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/4000s
No Image Stabilization
Slow Continuous Shooting: 3.0fps
Environmental Sealings
9 Focus Points
Read the details

Image Stabilization
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Environmental Sealings
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/8000s
11 Cross Type Focus sensors
11 Focus Points
Good Battery Life: 870 shots
Average Continuous Shooting: 5.0fps
Read the details

Canon 400D for Daily Photography

AVERAGE

Olympus E-5 for Daily Photography

AVERAGE

Large APS-C (22.2 x 14.8 mm) sensor
Large Body
556g
Body Thickness 65mm
Read the details

Large Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) sensor
Environmental Sealings
Large Body
800g
Body Thickness 75mm
Read the details

Canon 400D for Landscape Photography

POOR

Olympus E-5 for Landscape Photography

POOR

Large APS-C (22.2 x 14.8 mm) sensor
Very Low Resolution Sensor: 10.0MP
No Environmental Sealings
No Live-view
Read the details

Large Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) sensor
Environmental Sealings
Live-view
Average Resolution Sensor: 12.0MP
Read the details

Canon 400D vs Olympus E-5: OUR DECISION

You may have already made your decision about which camera suits better for your needs and your budget so far but in case you wonder how we rated Canon 400D and Olympus E-5, below you can find their scores in five different aspects. Our Decision Algorithm dynamically scores cameras using 63 different specs, current price and DxO Mark scores (where possible) in order to make a more objective and consistent comparison.

Here is a summary of how Canon 400D and Olympus E-5 scores compare:

Canon 400D

Imaging

Features

Value

Portability

Overall

Ranked #71 out of 79 in Compact SLR cameras
Ranked #609 out of 1226 in all Cameras

Olympus E-5

Imaging

Features

Value

Portability

Overall

Ranked #42 out of 95 in Mid-size SLR cameras
Ranked #224 out of 1226 in all Cameras

Olympus E-5 has a higher Overall Score than the Canon 400D and would be our choice if we have to decide between these two cameras.

Olympus E-5 vs Canon 400D Specs Table

Detailed comparison of specifications

General	Canon EOS 400D	Olympus E-5
Brand	Canon	Olympus
Announced	2006-10-14	2011-02-03
Body Type	Compact SLR	Mid-size SLR
Sensor
Type	CMOS	CMOS
Size	APS-C	Four Thirds
Dimensions	22.2 x 14.8 mm	17.3 x 13 mm
Area	328.56mm²	224.90mm²
Megapixels	10 megapixels	12 megapixels
Max Resolution	3888 x 2592	4032 x 3024
Max Native Light sensitivity	1,600 ISO	6,400 ISO
Min Native Light sensitivity	100 ISO	100 ISO
RAW Support
Autofocus
AF Touch
AF Continuous
AF Single
AF Tracking
AF Selective
AF Center
AF Multi Area
AF Live View
AF Face Detection
AF Contrast Detection
AF Phase Detection
Number of Focus Points	9	11
Lens
Manual Focus
Lens Mount	Canon EF/EF-S	Four Thirds
Number of Available Lenses	326	45
Screen
Type	Fixed type	Fully Articulated
Size	2.5"	3"
Resolution	230k dots	920k dots
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder	Optical (pentamirror)	Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder Coverage	95%	100%
Viewfinder Magnification	0.5x	0.58x
Photography Features
Max Mechanical Shutter	1/4000s	1/8000s
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Custom White Balance
Image Stabilization	No	Sensor-shift
Built-in Flash
Flash Range	12.00 m (ISO 100)	18.00 m (at ISO 200)
Max Flash Sync	1/200s	1/250s
External Flash
Continuous Shooting	3.0 fps	5.0 fps
Multi-Segment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF-Area
Center Weighted
AE Bracketing
WB Bracketing
Video Features
Max Video Resolution	None	1280 x 720
Video Formats	n/a	Motion JPEG
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Connectivity
Wireless Connectivity	None	None
HDMI
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Weight	556g	800g
Dimensions	127 x 94 x 65mm	143 x 117 x 75mm
Battery Life	n/a	870 shots
Other Features
Timelapse Recording
GPS	None	None
DxO Sensor Scores
DxO Overall Score	62	56
DxO Color Depth	22.1	21.6
DxO Dynamic Range	11.0	10.5
DxO Low Light ISO	664	519
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