LCD and Viewfinder
Olympus E-PL5 has a Tilting 3″ LCD screen with a resolution of 460k dots. Both the screen size and the screen resolution is up to the standards of this class.
LCD is
Touch screen type, so you can change the settings and set the focus point with your fingertips. For those of you who loves shooting self portraits or group photos, Olympus E-PL5 will make your life easier with its
Selfie friendly screen.
E-PL5 doesn't have a built-in viewfinder but an optional external viewfinder is available. Lack of a viewfinder can be problematic especially under strong light where visibility of LCD screens goes down dramatically. If you need a Mirrorless camera with a built-in viewfinder in a similar price range, consider Olympus OM-D E-M10 II (Compare) or Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX85 (Lumix DMC-GX80 / Lumix DMC-GX7 Mark II) (Compare). If the price is not an issue, take a look at our Top Rated Cameras with Viewfinders.
Max Shutter speed
Olympus E-PL5 can shoot continuously at max speed of 8 fps and has max shutter speed of 1/4000 sec.
Flash
Unfortunately E-PL5 doesn't have a built-in flash but it has a flash shoe for mounting external flashes and Olympus also includes a small external flash with the E-PL5 that you can mount on when you need.
Focusing
Olympus E-PL5 features a Contrast Detection autofocusing system. The AF system has 35 points to choose from.
Olympus E-PL5 also features
Face detection AF where it intelligently detects the faces in the frame and locks the focus automatically.
Video Features
With Olympus E-PL5, you can record your videos at a highest resolution of 1920 x 1080 at 30 fps and save in MPEG-4, H.264 and Motion JPEG formats. Full HD resolution of Olympus E-PL5 will be adequate in most of the situations. But if you are after the highest resolution videos available, see our list of Top Cameras with 4K (Ultra-HD) Video.
E-PL5 has a built-in Stereo microphone and a Mono speaker.
Olympus E-PL5 doesn't have any connections for external microphones and headphones. If you need a Mirrorless camera with external microphone connectivity, consider Canon EOS M50 or Canon EOS M5 in a similar price range.
Connectivity and Storage
You can connect E-PL5 to compatible devices via its HDMI port or USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) port.
Battery Olympus E-PL5 is powered by battery which provides a shooting life of 360 according to CIPA standards.
Considering that the average battery life of Mirrorless type cameras is 361 shots, its battery life is about average in its class but it would still be wise to invest in some spare batteries for long photo trips.
Battery Life Comparison in Entry-Level Mirrorless Cameras
Samsung NX mini with its 650shots is the model with longest battery life among Entry-Level Mirrorless cameras. Check the comparison of Olympus E-PL5 vs Samsung NX mini or take a look at Longest Battery Life Mirrorless cameras list.
Olympus E-PL5 Features Compared to Main Competitors