Nikon D5000 vs Olympus E-PL2

Nikon D5000 advantages over Olympus E-PL2

• Larger sensor
  APS-C vs 4/3
  More sensor area. Bigger is (generally) better.
• Eye-level viewfinder
  Eye-level vs Rear display only
  You'll be able to frame photos even when the sun is out
• Bigger pixels
  ~ 5.50 vs 4.29 microns
  Better low-light and dynamic range (all else equal)
• Tiltable Screen
  Tiltable vs Fixed
  Tilt the screen for shooting flexbility
• Fast startup
  ~0.40 vs 1.3 sec
  Faster startup lets you catch the moment
• Higher effective ISO

  Higher effective ISO

  Maximum effective ISO is an estimate of the highest sensitivity at which a camera can capture excellent quality photos.

  Cameras with higher effective ISO will be better choices for indoor photography, night shooting, and indoor sports photography, especially if you intend to make large prints.

  You can learn more at our glossary entry.

  Maximum effective ISO test data courtesy of DxO Mark.

  D5000 test data on DxO Mark E-PL2 test data on DxO Mark
  868 vs 573 iso
  Take photos in low light with less noise
• More dynamic range

  More dynamic range

  Cameras with more dynamic range allow you to take photos with dramatic differences in highlight and shadow areas while retaining detail in both.

  Think of a brilliant sunset on a rocky beach: Bright sunset in the background, with dark rocks in the foreground. High dynamic range means more of the extremes will be faithfully reproduced.

  Dynamic range test data courtesy of DxO Mark.

  D5000 test data on DxO Mark E-PL2 test data on DxO Mark
  12.5 vs 10.2 evs
  Retain detail in highlight and shadows
• Longer stills battery life
  More info

  Longer stills battery life

  Cameras with longer battery life can take more photos before exhausting their batteries.

  Special note: The measurement standard for battery life stipulates that if a camera has an internal flash, it must be used for 50% of photos taken. For this reason, comparisons of one camera with an internal flash to another without will not be comparable

  510 vs 280 shots
  Capture more photos
• Shoots 24p video
  Yes vs No
  Gives your movies a big-screen feel
• Less shutter lag
  0.28 vs 0.43 sec
  Focus and take a photo quickly (wide angle)
• Faster JPEG shooting
  4.0 fps vs 3.0 fps
  Faster JPEG shooting (burst mode)
• Bigger JPEG buffer
  100 vs 14 shots
  Take more JPEG shots before waiting (burst mode)