Olympus E-1 vs Panasonic SZ5

Below is a complete review of the Olympus E-1 and Panasonic SZ5, former being a Pro DSLR while the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by rivals Olympus and Panasonic. There is a noticeable difference between the resolutions of the E-1 (5MP) and SZ5 (14MP) and the E-1 (Four Thirds) and SZ5 (1/2.3") possess different sensor dimensions.

Apple Innovates by Creating Next-Level Optical Stabilization for iPhone

The E-1 was announced 9 years prior to the SZ5 and that is quite a sizable difference as far as tech is concerned. Both the cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-1 being a Large SLR camera and the Panasonic SZ5 being a Compact camera.

Before diving straight into a more detailed comparison, below is a short introduction of how the E-1 grades vs the SZ5 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

The following is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus E-1 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ5. The whole galleries are viewable at Olympus E-1 Gallery & Panasonic SZ5 Gallery.

If you are intending to lug around your camera, you should factor its weight and volume. The Olympus E-1 features exterior dimensions of 141mm x 104mm x 81mm (5.6" x 4.1" x 3.2") and a weight of 735 grams (1.62 lbs) while the Panasonic SZ5 has sizing of 104mm x 58mm x 21mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 0.8") and a weight of 136 grams (0.30 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus E-1 and Panasonic SZ5 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you have attached at that moment. Underneath is the front view measurements comparison of the E-1 against the SZ5.

Using size and weight, the portability rating of the E-1 and SZ5 is 59 and 95 respectively.

Oftentimes, it is very difficult to picture the gap between sensor measurements merely by reviewing a spec sheet. The visual below will offer you a far better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-1 and SZ5.

As you can see, both of these cameras offer different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The E-1 using its bigger sensor is going to make getting shallow DOF easier and the Panasonic SZ5 will offer greater detail with its extra 9 Megapixels. Higher resolution will enable you to crop pictures a little more aggressively. The older E-1 is going to be behind in sensor innovation.