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Olympus E-1 vs Panasonic ZS45

Portability
59
Imaging
38
Features
36
Overall
37
Olympus E-1 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS45 front
Portability
91
Imaging
40
Features
55
Overall
46

Olympus E-1 vs Panasonic ZS45 Key Specs

Olympus E-1
(Full Review)
  • 5MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 1.8" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • No Video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 735g - 141 x 104 x 81mm
  • Announced November 2003
  • Successor is Olympus E-3
Panasonic ZS45
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 24-480mm (F3.3-6.4) lens
  • 249g - 108 x 60 x 32mm
  • Introduced January 2015
  • Additionally Known as Lumix DMC-TZ57
  • Older Model is Panasonic ZS40
  • Refreshed by Panasonic ZS50
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Olympus E-1 vs Panasonic ZS45 Overview

Let's look closer at the Olympus E-1 and Panasonic ZS45, one being a Pro DSLR and the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by rivals Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a significant gap among the image resolutions of the E-1 (5MP) and ZS45 (16MP) and the E-1 (Four Thirds) and ZS45 (1/2.3") use different sensor measurements.

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The E-1 was introduced 12 years earlier than the ZS45 and that is a fairly sizable gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Both cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-1 being a Large SLR camera and the Panasonic ZS45 being a Compact camera.

Before getting through a in depth comparison, below is a simple overview of how the E-1 matches up vs the ZS45 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-1 over the Panasonic ZS45

 E-1 ZS45 
Manual focus Dial precise focus

Reasons to pick Panasonic ZS45 over the Olympus E-1

 ZS45 E-1 
IntroducedJanuary 2015November 2003Fresher by 135 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen sizing3"1.8"Bigger screen (+1.2")
Screen resolution1040k134kClearer screen (+906k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-1 and Panasonic ZS45

 E-1 ZS45 
Selfie screen Lack of selfie screen
Touch screen Lack of Touch screen

Olympus E-1 vs Panasonic ZS45 Physical Comparison

When you are going to carry your camera often, you'll need to take into account its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-1 comes with outer measurements of 141mm x 104mm x 81mm (5.6" x 4.1" x 3.2") with a weight of 735 grams (1.62 lbs) and the Panasonic ZS45 has measurements of 108mm x 60mm x 32mm (4.3" x 2.4" x 1.3") with a weight of 249 grams (0.55 lbs).

See the Olympus E-1 and Panasonic ZS45 in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Do not forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you select at that time. Following is the front view overall size comparison of the E-1 vs the ZS45.

Olympus E-1 vs Panasonic ZS45 size comparison

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-1 and ZS45 is 59 and 91 respectively.

Olympus E-1 vs Panasonic ZS45 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-1 vs Panasonic ZS45 Sensor Comparison

Normally, it's difficult to imagine the contrast in sensor sizing only by looking through technical specs. The visual below will help offer you a more clear sense of the sensor measurements in the E-1 and ZS45.

As you have seen, each of these cameras offer different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The E-1 having a bigger sensor is going to make shooting shallow depth of field simpler and the Panasonic ZS45 will provide you with extra detail using its extra 11 Megapixels. Higher resolution will make it easier to crop pictures a little more aggressively. The older E-1 will be disadvantaged with regard to sensor tech.

Olympus E-1 vs Panasonic ZS45 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-1 vs Panasonic ZS45 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-1 vs Panasonic ZS45 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photography Glossary

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-1 as a Portrait photography camera
Panasonic ZS45 as a Portrait photography camera
46
has manual focus
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
no liveview
low megapixels (5MP)
37
good MP (16MP)
has face detect focus
manual focus not available
can't use external flash
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-1 Street photography info
Panasonic ZS45 Street photography info
57
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
weather proof
lighter than competition in class (735 grams)
no moving screen
no image stabilization
69
tilting screen
built in image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than average (249g)
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-1 Sports photography features
Panasonic ZS45 Sports photography features
40
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
weather proof
supports phase detect autofocus
no liveview
slow frames per second (3.0 fps)
no image stabilization
low megapixels (5 megapixels)
55
excellent zoom range (24-480mm 20.0 x zoom)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
good MP (16 megapixels)
has tracking focus
better than average battery (350 per charge)
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
does not have phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-1 Travel photography information
Panasonic ZS45 Travel photography information
47
lighter than competition in class (735g)
weather proof
missing Timelapse function
low megapixels (5 megapixels)
display is not selfie friendly
71
better than average battery (350 CIPA)
lighter than average (249 grams)
good MP (16 megapixels)
built-in flash
quite wide (24mm)
great reach (480mm)
no Time Lapse mode
display is not selfie friendly
slow max aperture (f3.3)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-1 Landscape photography info
Panasonic ZS45 Landscape photography info
46
has manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
weather proof
small screen (1.8")
no liveview
no image stabilization
low megapixels (5MP)
missing Timelapse function
47
quite wide (24mm)
nice screen size (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
good MP (16MP)
better than average battery (350 CIPA)
manual focus not available
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
slow max aperture (f3.3)
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
no Time Lapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-1 Vlogging details
Panasonic ZS45 Vlogging details
9
lack of video recording
34
quite wide (24mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
has face detect focus
high res video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
lighter than average (249 grams)
slow max aperture (f3.3)
display is not selfie friendly
no mic port
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Olympus E-1 vs Panasonic ZS45 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-1 and Panasonic ZS45
 Olympus E-1Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS45
General Information
Company Olympus Panasonic
Model type Olympus E-1 Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS45
Also called as - Lumix DMC-TZ57
Class Pro DSLR Small Sensor Superzoom
Announced 2003-11-29 2015-01-06
Body design Large SLR Compact
Sensor Information
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 5 megapixel 16 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 2560 x 1920 4608 x 3456
Max native ISO 3200 6400
Minimum native ISO 100 100
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch focus
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Tracking autofocus
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Total focus points 3 21
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 24-480mm (20.0x)
Maximal aperture - f/3.3-6.4
Macro focusing distance - 3cm
Total lenses 45 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.9
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Tilting
Display sizing 1.8 inch 3 inch
Display resolution 134 thousand dot 1,040 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentaprism) None
Viewfinder coverage 100% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.48x -
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60s 4s
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000s 1/2000s
Continuous shooting speed 3.0 frames/s 10.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance no built-in flash 6.00 m
Flash settings Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Auto, Auto/Red-eye Reduction, Forced On, Slow Sync./Red-eye Reduction, Forced Off
External flash
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Maximum flash sync 1/180s -
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions - 1920 x 1080 (30p), 1280 x 720 (30p), 640 x 480 (30p)
Max video resolution None 1920x1080
Video data format - MPEG-4
Mic jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 735g (1.62 lb) 249g (0.55 lb)
Dimensions 141 x 104 x 81mm (5.6" x 4.1" x 3.2") 108 x 60 x 32mm (4.3" x 2.4" x 1.3")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth rating not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested not tested
DXO Low light rating not tested not tested
Other
Battery life - 350 images
Battery form - Battery Pack
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Storage media Compact Flash (Type I or II) SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Storage slots One One
Pricing at launch $1,700 $300