Olympus E-1 vs Panasonic ZS5

Let's look more in depth at the Olympus E-1 vs Panasonic ZS5, former is a Pro DSLR while the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by brands Olympus and Panasonic. There is a large difference among the resolutions of the E-1 (5MP) and ZS5 (12MP) and the E-1 (Four Thirds) and ZS5 (1/2.3") posses totally different sensor sizes.

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The E-1 was introduced 7 years prior to the ZS5 which is a fairly serious difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-1 being a Large SLR camera and the Panasonic ZS5 being a Compact camera.

Before delving straight to a complete comparison, here is a simple highlight of how the E-1 grades vs the ZS5 for portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

This is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus E-1 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS5. The whole galleries are provided at Olympus E-1 Gallery & Panasonic ZS5 Gallery.

If you are looking to carry around your camera, you will have to take into account its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-1 comes with outer dimensions 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 ZS5 has proportions of 103mm x 60mm x 32mm (4.1" x 2.4" x 1.3") and a weight of 214 grams (0.47 lbs).

Examine the Olympus E-1 vs Panasonic ZS5 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you are working with at the time. Underneath is a front view physical size comparison of the E-1 compared to the ZS5.

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability rating of the E-1 and ZS5 is 59 and 92 respectively.

Often, it is difficult to envision the difference in sensor sizes merely by looking through specs. The pic below will help provide you a better sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-1 and ZS5.

All in all, the two cameras provide different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The E-1 using its bigger sensor will make achieving shallower DOF simpler and the Panasonic ZS5 will result in greater detail using its extra 7 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also make it easier to crop photographs more aggressively. The more aged E-1 will be disadvantaged with regard to sensor tech.