Olympus E-5 vs Panasonic ZS80

Following is a complete overview of the Olympus E-5 vs Panasonic ZS80, one is a Advanced DSLR and the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom by companies Olympus and Panasonic. There is a significant difference between the resolutions of the E-5 (12MP) and ZS80 (20MP) and the E-5 (Four Thirds) and ZS80 (1/2.3") boast different sensor sizing.

Photography Glossary

The E-5 was launched 8 years prior to the ZS80 which is quite a sizable gap as far as tech is concerned. The two cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-5 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Panasonic ZS80 being a Compact camera.

Before getting into a thorough comparison, here is a quick overview of how the E-5 grades against the ZS80 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Here is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus E-5 and Panasonic Lumix DC-ZS80. The complete galleries are available at Olympus E-5 Gallery and Panasonic ZS80 Gallery.

If you are looking to carry around your camera, you have to factor its weight and size. The Olympus E-5 features exterior measurements of 143mm x 117mm x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0") and a weight of 800 grams (1.76 lbs) whilst the Panasonic ZS80 has specifications of 112mm x 69mm x 42mm (4.4" x 2.7" x 1.7") accompanied by a weight of 327 grams (0.72 lbs).

Examine the Olympus E-5 vs Panasonic ZS80 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into account, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary based on the lens you use at that moment. Here is a front view scale comparison of the E-5 against the ZS80.

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability grade of the E-5 and ZS80 is 58 and 86 respectively.

Often, it is hard to visualize the contrast between sensor sizes purely by reading technical specs. The image here will help provide you a stronger sense of the sensor sizing in the E-5 and ZS80.

As you can tell, each of these cameras have different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The E-5 featuring a larger sensor is going to make shooting shallower depth of field easier and the Panasonic ZS80 will offer more detail utilizing its extra 8 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also help you crop pics a bit more aggressively. The more aged E-5 is going to be behind with regard to sensor tech.