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Olympus E-5 vs Panasonic S2

Portability
58
Imaging
48
Features
76
Overall
59
Olympus E-5 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-S2 front
Portability
96
Imaging
38
Features
29
Overall
34

Olympus E-5 vs Panasonic S2 Key Specs

Olympus E-5
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 800g - 143 x 117 x 75mm
  • Launched February 2011
  • Previous Model is Olympus E-3
Panasonic S2
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-112mm (F3.1-6.5) lens
  • 112g - 98 x 57 x 21mm
  • Revealed January 2012
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Olympus E-5 vs Panasonic S2 Overview

Here is a extensive comparison of the Olympus E-5 vs Panasonic S2, former being a Advanced DSLR while the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by rivals Olympus and Panasonic. The sensor resolution of the E-5 (12MP) and the S2 (14MP) is pretty comparable but the E-5 (Four Thirds) and S2 (1/2.3") posses different sensor dimensions.

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The E-5 was brought out 11 months prior to the S2 which means that they are both of a similar age. Both of these cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-5 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Panasonic S2 being a Compact camera.

Before going straight to a step-by-step comparison, here is a simple synopsis of how the E-5 grades against the S2 for portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-5 over the Panasonic S2

 E-5 S2 
Manually focus Dial precise focusing
Screen typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating screen
Screen dimensions3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution920k230kCrisper screen (+690k dot)
Selfie screen Take selfies

Reasons to pick Panasonic S2 over the Olympus E-5

 S2 E-5 
RevealedJanuary 2012February 2011Fresher by 11 months

Common features in the Olympus E-5 and Panasonic S2

 E-5 S2 
Touch friendly screen Absent Touch friendly screen

Olympus E-5 vs Panasonic S2 Physical Comparison

For anyone who is looking to carry your camera, you are going to need to think about its weight and volume. The Olympus E-5 comes with exterior dimensions of 143mm x 117mm x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0") accompanied by a weight of 800 grams (1.76 lbs) whilst the Panasonic S2 has sizing of 98mm x 57mm x 21mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 0.8") having a weight of 112 grams (0.25 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus E-5 vs Panasonic S2 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into account, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you are employing at the time. The following is a front view size comparison of the E-5 compared to the S2.

Olympus E-5 vs Panasonic S2 size comparison

Looking at size and weight, the portability rating of the E-5 and S2 is 58 and 96 respectively.

Olympus E-5 vs Panasonic S2 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-5 vs Panasonic S2 Sensor Comparison

Generally, it is hard to imagine the difference in sensor sizing simply by going through specs. The visual below may offer you a more clear sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-5 and S2.

As you can plainly see, each of these cameras have different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The E-5 because of its bigger sensor is going to make getting shallower DOF less difficult and the Panasonic S2 will produce greater detail having its extra 2MP. Higher resolution will make it easier to crop shots a bit more aggressively. The older E-5 will be disadvantaged in sensor innovation.

Olympus E-5 vs Panasonic S2 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-5 vs Panasonic S2 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-5 vs Panasonic S2 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-5 Portrait photography highlights
Panasonic S2 Portrait photography highlights
60
focusing manually
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
comes with face detection focus
saves RAW files
low resolution (12 megapixels)
34
decent sensor resolution (14MP)
includes face detection focusing
no manual focus
no manual control
external flash not possible
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-5 Street photography advice
Panasonic S2 Street photography advice
71
screen articulates
image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
weather proofing
63
has image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than average in class (112g)
screen is fixed
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus E-5
Sports photography with Panasonic S2
59
high shutter speed (1/8,000s)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
weather proofing
supports phase detect auto focus
max frames per second low (5.0 fps)
low resolution (12MP)
40
has image stabilization (Optical)
decent sensor resolution (14 megapixels)
good battery life (280 per charge)
painfully slow continuous shooting (2.0 frames/s)
no shutter priority
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
has no phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-5 as a Travel photography camera
Panasonic S2 as a Travel photography camera
56
weather proofing
flash built-in
selfie friendly screen
lack of Timelapse recording
low resolution (12MP)
71
good battery life (280 per charge)
lighter than average in class (112g)
decent sensor resolution (14MP)
flash built-in
pretty wide (28mm)
no Time Lapse mode
screen isn't selfie friendly
sluggish max aperture (f3.1)
Photography Glossary

Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus E-5
Landscape photography with Panasonic S2
65
focusing manually
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
good sized screen (3")
image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
weather proofing
2 card slots
low resolution (12 megapixels)
lack of Timelapse recording
41
pretty wide (28mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
decent sensor resolution (14 megapixels)
good battery life (280 shots)
no manual focus
cannot swap lenses (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f3.1)
small screen (2.7 inch)
no manual control
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
no Time Lapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-5 as a Vlogging camera
Panasonic S2 as a Vlogging camera
64
selfie friendly screen
image stabilization (Sensor based)
comes with face detection focus
comes with external microphone support
low quality video (1280 x 720 pxls)
33
pretty wide (28mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
includes face detection focusing
lighter than average in class (112g)
sluggish max aperture (f3.1)
screen isn't selfie friendly
video quality not great (1280 x 720 pixels)
no external mic jack
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Olympus E-5 vs Panasonic S2 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-5 and Panasonic S2
 Olympus E-5Panasonic Lumix DMC-S2
General Information
Make Olympus Panasonic
Model Olympus E-5 Panasonic Lumix DMC-S2
Category Advanced DSLR Small Sensor Compact
Launched 2011-02-03 2012-01-09
Body design Mid-size SLR Compact
Sensor Information
Chip TruePic V+ -
Sensor type CMOS CCD
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 12MP 14MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 and 16:9 4:3 and 16:9
Highest Possible resolution 4032 x 3024 4320 x 3240
Maximum native ISO 6400 6400
Lowest native ISO 100 100
RAW files
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
AF continuous
AF single
Tracking AF
AF selectice
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Number of focus points 11 23
Cross focus points 11 -
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 28-112mm (4.0x)
Highest aperture - f/3.1-6.5
Macro focus distance - 5cm
Amount of lenses 45 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.9
Screen
Range of screen Fully Articulated Fixed Type
Screen sizing 3 inch 2.7 inch
Screen resolution 920 thousand dot 230 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Screen technology HyperCrystal transmissive LCD TFT Color LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentaprism) None
Viewfinder coverage 100% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.58x -
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60s 8s
Fastest shutter speed 1/8000s 1/1600s
Continuous shutter speed 5.0fps 2.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes -
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 18.00 m (at ISO 200) 3.30 m
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Fill-in Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Fastest flash sync 1/250s -
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1280x720 1280x720
Video format Motion JPEG Motion JPEG
Mic input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 800 gr (1.76 lb) 112 gr (0.25 lb)
Physical dimensions 143 x 117 x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0") 98 x 57 x 21mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 0.8")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score 56 not tested
DXO Color Depth score 21.6 not tested
DXO Dynamic range score 10.5 not tested
DXO Low light score 519 not tested
Other
Battery life 870 photos 280 photos
Battery format Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model BLM-5 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Storage media Compact Flash (Type I or II)/SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Storage slots Two Single
Price at release $1,700 $109