Olympus E-5 vs Panasonic ZS1

Lets look a little more in depth at the Olympus E-5 and Panasonic ZS1, one is a Advanced DSLR and the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom by rivals Olympus and Panasonic. The resolution of the E-5 (12MP) and the ZS1 (10MP) is fairly close but the E-5 (Four Thirds) and ZS1 (1/2.5") feature different sensor sizing.

Photography Glossary

The E-5 was brought out 21 months after the ZS1 making the cameras a generation away from each other. The two cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-5 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Panasonic ZS1 being a Compact camera.

Before getting straight into a full comparison, below is a brief introduction of how the E-5 grades vs the ZS1 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

The following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus E-5 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS1. The entire galleries are viewable at Olympus E-5 Gallery and Panasonic ZS1 Gallery.

For those who are looking to carry around your camera, you will have to factor its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-5 comes with outside measurements of 143mm x 117mm x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0") with a weight of 800 grams (1.76 lbs) and the Panasonic ZS1 has proportions of 103mm x 60mm x 33mm (4.1" x 2.4" x 1.3") along with a weight of 229 grams (0.50 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus E-5 and Panasonic ZS1 in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into account, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you have attached at that time. Here is the front view proportions comparison of the E-5 and the ZS1.

Taking into account size and weight, the portability grade of the E-5 and ZS1 is 58 and 91 respectively.

Often, its tough to imagine the difference in sensor sizes merely by viewing specs. The image underneath might provide you a stronger sense of the sensor sizing in the E-5 and ZS1.

All in all, both of those cameras posses different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The E-5 because of its larger sensor is going to make shooting shallower depth of field simpler and the Olympus E-5 will result in more detail having its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also make it easier to crop pics somewhat more aggressively. The fresher E-5 provides an edge with regard to sensor innovation.