Olympus E-5 vs Panasonic ZS100

Lets examine more closely at the Olympus E-5 and Panasonic ZS100, one being a Advanced DSLR and the other is a Large Sensor Compact by competitors Olympus and Panasonic. There is a significant difference between the resolutions of the E-5 (12MP) and ZS100 (20MP) and the E-5 (Four Thirds) and ZS100 (1") feature different sensor dimensions.

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The E-5 was launched 5 years prior to the ZS100 and that is quite a sizable gap as far as tech is concerned. Both of the cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-5 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Panasonic ZS100 being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before diving straight into a in-depth comparison, below is a simple synopsis of how the E-5 matches up against the ZS100 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

The following is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus E-5 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS100. The complete galleries are provided at Olympus E-5 Gallery and Panasonic ZS100 Gallery.

When you are planning to lug around your camera frequently, you will have to think about its weight and volume. The Olympus E-5 offers physical measurements of 143mm x 117mm x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0") having a weight of 800 grams (1.76 lbs) and the Panasonic ZS100 has sizing of 111mm x 65mm x 44mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.7") accompanied by a weight of 312 grams (0.69 lbs).

See the Olympus E-5 and Panasonic ZS100 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary based on the lens you have chosen at that time. Below is the front view size comparison of the E-5 vs the ZS100.

Considering size and weight, the portability grade of the E-5 and ZS100 is 58 and 87 respectively.

Oftentimes, it's difficult to imagine the gap between sensor measurements only by reading through technical specs. The visual below will help offer you a better sense of the sensor measurements in the E-5 and ZS100.

As you have seen, each of the cameras offer different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The E-5 because of its larger sensor is going to make getting shallower depth of field easier and the Panasonic ZS100 will resolve greater detail utilizing its extra 8 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also let you crop pics a little more aggressively. The older E-5 is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor technology.