Clicky

Olympus E-510 vs Panasonic ZS5

Portability
69
Imaging
44
Features
42
Overall
43
Olympus E-510 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS5 front
Portability
92
Imaging
35
Features
30
Overall
33

Olympus E-510 vs Panasonic ZS5 Key Specs

Olympus E-510
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 2.5" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 1600
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • No Video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 490g - 136 x 92 x 68mm
  • Introduced November 2007
  • Alternate Name is EVOLT E-510
  • Older Model is Olympus E-500
  • Later Model is Olympus E-520
Panasonic ZS5
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 25-300mm (F3.3-4.9) lens
  • 214g - 103 x 60 x 32mm
  • Launched June 2010
  • Other Name is Lumix DMC-TZ8
Japan-exclusive Leica Leitz Phone 3 features big sensor and new modes

Olympus E-510 vs Panasonic ZS5 Overview

Lets look closer at the Olympus E-510 versus Panasonic ZS5, one is a Advanced DSLR and the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom by companies Olympus and Panasonic. The sensor resolution of the E-510 (10MP) and the ZS5 (12MP) is very close but the E-510 (Four Thirds) and ZS5 (1/2.3") enjoy different sensor size.

President Biden pushes bill mandating TikTok sale or ban

The E-510 was brought out 3 years prior to the ZS5 which is a fairly serious gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Each of these cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-510 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Panasonic ZS5 being a Compact camera.

Before delving through a thorough comparison, below is a brief synopsis of how the E-510 scores vs the ZS5 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide
	
	

Reasons to pick Olympus E-510 over the Panasonic ZS5

 E-510 ZS5 
Manual focus Dial precise focusing

Reasons to pick Panasonic ZS5 over the Olympus E-510

 ZS5 E-510 
LaunchedJune 2010November 2007More modern by 31 months
Display dimension2.7"2.5"Larger display (+0.2")

Common features in the Olympus E-510 and Panasonic ZS5

 E-510 ZS5 
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Display resolution230k230kThe same display resolution
Selfie screen Lacking selfie screen
Touch display Lacking Touch display

Olympus E-510 vs Panasonic ZS5 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is looking to carry around your camera often, you'll have to take into account its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-510 enjoys outer dimensions of 136mm x 92mm x 68mm (5.4" x 3.6" x 2.7") and a weight of 490 grams (1.08 lbs) and the Panasonic ZS5 has measurements of 103mm x 60mm x 32mm (4.1" x 2.4" x 1.3") along with a weight of 214 grams (0.47 lbs).

Check out the Olympus E-510 versus Panasonic ZS5 in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary based on the lens you have attached at that moment. Following is the front view proportions comparison of the E-510 against the ZS5.

Olympus E-510 vs Panasonic ZS5 size comparison

Using size and weight, the portability rating of the E-510 and ZS5 is 69 and 92 respectively.

Olympus E-510 vs Panasonic ZS5 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-510 vs Panasonic ZS5 Sensor Comparison

Generally, it is tough to picture the difference in sensor sizes purely by looking through specifications. The pic here should offer you a much better sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-510 and ZS5.

To sum up, both of those cameras have got different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The E-510 due to its larger sensor is going to make getting shallow depth of field less difficult and the Panasonic ZS5 will render more detail having its extra 2MP. Greater resolution can also let you crop images much more aggressively. The more aged E-510 will be behind when it comes to sensor tech.

Olympus E-510 vs Panasonic ZS5 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-510 vs Panasonic ZS5 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-510 vs Panasonic ZS5 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photography Glossary

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-510 as a Portrait photography camera
Panasonic ZS5 as a Portrait photography camera
56
focusing manually
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
sensor resolution low (10MP)
27
supports face detection focusing
manual focus not available
external flash not possible
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
small sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
Snapchat Adds Watermarks to AI-Created Images

Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus E-510
Street photography with Panasonic ZS5
68
image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
lighter than competition in class (490g)
fixed screen
61
image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competition (214g)
screen is fixed
small sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
Apple Innovates by Creating Next-Level Optical Stabilization for iPhone

Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus E-510
Sports photography with Panasonic ZS5
52
image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
has phase detect AF
max fps very slow (3.0 frames/s)
sensor resolution low (10 megapixels)
31
image stabilization (Optical)
supports tracking autofocus
low maximum shutter speed (1/1,300s)
max frames per second low (2.0 fps)
low megapixels (12MP)
small sensor (1/2.3")
has no phase detect AF
Samsung Releases Faster Versions of EVO MicroSD Cards

Travel Comparison

Olympus E-510 as a Travel photography camera
Panasonic ZS5 as a Travel photography camera
52
lighter than competition in class (490g)
flash built-in
does not have Timelapse function
sensor resolution low (10MP)
does not feature selfie friendly screen
63
lighter than competition (214 grams)
has built in flash
relatively wide (25mm)
long reach (300mm)
no Timelapse recording
low megapixels (12MP)
doesn't posses selfie friendly display
slow max aperture (f3.3)
Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music video

Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus E-510
Landscape photography with Panasonic ZS5
55
focusing manually
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
small screen (2.5")
sensor resolution low (10 megapixels)
does not have Timelapse function
33
relatively wide (25mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
manual focus not available
can't swap lens (fixed lens mount)
slow max aperture (f3.3)
screen is small (2.7")
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
small sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
no Timelapse recording
Meta to Introduce 'AI-Generated' Labels for Media starting next month

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-510 as a Vlogging camera
Panasonic ZS5 as a Vlogging camera
9
no video shooting
31
relatively wide (25mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
supports face detection focusing
lighter than competition (214g)
slow max aperture (f3.3)
doesn't posses selfie friendly display
low res video (1280 x 720 resolution)
no external microphone socket
Photobucket discusses licensing 13 billion images with AI firms

Olympus E-510 vs Panasonic ZS5 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-510 and Panasonic ZS5
 Olympus E-510Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS5
General Information
Brand Olympus Panasonic
Model type Olympus E-510 Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS5
Also referred to as EVOLT E-510 Lumix DMC-TZ8
Category Advanced DSLR Small Sensor Superzoom
Introduced 2007-11-23 2010-06-16
Physical type Mid-size SLR Compact
Sensor Information
Chip - Venus Engine HD II
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 10 megapixel 12 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 3648 x 2736 4000 x 3000
Max native ISO 1600 6400
Minimum native ISO 100 80
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
AF touch
AF continuous
AF single
AF tracking
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Total focus points 3 11
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 25-300mm (12.0x)
Maximal aperture - f/3.3-4.9
Macro focusing range - 3cm
Amount of lenses 45 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.9
Screen
Type of display Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display sizing 2.5 inch 2.7 inch
Display resolution 230 thousand dots 230 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentamirror) None
Viewfinder coverage 95% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.46x -
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60 secs 60 secs
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/1300 secs
Continuous shooting rate 3.0 frames per sec 2.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 12.00 m (at ISO 100) 5.30 m
Flash modes Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Syncro
External flash
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Maximum flash synchronize 1/180 secs -
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions - 1280 x 720 (30fps), 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Max video resolution None 1280x720
Video file format - Motion JPEG
Microphone port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 490 gr (1.08 lbs) 214 gr (0.47 lbs)
Dimensions 136 x 92 x 68mm (5.4" x 3.6" x 2.7") 103 x 60 x 32mm (4.1" x 2.4" x 1.3")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 52 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 21.2 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 10.0 not tested
DXO Low light rating 442 not tested
Other
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Storage type Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Card slots One One
Retail pricing $550 $300