Olympus E-520 vs Panasonic ZS5

Let's look a little more closely at the Olympus E-520 and Panasonic ZS5, one being a Entry-Level DSLR and the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom by brands Olympus and Panasonic. The image resolution of the E-520 (10MP) and the ZS5 (12MP) is very well matched but the E-520 (Four Thirds) and ZS5 (1/2.3") enjoy different sensor sizing.

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The E-520 was revealed 22 months earlier than the ZS5 making the cameras a generation apart from one another. Both cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-520 being a Compact SLR camera and the Panasonic ZS5 being a Compact camera.

Before delving in to a full comparison, below is a short synopsis of how the E-520 matches up vs the ZS5 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

This is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus E-520 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS5. The full galleries are provided at Olympus E-520 Gallery and Panasonic ZS5 Gallery.

In case you're intending to carry your camera often, you will need to think about its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-520 comes with outside dimensions of 136mm x 92mm x 68mm (5.4" x 3.6" x 2.7") with a weight of 552 grams (1.22 lbs) whilst the Panasonic ZS5 has dimensions of 103mm x 60mm x 32mm (4.1" x 2.4" x 1.3") and a weight of 214 grams (0.47 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus E-520 and Panasonic ZS5 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Always remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ dependant on the lens you are working with during that time. Here is the front view scale comparison of the E-520 vs the ZS5.

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-520 and ZS5 is 68 and 92 respectively.

Normally, it's difficult to picture the difference between sensor sizing merely by reading through a spec sheet. The visual here may provide you a clearer sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-520 and ZS5.

As you can see, the 2 cameras have got different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The E-520 having a larger sensor is going to make getting shallower depth of field simpler and the Panasonic ZS5 will give you more detail because of its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also help you crop photos much more aggressively. The older E-520 is going to be behind with regard to sensor tech.