Olympus E-M1 II vs Panasonic ZR1

Below is a thorough review of the Olympus E-M1 II and Panasonic ZR1, former being a Pro Mirrorless while the other is a Small Sensor Compact by rivals Olympus and Panasonic. There is a sizable difference between the resolutions of the E-M1 II (20MP) and ZR1 (12MP) and the E-M1 II (Four Thirds) and ZR1 (1/2.3") posses totally different sensor sizing.

Photography Glossary

The E-M1 II was released 7 years later than the ZR1 and that is quite a significant difference as far as tech is concerned. Both cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-M1 II being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic ZR1 being a Compact camera.

Before going right into a full comparison, here is a quick view of how the E-M1 II grades vs the ZR1 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

This is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II & Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZR1. The complete galleries are viewable at Olympus E-M1 II Gallery & Panasonic ZR1 Gallery.

When you are going to lug around your camera regularly, you need to factor in its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-M1 II has outer dimensions of 134mm x 91mm x 67mm (5.3" x 3.6" x 2.6") having a weight of 574 grams (1.27 lbs) and the Panasonic ZR1 has dimensions of 98mm x 55mm x 26mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 1.0") with a weight of 158 grams (0.35 lbs).

Examine the Olympus E-M1 II and Panasonic ZR1 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Always remember, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you are utilising during that time. Here is a front view proportions comparison of the E-M1 II compared to the ZR1.

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability score of the E-M1 II and ZR1 is 68 and 94 respectively.

In many cases, its hard to envision the difference between sensor measurements merely by going over a spec sheet. The photograph underneath will help provide you a much better sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-M1 II and ZR1.

As you can see, both of the cameras have different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The E-M1 II featuring a larger sensor will make achieving shallower depth of field simpler and the Olympus E-M1 II will deliver greater detail as a result of its extra 8MP. Greater resolution can also help you crop images a bit more aggressively. The fresher E-M1 II is going to have a benefit in sensor technology.