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Olympus E-M1 III vs Panasonic ZS1

Portability
67
Imaging
62
Features
96
Overall
75
Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS1 front
Portability
91
Imaging
33
Features
25
Overall
29

Olympus E-M1 III vs Panasonic ZS1 Key Specs

Olympus E-M1 III
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Display
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 4096 x 2160 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 580g - 134 x 91 x 69mm
  • Announced February 2020
  • Earlier Model is Olympus E-M1 II
Panasonic ZS1
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - 1/2.5" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 640 x 480 video
  • 25-300mm (F3.3-4.9) lens
  • 229g - 103 x 60 x 33mm
  • Introduced May 2009
  • Alternative Name is Lumix DMC-TZ6
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Olympus E-M1 III vs Panasonic ZS1 Overview

Here is a comprehensive overview of the Olympus E-M1 III vs Panasonic ZS1, one being a Pro Mirrorless and the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by competitors Olympus and Panasonic. There is a significant difference among the sensor resolutions of the E-M1 III (20MP) and ZS1 (10MP) and the E-M1 III (Four Thirds) and ZS1 (1/2.5") use different sensor measurements.

Photography Glossary

The E-M1 III was launched 10 years later than the ZS1 and that is a fairly sizable gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Each of the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-M1 III being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic ZS1 being a Compact camera.

Before getting straight into a in-depth comparison, below is a concise overview of how the E-M1 III scores versus the ZS1 for portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-M1 III over the Panasonic ZS1

 E-M1 III ZS1 
IntroducedFebruary 2020May 2009Fresher by 131 months
Focus manually Very accurate focusing
Screen typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating screen
Screen dimension3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution1037k230kCrisper screen (+807k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Panasonic ZS1 over the Olympus E-M1 III

 ZS1 E-M1 III 

Common features in the Olympus E-M1 III and Panasonic ZS1

 E-M1 III ZS1 

Olympus E-M1 III vs Panasonic ZS1 Physical Comparison

If you're going to carry your camera, you will want to consider its weight and volume. The Olympus E-M1 III has got external dimensions of 134mm x 91mm x 69mm (5.3" x 3.6" x 2.7") having a weight of 580 grams (1.28 lbs) while the Panasonic ZS1 has sizing of 103mm x 60mm x 33mm (4.1" x 2.4" x 1.3") having a weight of 229 grams (0.50 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus E-M1 III vs Panasonic ZS1 in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change depending on the lens you are working with at the time. Below is the front view overall size comparison of the E-M1 III vs the ZS1.

Olympus E-M1 III vs Panasonic ZS1 size comparison

Considering size and weight, the portability score of the E-M1 III and ZS1 is 67 and 91 respectively.

Olympus E-M1 III vs Panasonic ZS1 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-M1 III vs Panasonic ZS1 Sensor Comparison

Usually, it's tough to imagine the difference in sensor sizing simply by checking out specs. The visual below may provide you a more clear sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-M1 III and ZS1.

As you can plainly see, both of these cameras posses different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The E-M1 III due to its bigger sensor is going to make shooting shallower DOF easier and the Olympus E-M1 III will produce extra detail utilizing its extra 10 Megapixels. Higher resolution will enable you to crop photographs somewhat more aggressively. The younger E-M1 III provides an edge with regard to sensor tech.

Olympus E-M1 III vs Panasonic ZS1 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-M1 III vs Panasonic ZS1 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-M1 III vs Panasonic ZS1 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-M1 III as a Portrait photography camera
Panasonic ZS1 as a Portrait photography camera
77
you can focus manually
MP count good (20 megapixels)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
includes face detection focusing
delivers RAW formats
25
comes with face detection autofocus
no manual focus
no manual control
external flash not possible
resolution not great (10 megapixels)
small sensor size (1/2.5")
doesn't have RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-M1 III as a Street photography camera
Panasonic ZS1 as a Street photography camera
78
screen articulates fully
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
boasts focus by touch
weather sealing
very good ISO range (25,600)
60
built in image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competition (229 grams)
screen is fixed
small sensor size (1/2.5")
doesn't have RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-M1 III Sports photography factors
Panasonic ZS1 Sports photography factors
81
max shutter speed is good (1/8,000 seconds)
quiet mode (1/32,000 seconds)
fast continuous shooting (60.0 frames/s)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
MP count good (20 megapixels)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
includes tracking autofocus
weather sealing
sensor has phase detect AF
24
built in image stabilization (Optical)
painfully slow continuous shooting (3.0 fps)
no shutter priority
resolution not great (10 megapixels)
small sensor size (1/2.5")
doesn't have phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-M1 III Travel photography info
Panasonic ZS1 Travel photography info
79
weather sealing
has bluetooth
boasts focus by touch
MP count good (20MP)
selfie friendly screen
63
lighter than competition (229g)
flash built-in
quite wide (25mm)
long reach (300mm)
lack of Time Lapse mode
resolution not great (10 megapixels)
display is not selfie friendly
sluggish max aperture (f3.3)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-M1 III as a Landscape photography camera
Panasonic ZS1 as a Landscape photography camera
81
you can focus manually
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
good sized screen (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
MP count good (20MP)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
doesnt have anti-alias filter
very good ISO range (25,600)
delivers RAW formats
weather sealing
has double storage slots
31
quite wide (25mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
no manual focus
can't swap lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f3.3)
screen is small (2.7 inches)
no manual control
resolution not great (10 megapixels)
small sensor size (1/2.5")
doesn't have RAW files
lack of Time Lapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-M1 III Vlogging details
Panasonic ZS1 Vlogging details
79
selfie friendly screen
screen is touchscreen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
includes face detection focusing
high quality video (4096 x 2160 pxls)
includes external microphone port
31
quite wide (25mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
comes with face detection autofocus
lighter than competition (229g)
sluggish max aperture (f3.3)
display is not selfie friendly
video quality not great (640 x 480 pixels)
lack of external mic jack
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Olympus E-M1 III vs Panasonic ZS1 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M1 III and Panasonic ZS1
 Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark IIIPanasonic Lumix DMC-ZS1
General Information
Company Olympus Panasonic
Model type Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS1
Also called - Lumix DMC-TZ6
Category Pro Mirrorless Small Sensor Superzoom
Announced 2020-02-11 2009-05-14
Body design SLR-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Powered by TruePic IX -
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.5"
Sensor dimensions 17.4 x 13mm 5.744 x 4.308mm
Sensor area 226.2mm² 24.7mm²
Sensor resolution 20MP 10MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 16:9, 4:3 and 3:2
Maximum resolution 5184 x 3888 3648 x 2736
Maximum native ISO 25600 6400
Lowest native ISO 200 100
RAW pictures
Lowest boosted ISO 64 -
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
AF touch
Continuous AF
AF single
AF tracking
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Total focus points 121 11
Cross type focus points 121 -
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 25-300mm (12.0x)
Highest aperture - f/3.3-4.9
Macro focusing distance - 3cm
Number of lenses 107 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 6.3
Screen
Display type Fully Articulated Fixed Type
Display diagonal 3" 2.7"
Display resolution 1,037 thousand dot 230 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic None
Viewfinder resolution 2,360 thousand dot -
Viewfinder coverage 100% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.74x -
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60s 60s
Maximum shutter speed 1/8000s 1/2000s
Maximum quiet shutter speed 1/32000s -
Continuous shooting speed 60.0 frames/s 3.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes -
Set WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance no built-in flash 5.30 m (Auto ISO)
Flash settings Redeye, Fill-in, Flash Off, Red-eye Slow sync.(1st curtain), Slow sync.(1st curtain), Slow sync.(2nd curtain), Manual Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction, Slow Sync
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Maximum flash sync 1/250s -
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions 4096 x 2160 @ 24p / 237 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM3840 x 2160 @ 30p / 102 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM3840 x 2160 @ 25p / 102 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM3840 x 2160 @ 23.98p / 102 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM1920 x 1080 @ 60p, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM1920 x 1080 @ 50p, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM1920 x 1080 @ 30p, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM1920 x 1080 @ 25p, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM1920 x 1080 @ 23.98p, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution 4096x2160 640x480
Video file format MPEG-4, H.264 Motion JPEG
Mic input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 3.1 Gen 1 (5 GBit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 580g (1.28 lbs) 229g (0.50 lbs)
Dimensions 134 x 91 x 69mm (5.3" x 3.6" x 2.7") 103 x 60 x 33mm (4.1" x 2.4" x 1.3")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth rating not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested not tested
DXO Low light rating not tested not tested
Other
Battery life 420 pictures -
Form of battery Battery Pack -
Battery ID BLH-1 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 secs, custom) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Storage media Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC slots (UHS-II on first slot) SD/MMC/SDHC card, Internal
Storage slots Dual One
Retail pricing $1,800 $0