Olympus E-M1 vs Panasonic ZS80

Following is a in-depth review of the Olympus E-M1 and Panasonic ZS80, former is a Pro Mirrorless while the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by competitors Olympus and Panasonic. The image resolution of the E-M1 (16MP) and the ZS80 (20MP) is relatively close but the E-M1 (Four Thirds) and ZS80 (1/2.3") use totally different sensor sizing.

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The E-M1 was launched 5 years before the ZS80 which is a fairly sizable difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both of the cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-M1 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic ZS80 being a Compact camera.

Before going in to a detailed comparison, below is a short view of how the E-M1 grades against the ZS80 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

This is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus OM-D E-M1 & Panasonic Lumix DC-ZS80. The complete galleries are available at Olympus E-M1 Gallery & Panasonic ZS80 Gallery.

For anyone who is going to carry around your camera often, you'll need to consider its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-M1 offers physical dimensions of 130mm x 94mm x 63mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.5") accompanied by a weight of 497 grams (1.10 lbs) while the Panasonic ZS80 has measurements of 112mm x 69mm x 42mm (4.4" x 2.7" x 1.7") having a weight of 327 grams (0.72 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus E-M1 and Panasonic ZS80 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you use during that time. Here is the front view size comparison of the E-M1 compared to the ZS80.

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-M1 and ZS80 is 71 and 86 respectively.

Quite often, it is difficult to visualise the gap in sensor sizes merely by looking through technical specs. The pic below will offer you a more clear sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-M1 and ZS80.

As you can tell, the two cameras enjoy different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The E-M1 because of its bigger sensor will make getting shallower DOF simpler and the Panasonic ZS80 will result in greater detail utilizing its extra 4MP. Higher resolution will also help you crop pictures far more aggressively. The more aged E-M1 will be disadvantaged in sensor tech.