Olympus E-M1 vs Panasonic LS5
71 Imaging
52 Features
85 Overall
65


94 Imaging
37 Features
25 Overall
32
Olympus E-M1 vs Panasonic LS5 Key Specs
(Full Review)
- 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
- 3" Tilting Screen
- ISO 100 - 25600
- Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
- 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
- 1920 x 1080 video
- Micro Four Thirds Mount
- 497g - 130 x 94 x 63mm
- Revealed October 2013
- Replacement is Olympus E-M1 II
(Full Review)
- 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
- 2.7" Fixed Display
- ISO 100 - 6400
- Optical Image Stabilization
- 1280 x 720 video
- 26-130mm (F2.8-6.5) lens
- 126g - 97 x 62 x 27mm
- Announced July 2011

Olympus E-M1 vs Panasonic LS5 Overview
Its time to look a little more closely at the Olympus E-M1 and Panasonic LS5, former is a Pro Mirrorless while the other is a Small Sensor Compact by rivals Olympus and Panasonic. The image resolution of the E-M1 (16MP) and the LS5 (14MP) is very well matched but the E-M1 (Four Thirds) and LS5 (1/2.3") use different sensor size.

The E-M1 was manufactured 2 years after the LS5 which is quite a large difference as far as technology is concerned. Each of the cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-M1 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic LS5 being a Compact camera.
Before we go through a full comparison, below is a quick view of how the E-M1 scores vs the LS5 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Olympus E-M1 vs Panasonic LS5 Gallery
Here is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus OM-D E-M1 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-LS5. The entire galleries are viewable at Olympus E-M1 Gallery & Panasonic LS5 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus E-M1 over the Panasonic LS5
E-M1 | LS5 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Announced | October 2013 | ![]() | July 2011 | Newer by 28 months |
Focus manually | ![]() | More exact focusing | ||
Display type | Tilting | ![]() | Fixed | Tilting display |
Display sizing | 3" | ![]() | 2.7" | Larger display (+0.3") |
Display resolution | 1037k | ![]() | 230k | Crisper display (+807k dot) |
Touch friendly display | ![]() | Easily navigate |
Reasons to pick Panasonic LS5 over the Olympus E-M1
LS5 | E-M1 |
---|
Common features in the Olympus E-M1 and Panasonic LS5
E-M1 | LS5 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Selfie screen | ![]() | Neither contains selfie screen |
Olympus E-M1 vs Panasonic LS5 Physical Comparison
If you are looking to travel with your camera frequently, you should think about its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-M1 has got outside measurements of 130mm x 94mm x 63mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.5") accompanied by a weight of 497 grams (1.10 lbs) whilst the Panasonic LS5 has dimensions of 97mm x 62mm x 27mm (3.8" x 2.4" x 1.1") accompanied by a weight of 126 grams (0.28 lbs).
Check the Olympus E-M1 and Panasonic LS5 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Always remember, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you choose at the time. Following is the front view dimensions comparison of the E-M1 versus the LS5.

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-M1 and LS5 is 71 and 94 respectively.

Olympus E-M1 vs Panasonic LS5 Sensor Comparison
Sometimes, it is tough to picture the gap between sensor dimensions purely by reading through a spec sheet. The pic underneath may give you a much better sense of the sensor measurements in the E-M1 and LS5.
As you can see, each of the cameras enjoy different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The E-M1 because of its larger sensor is going to make shooting bokeh less difficult and the Olympus E-M1 will resolve greater detail due to its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also let you crop photos far more aggressively. The younger E-M1 should have a benefit when it comes to sensor innovation.

Olympus E-M1 vs Panasonic LS5 Screen and ViewFinder


Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison

Street Comparison

Sports Comparison

Travel Comparison

Landscape Comparison

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-M1 vs Panasonic LS5 Specifications
Olympus OM-D E-M1 | Panasonic Lumix DMC-LS5 | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Company | Olympus | Panasonic |
Model type | Olympus OM-D E-M1 | Panasonic Lumix DMC-LS5 |
Type | Pro Mirrorless | Small Sensor Compact |
Revealed | 2013-10-28 | 2011-07-21 |
Body design | SLR-style mirrorless | Compact |
Sensor Information | ||
Powered by | TruePIC VII | - |
Sensor type | CMOS | CCD |
Sensor size | Four Thirds | 1/2.3" |
Sensor measurements | 17.3 x 13mm | 6.08 x 4.56mm |
Sensor surface area | 224.9mm² | 27.7mm² |
Sensor resolution | 16 megapixels | 14 megapixels |
Anti alias filter | ||
Aspect ratio | 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 | 4:3 and 16:9 |
Maximum resolution | 4608 x 3456 | 4320 x 3240 |
Maximum native ISO | 25600 | 6400 |
Lowest native ISO | 100 | 100 |
RAW support | ||
Autofocusing | ||
Focus manually | ||
Touch focus | ||
Continuous AF | ||
AF single | ||
Tracking AF | ||
AF selectice | ||
AF center weighted | ||
AF multi area | ||
Live view AF | ||
Face detection focusing | ||
Contract detection focusing | ||
Phase detection focusing | ||
Total focus points | 81 | 9 |
Lens | ||
Lens mount type | Micro Four Thirds | fixed lens |
Lens zoom range | - | 26-130mm (5.0x) |
Maximum aperture | - | f/2.8-6.5 |
Number of lenses | 107 | - |
Crop factor | 2.1 | 5.9 |
Screen | ||
Screen type | Tilting | Fixed Type |
Screen size | 3" | 2.7" |
Resolution of screen | 1,037k dot | 230k dot |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch functionality | ||
Screen tech | - | TFT Color LCD |
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder | Electronic | None |
Viewfinder resolution | 2,360k dot | - |
Viewfinder coverage | 100 percent | - |
Viewfinder magnification | 0.74x | - |
Features | ||
Slowest shutter speed | 60 secs | 8 secs |
Maximum shutter speed | 1/8000 secs | 1/2000 secs |
Continuous shooting speed | 10.0fps | 1.0fps |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Manual exposure | ||
Exposure compensation | Yes | - |
Custom WB | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Built-in flash | ||
Flash distance | no built-in flash | 4.60 m |
Flash modes | Flash Auto, 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 |
Hot shoe | ||
AEB | ||
White balance bracketing | ||
Maximum flash sync | 1/320 secs | - |
Exposure | ||
Multisegment exposure | ||
Average exposure | ||
Spot exposure | ||
Partial exposure | ||
AF area exposure | ||
Center weighted exposure | ||
Video features | ||
Video resolutions | 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) | 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps) |
Maximum video resolution | 1920x1080 | 1280x720 |
Video file format | H.264, Motion JPEG | Motion JPEG |
Microphone input | ||
Headphone input | ||
Connectivity | ||
Wireless | Built-In | None |
Bluetooth | ||
NFC | ||
HDMI | ||
USB | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) |
GPS | None | None |
Physical | ||
Environment seal | ||
Water proofing | ||
Dust proofing | ||
Shock proofing | ||
Crush proofing | ||
Freeze proofing | ||
Weight | 497 gr (1.10 lb) | 126 gr (0.28 lb) |
Dimensions | 130 x 94 x 63mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.5") | 97 x 62 x 27mm (3.8" x 2.4" x 1.1") |
DXO scores | ||
DXO All around rating | 73 | not tested |
DXO Color Depth rating | 23.0 | not tested |
DXO Dynamic range rating | 12.7 | not tested |
DXO Low light rating | 757 | not tested |
Other | ||
Battery life | 350 photographs | 160 photographs |
Battery format | Battery Pack | AA |
Battery ID | BLN-1 | 2 x AA |
Self timer | Yes (2 or 12 secs, custom) | Yes (2 or 10 sec) |
Time lapse recording | ||
Type of storage | SD/SDHC/SDXC | SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal |
Storage slots | One | One |
Price at launch | $799 | $294 |