Olympus E-M1 vs Panasonic SZ5
71 Imaging
52 Features
85 Overall
65


95 Imaging
37 Features
34 Overall
35
Olympus E-M1 vs Panasonic SZ5 Key Specs
(Full Review)
- 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
- 3" Tilting Display
- 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
- Released October 2013
- Successor is Olympus E-M1 II
(Full Review)
- 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
- 3" Fixed Display
- ISO 100 - 1600 (Expand to 6400)
- Optical Image Stabilization
- 1280 x 720 video
- 25-250mm (F3.1-5.9) lens
- 136g - 104 x 58 x 21mm
- Revealed July 2012

Olympus E-M1 vs Panasonic SZ5 Overview
Below is a comprehensive review of the Olympus E-M1 and Panasonic SZ5, former being a Pro Mirrorless while the other is a Small Sensor Compact by manufacturers Olympus and Panasonic. The resolution of the E-M1 (16MP) and the SZ5 (14MP) is fairly close but the E-M1 (Four Thirds) and SZ5 (1/2.3") posses different sensor sizing.

The E-M1 was brought out 16 months later than the SZ5 making them a generation apart from one another. Each of the cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-M1 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic SZ5 being a Compact camera.
Before we go straight to a detailed comparison, here is a simple highlight of how the E-M1 scores versus the SZ5 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Olympus E-M1 vs Panasonic SZ5 Gallery
Following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus OM-D E-M1 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ5. The entire galleries are viewable at Olympus E-M1 Gallery & Panasonic SZ5 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus E-M1 over the Panasonic SZ5
E-M1 | SZ5 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Revealed | October 2013 | ![]() | July 2012 | More recent by 16 months |
Manual focus | ![]() | More accurate focusing | ||
Display type | Tilting | ![]() | Fixed | Tilting display |
Display resolution | 1037k | ![]() | 230k | Sharper display (+807k dot) |
Touch display | ![]() | Easily navigate |
Reasons to pick Panasonic SZ5 over the Olympus E-M1
SZ5 | E-M1 |
---|
Common features in the Olympus E-M1 and Panasonic SZ5
E-M1 | SZ5 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Display dimensions | 3" | ![]() | 3" | Equal display measurement |
Selfie screen | ![]() | Neither has selfie screen |
Olympus E-M1 vs Panasonic SZ5 Physical Comparison
For anyone who is intending to lug around your camera frequently, you should factor its weight and size. The Olympus E-M1 has external dimensions of 130mm x 94mm x 63mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.5") having a weight of 497 grams (1.10 lbs) and the Panasonic SZ5 has specifications of 104mm x 58mm x 21mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 0.8") having a weight of 136 grams (0.30 lbs).
Check out the Olympus E-M1 and Panasonic SZ5 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Remember that, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you use at that moment. Below is a front view measurements comparison of the E-M1 compared to the SZ5.

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-M1 and SZ5 is 71 and 95 respectively.

Olympus E-M1 vs Panasonic SZ5 Sensor Comparison
Quite often, it can be tough to visualize the gap in sensor measurements simply by researching specifications. The visual underneath will help provide you a better sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-M1 and SZ5.
Plainly, each of these cameras provide different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The E-M1 because of its larger sensor is going to make shooting shallow DOF easier and the Olympus E-M1 will provide you with extra detail having its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also help you crop images more aggressively. The more recent E-M1 provides a benefit when it comes to sensor technology.

Olympus E-M1 vs Panasonic SZ5 Screen and ViewFinder


Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison

Street Comparison

Sports Comparison

Travel Comparison

Landscape Comparison

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-M1 vs Panasonic SZ5 Specifications
Olympus OM-D E-M1 | Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ5 | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Make | Olympus | Panasonic |
Model type | Olympus OM-D E-M1 | Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ5 |
Class | Pro Mirrorless | Small Sensor Compact |
Released | 2013-10-28 | 2012-07-18 |
Body design | SLR-style mirrorless | Compact |
Sensor Information | ||
Processor Chip | TruePIC VII | - |
Sensor type | CMOS | CCD |
Sensor size | Four Thirds | 1/2.3" |
Sensor dimensions | 17.3 x 13mm | 6.08 x 4.56mm |
Sensor 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 | 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 |
Full resolution | 4608 x 3456 | 4320 x 3240 |
Max native ISO | 25600 | 1600 |
Max boosted ISO | - | 6400 |
Minimum native ISO | 100 | 100 |
RAW files | ||
Autofocusing | ||
Focus manually | ||
Touch focus | ||
Continuous AF | ||
Single AF | ||
Tracking AF | ||
Selective AF | ||
AF center weighted | ||
AF multi area | ||
AF live view | ||
Face detect focusing | ||
Contract detect focusing | ||
Phase detect focusing | ||
Total focus points | 81 | 23 |
Lens | ||
Lens support | Micro Four Thirds | fixed lens |
Lens zoom range | - | 25-250mm (10.0x) |
Highest aperture | - | f/3.1-5.9 |
Macro focusing distance | - | 5cm |
Total lenses | 107 | - |
Crop factor | 2.1 | 5.9 |
Screen | ||
Display type | Tilting | Fixed Type |
Display sizing | 3" | 3" |
Resolution of display | 1,037 thousand dot | 230 thousand dot |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch functionality | ||
Display technology | - | TFT Screen LCD |
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder | Electronic | None |
Viewfinder resolution | 2,360 thousand dot | - |
Viewfinder coverage | 100% | - |
Viewfinder magnification | 0.74x | - |
Features | ||
Lowest shutter speed | 60 seconds | 8 seconds |
Highest shutter speed | 1/8000 seconds | 1/1600 seconds |
Continuous shooting speed | 10.0 frames/s | 2.0 frames/s |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Manually set exposure | ||
Exposure compensation | Yes | - |
Set WB | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Built-in flash | ||
Flash distance | no built-in flash | 5.60 m |
Flash options | 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, Slow Sync |
Hot shoe | ||
Auto exposure bracketing | ||
White balance bracketing | ||
Highest flash sync | 1/320 seconds | - |
Exposure | ||
Multisegment | ||
Average | ||
Spot | ||
Partial | ||
AF area | ||
Center weighted | ||
Video features | ||
Video resolutions | 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) | 1280 x 720p ( 30,25 fps), 640 x 480 (30, 25 fps) |
Max video resolution | 1920x1080 | 1280x720 |
Video data format | H.264, Motion JPEG | MPEG-4 |
Mic jack | ||
Headphone jack | ||
Connectivity | ||
Wireless | Built-In | Built-In |
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 | 497g (1.10 pounds) | 136g (0.30 pounds) |
Physical dimensions | 130 x 94 x 63mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.5") | 104 x 58 x 21mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 0.8") |
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 | 250 photographs |
Type of battery | Battery Pack | Battery Pack |
Battery ID | BLN-1 | - |
Self timer | Yes (2 or 12 secs, custom) | Yes (2 or 10 secs) |
Time lapse shooting | ||
Type of storage | SD/SDHC/SDXC | SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal |
Storage slots | 1 | 1 |
Cost at launch | $799 | $195 |