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Olympus E-M1 vs Panasonic SZ5

Portability
71
Imaging
52
Features
85
Overall
65
Olympus OM-D E-M1 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ5 front
Portability
95
Imaging
37
Features
34
Overall
35

Olympus E-M1 vs Panasonic SZ5 Key Specs

Olympus E-M1
(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
Panasonic SZ5
(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
Photography Glossary

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.

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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.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-M1 over the Panasonic SZ5

 E-M1 SZ5 
RevealedOctober 2013July 2012More recent by 16 months
Manual focus More accurate focusing
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display resolution1037k230kSharper 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 dimensions3"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. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

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.

Olympus E-M1 vs Panasonic SZ5 size comparison

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

Olympus E-M1 vs Panasonic SZ5 top view buttons comparison

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 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-M1 vs Panasonic SZ5 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-M1 vs Panasonic SZ5 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-M1 Portrait photography advice
Panasonic SZ5 Portrait photography advice
71
has manual focus
above average flash sync speed (1/320s)
megapixel count good (16MP)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
offers face detection focusing
supports RAW formats
33
megapixel count good (14 megapixels)
comes with face detect focus
lack of manual focus
no manual control
no external flash support
small sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-M1 Street photography factors
Panasonic SZ5 Street photography factors
77
screen tilts up and down
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
provides touch to focus
weather proof
lighter than average in class (497g)
great ISO range (25,600)
63
built in image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competition (136 grams)
screen is fixed
small sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus E-M1
Sports photography with Panasonic SZ5
69
high shutter speed (1/8,000 seconds)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
megapixel count good (16 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
offers tracking autofocus
weather proof
comes with phase detect AF
not so great battery pack (350 shots)
39
built in image stabilization (Optical)
megapixel count good (14 megapixels)
comes with tracking focus
continuous shooting slow (2.0 frames/s)
lack of shutter priority mode
small sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-M1 as a Travel photography camera
Panasonic SZ5 as a Travel photography camera
65
lighter than average in class (497g)
weather proof
provides touch to focus
megapixel count good (16MP)
not so great battery pack (350 shots)
does not offer selfie friendly display
70
lighter than competition (136g)
megapixel count good (14 megapixels)
built-in flash
relatively wide (25mm)
very long reach (250mm)
does not have Time Lapse mode
display is not selfie friendly
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.1)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-M1 Landscape photography factors
Panasonic SZ5 Landscape photography factors
72
has manual focus
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
nice screen size (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
megapixel count good (16 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
great ISO range (25,600)
supports RAW formats
weather proof
not so great battery pack (350 per charge)
42
relatively wide (25mm)
screen size is good (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
megapixel count good (14 megapixels)
lack of manual focus
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.1)
no manual control
small sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
does not have Time Lapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus E-M1
Vlogging with Panasonic SZ5
36
touchscreen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
offers face detection focusing
high res video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
does have external mic support
lighter than average in class (497g)
does not offer selfie friendly display
32
relatively wide (25mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
comes with face detect focus
lighter than competition (136 grams)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.1)
display is not selfie friendly
video resolution low (1280 x 720 resolution)
does not have mic port
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Olympus E-M1 vs Panasonic SZ5 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M1 and Panasonic SZ5
 Olympus OM-D E-M1Panasonic 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