Olympus E-M1 vs Panasonic ZS15
71 Imaging
52 Features
85 Overall
65
92 Imaging
35 Features
37 Overall
35
Olympus E-M1 vs Panasonic ZS15 Key Specs
(Full Review)
- 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
- 3" Tilting Display
- ISO 100 - 25600
- Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
- 1/8000s Max Shutter
- 1920 x 1080 video
- Micro Four Thirds Mount
- 497g - 130 x 94 x 63mm
- Introduced October 2013
- Replacement is Olympus E-M1 II
(Full Review)
- 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
- 3" Fixed Display
- ISO 100 - 6400
- Optical Image Stabilization
- 1920 x 1080 video
- 24-384mm (F3.3-5.9) lens
- 208g - 105 x 58 x 33mm
- Launched June 2012
- Alternative Name is Lumix DMC-TZ25
- Successor is Panasonic ZS20
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Here is a comprehensive assessment of the Olympus E-M1 versus Panasonic ZS15, former being a Pro Mirrorless while the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom by companies Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a sizable gap among the sensor resolutions of the E-M1 (16MP) and ZS15 (12MP) and the E-M1 (Four Thirds) and ZS15 (1/2.3") provide different sensor size.
Snapchat Adds Watermarks to AI-Created ImagesThe E-M1 was unveiled 17 months later than the ZS15 making them a generation apart from one another. Each of these cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-M1 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic ZS15 being a Compact camera.
Before going into a more detailed comparison, here is a concise summary of how the E-M1 matches up versus the ZS15 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.
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Below is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus OM-D E-M1 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS15. The full galleries are viewable at Olympus E-M1 Gallery & Panasonic ZS15 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus E-M1 over the Panasonic ZS15
| E-M1 | ZS15 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Launched | October 2013 | June 2012 | Fresher by 17 months | |
| Manually focus | Very precise focus | |||
| Display type | Tilting | Fixed | Tilting display | |
| Display resolution | 1037k | 460k | Sharper display (+577k dot) | |
| Touch friendly display | Easily navigate |
Reasons to pick Panasonic ZS15 over the Olympus E-M1
| ZS15 | E-M1 |
|---|
Common features in the Olympus E-M1 and Panasonic ZS15
| E-M1 | ZS15 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Display size | 3" | 3" | Same display size | |
| Selfie screen | Neither features selfie screen |
Olympus E-M1 vs Panasonic ZS15 Physical Comparison
For anybody who is planning to carry your camera regularly, you have to think about its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-M1 enjoys outside measurements of 130mm x 94mm x 63mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.5") with a weight of 497 grams (1.10 lbs) and the Panasonic ZS15 has measurements of 105mm x 58mm x 33mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.3") along with a weight of 208 grams (0.46 lbs).
See the Olympus E-M1 versus Panasonic ZS15 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Take into account, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you use at that time. Following is a front view measurement comparison of the E-M1 against the ZS15.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-M1 and ZS15 is 71 and 92 respectively.
Olympus E-M1 vs Panasonic ZS15 Sensor Comparison
Typically, its difficult to visualize the gap in sensor sizing purely by researching a spec sheet. The visual underneath should offer you a greater sense of the sensor measurements in the E-M1 and ZS15.
As you can see, the two cameras feature different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The E-M1 with its larger sensor is going to make shooting shallow DOF simpler and the Olympus E-M1 will render more detail having an extra 4MP. Greater resolution can also let you crop photos way more aggressively. The younger E-M1 provides an advantage in sensor technology.
Olympus E-M1 vs Panasonic ZS15 Screen and ViewFinder
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Olympus E-M1 vs Panasonic ZS15 Specifications
| Olympus OM-D E-M1 | Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS15 | |
|---|---|---|
| General Information | ||
| Company | Olympus | Panasonic |
| Model type | Olympus OM-D E-M1 | Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS15 |
| Also called as | - | Lumix DMC-TZ25 |
| Type | Pro Mirrorless | Small Sensor Superzoom |
| Introduced | 2013-10-28 | 2012-06-29 |
| Body design | SLR-style mirrorless | Compact |
| Sensor Information | ||
| Chip | TruePIC VII | - |
| Sensor type | CMOS | CMOS |
| Sensor size | Four Thirds | 1/2.3" |
| Sensor dimensions | 17.3 x 13mm | 6.17 x 4.55mm |
| Sensor surface area | 224.9mm² | 28.1mm² |
| Sensor resolution | 16 megapixel | 12 megapixel |
| Anti alias filter | ||
| Aspect ratio | 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 | 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 |
| Highest Possible resolution | 4608 x 3456 | 4000 x 3000 |
| Maximum native ISO | 25600 | 6400 |
| Minimum native ISO | 100 | 100 |
| RAW format | ||
| Autofocusing | ||
| Focus manually | ||
| Touch focus | ||
| AF continuous | ||
| AF single | ||
| Tracking AF | ||
| AF selectice | ||
| AF center weighted | ||
| Multi area AF | ||
| Live view AF | ||
| 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 | - | 24-384mm (16.0x) |
| Maximum aperture | - | f/3.3-5.9 |
| Macro focusing distance | - | 3cm |
| Amount of lenses | 107 | - |
| Crop factor | 2.1 | 5.8 |
| Screen | ||
| Range of display | Tilting | Fixed Type |
| Display diagonal | 3" | 3" |
| Resolution of display | 1,037 thousand dot | 460 thousand dot |
| Selfie friendly | ||
| Liveview | ||
| Touch display | ||
| Viewfinder Information | ||
| Viewfinder | Electronic | None |
| Viewfinder resolution | 2,360 thousand dot | - |
| Viewfinder coverage | 100% | - |
| Viewfinder magnification | 0.74x | - |
| Features | ||
| Minimum shutter speed | 60s | 15s |
| Fastest shutter speed | 1/8000s | 1/4000s |
| Continuous shutter speed | 10.0 frames per sec | 2.0 frames per sec |
| Shutter priority | ||
| Aperture priority | ||
| Manually set exposure | ||
| Exposure compensation | Yes | Yes |
| Custom WB | ||
| Image stabilization | ||
| Integrated flash | ||
| Flash distance | no built-in flash | 6.40 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, Slow Syncro |
| External flash | ||
| Auto exposure bracketing | ||
| WB bracketing | ||
| Fastest flash sync | 1/320s | - |
| 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) | 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) |
| Maximum video resolution | 1920x1080 | 1920x1080 |
| Video file format | H.264, Motion JPEG | MPEG-4, AVCHD |
| Mic 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 grams (1.10 lb) | 208 grams (0.46 lb) |
| Physical dimensions | 130 x 94 x 63mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.5") | 105 x 58 x 33mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.3") |
| DXO scores | ||
| DXO Overall 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 | 260 photographs |
| Battery format | Battery Pack | Battery Pack |
| Battery ID | BLN-1 | - |
| 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 |
| Pricing at release | $799 | $279 |