Olympus E-M1 vs Panasonic ZS60

Let's look a bit more closely at the Olympus E-M1 versus Panasonic ZS60, one being a Pro Mirrorless and the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by companies Olympus and Panasonic. The image resolution of the E-M1 (16MP) and the ZS60 (18MP) is pretty similar but the E-M1 (Four Thirds) and ZS60 (1/2.3") come with totally different sensor sizing.

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The E-M1 was unveiled 3 years earlier than the ZS60 and that is quite a significant gap as far as tech is concerned. Both of these cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-M1 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic ZS60 being a Compact camera.

Before diving in to a in-depth comparison, below is a brief view of how the E-M1 grades versus the ZS60 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

This is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus OM-D E-M1 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS60. The full galleries are viewable at Olympus E-M1 Gallery and Panasonic ZS60 Gallery.

If you are looking to carry your camera regularly, you will have to factor its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-M1 features exterior dimensions of 130mm x 94mm x 63mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.5") having a weight of 497 grams (1.10 lbs) while the Panasonic ZS60 has dimensions of 112mm x 64mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.5") having a weight of 282 grams (0.62 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-M1 versus Panasonic ZS60 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Do not forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change based on the lens you are utilising at the time. Here is the front view sizing comparison of the E-M1 against the ZS60.

Factoring in size and weight, the portability rating of the E-M1 and ZS60 is 71 and 88 respectively.

Usually, it is very tough to visualise the difference between sensor sizing simply by reading a spec sheet. The visual below should provide you a greater sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-M1 and ZS60.

Clearly, each of these cameras posses different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The E-M1 using its bigger sensor will make achieving shallower depth of field less difficult and the Panasonic ZS60 will offer you extra detail having an extra 2 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also allow you to crop pictures somewhat more aggressively. The older E-M1 is going to be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor tech.