Olympus E-M10 vs Panasonic ZS1

Let's take a more detailed look at the Olympus E-M10 versus Panasonic ZS1, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom by brands Olympus and Panasonic. There is a significant difference among the image resolutions of the E-M10 (16MP) and ZS1 (10MP) and the E-M10 (Four Thirds) and ZS1 (1/2.5") have totally different sensor measurements.

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The E-M10 was manufactured 4 years later than the ZS1 and that is a fairly sizable gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Both the cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-M10 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic ZS1 being a Compact camera.

Before getting into a detailed comparison, here is a brief introduction of how the E-M10 matches up against the ZS1 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

The following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus OM-D E-M10 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS1. The entire galleries are viewable at Olympus E-M10 Gallery and Panasonic ZS1 Gallery.

If you are aiming to carry your camera often, you will have to take into account its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-M10 has physical measurements of 119mm x 82mm x 46mm (4.7" x 3.2" x 1.8") accompanied by a weight of 396 grams (0.87 lbs) while the Panasonic ZS1 has proportions of 103mm x 60mm x 33mm (4.1" x 2.4" x 1.3") and a weight of 229 grams (0.50 lbs).

See the Olympus E-M10 versus Panasonic ZS1 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary dependant on the lens you have chosen at that moment. Underneath is a front view sizing comparison of the E-M10 and the ZS1.

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability rating of the E-M10 and ZS1 is 82 and 91 respectively.

Often, its tough to envision the contrast in sensor sizing merely by viewing a spec sheet. The photograph here should give you a much better sense of the sensor measurements in the E-M10 and ZS1.

Clearly, each of the cameras have different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The E-M10 due to its larger sensor will make achieving shallower depth of field easier and the Olympus E-M10 will result in more detail due to its extra 6MP. Greater resolution can also let you crop pics a bit more aggressively. The younger E-M10 is going to have an edge with regard to sensor tech.