Olympus E-M10 vs Panasonic ZS5

Let's take a closer look at the Olympus E-M10 and Panasonic ZS5, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by rivals Olympus and Panasonic. There is a crucial difference among the resolutions of the E-M10 (16MP) and ZS5 (12MP) and the E-M10 (Four Thirds) and ZS5 (1/2.3") possess totally different sensor dimensions.

Photography Glossary

The E-M10 was brought out 3 years later than the ZS5 and that is a fairly serious gap as far as camera tech is concerned. The two cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-M10 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic ZS5 being a Compact camera.

Before going through a comprehensive comparison, below is a simple view of how the E-M10 matches up vs the ZS5 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

This is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus OM-D E-M10 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS5. The entire galleries are viewable at Olympus E-M10 Gallery and Panasonic ZS5 Gallery.

If you are intending to carry your camera frequently, you will want to take into account its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-M10 enjoys outer measurements of 119mm x 82mm x 46mm (4.7" x 3.2" x 1.8") having a weight of 396 grams (0.87 lbs) whilst the Panasonic ZS5 has dimensions of 103mm x 60mm x 32mm (4.1" x 2.4" x 1.3") with a weight of 214 grams (0.47 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-M10 and Panasonic ZS5 in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into account, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you choose at that moment. Following is the front view overall size comparison of the E-M10 against the ZS5.

Considering size and weight, the portability grade of the E-M10 and ZS5 is 82 and 92 respectively.

In many cases, it can be difficult to visualise the difference in sensor sizing simply by viewing specifications. The graphic below will give you a clearer sense of the sensor sizing in the E-M10 and ZS5.

To sum up, the two cameras have got different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The E-M10 because of its bigger sensor will make shooting bokeh simpler and the Olympus E-M10 will render extra detail having its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution will enable you to crop photographs much more aggressively. The newer E-M10 will have an advantage when it comes to sensor innovation.