Olympus E-M1X vs Panasonic ZS20
54 Imaging
60 Features
93 Overall
73
92 Imaging
37 Features
46 Overall
40
Olympus E-M1X vs Panasonic ZS20 Key Specs
(Full Review)
- 20MP - Four Thirds Sensor
- 3" Fully Articulated Display
- ISO 200 - 25600
- Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
- 1/8000s Max Shutter
- 4096 x 2160 video
- Micro Four Thirds Mount
- 997g - 144 x 147 x 75mm
- Released January 2019
- Succeeded the Olympus E-M1 II
(Full Review)
- 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
- 3" Fixed Screen
- ISO 100 - 6400
- Optical Image Stabilization
- 1920 x 1080 video
- 24-480mm (F3.3-6.4) lens
- 206g - 105 x 59 x 28mm
- Introduced April 2012
- Other Name is Lumix DMC-TZ30
- Replaced the Panasonic ZS15
- Renewed by Panasonic ZS25
Photography Glossary Olympus E-M1X vs Panasonic ZS20 Overview
Let's look much closer at the Olympus E-M1X vs Panasonic ZS20, former being a Pro Mirrorless while the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by brands Olympus and Panasonic. There is a noticeable difference between the resolutions of the E-M1X (20MP) and ZS20 (14MP) and the E-M1X (Four Thirds) and ZS20 (1/2.3") boast totally different sensor measurements.
President Biden pushes bill mandating TikTok sale or banThe E-M1X was unveiled 6 years later than the ZS20 and that is quite a sizable difference as far as tech is concerned. Both cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-M1X being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic ZS20 being a Compact camera.
Before diving right into a more detailed comparison, here is a concise highlight of how the E-M1X scores versus the ZS20 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.
Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music video Olympus E-M1X vs Panasonic ZS20 Gallery
Below is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus OM-D E-M1X & Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS20. The full galleries are viewable at Olympus E-M1X Gallery & Panasonic ZS20 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus E-M1X over the Panasonic ZS20
| E-M1X | ZS20 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Introduced | January 2019 | April 2012 | More recent by 83 months | |
| Manual focus | Dial accurate focus | |||
| Screen type | Fully Articulated | Fixed | Fully Articulating screen | |
| Screen resolution | 1037k | 460k | Clearer screen (+577k dot) | |
| Selfie screen | Take selfies |
Reasons to pick Panasonic ZS20 over the Olympus E-M1X
| ZS20 | E-M1X |
|---|
Common features in the Olympus E-M1X and Panasonic ZS20
| E-M1X | ZS20 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Screen size | 3" | 3" | Same screen measurements | |
| Touch screen | Quickly navigate |
Olympus E-M1X vs Panasonic ZS20 Physical Comparison
For anyone who is aiming to lug around your camera often, you're going to have to consider its weight and size. The Olympus E-M1X has physical measurements of 144mm x 147mm x 75mm (5.7" x 5.8" x 3.0") having a weight of 997 grams (2.20 lbs) whilst the Panasonic ZS20 has specifications of 105mm x 59mm x 28mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.1") along with a weight of 206 grams (0.45 lbs).
Compare the Olympus E-M1X vs Panasonic ZS20 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Remember, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you have chosen at that moment. Underneath is a front view physical size comparison of the E-M1X compared to the ZS20.

Taking into account size and weight, the portability score of the E-M1X and ZS20 is 54 and 92 respectively.
Olympus E-M1X vs Panasonic ZS20 Sensor Comparison
Generally, it is very difficult to visualise the difference between sensor measurements only by checking technical specs. The graphic here will offer you a far better sense of the sensor measurements in the E-M1X and ZS20.
As you can tell, both cameras feature different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The E-M1X with its bigger sensor will make shooting bokeh easier and the Olympus E-M1X will resolve greater detail having an extra 6MP. Higher resolution will also let you crop photographs way more aggressively. The newer E-M1X will have an advantage when it comes to sensor tech.
Olympus E-M1X vs Panasonic ZS20 Screen and ViewFinder
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Olympus E-M1X vs Panasonic ZS20 Specifications
| Olympus OM-D E-M1X | Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS20 | |
|---|---|---|
| General Information | ||
| Company | Olympus | Panasonic |
| Model | Olympus OM-D E-M1X | Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS20 |
| Otherwise known as | - | Lumix DMC-TZ30 |
| Category | Pro Mirrorless | Small Sensor Superzoom |
| Released | 2019-01-24 | 2012-04-26 |
| Body design | SLR-style mirrorless | Compact |
| Sensor Information | ||
| Chip | Dual TruePic VIII | - |
| Sensor type | CMOS | CMOS |
| Sensor size | Four Thirds | 1/2.3" |
| Sensor dimensions | 17.4 x 13mm | 6.08 x 4.56mm |
| Sensor surface area | 226.2mm² | 27.7mm² |
| Sensor resolution | 20MP | 14MP |
| Anti aliasing filter | ||
| Aspect ratio | 4:3 | 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 |
| Highest resolution | 5184 x 3888 | 4320 x 3240 |
| Highest native ISO | 25600 | 6400 |
| Min native ISO | 200 | 100 |
| RAW pictures | ||
| Min boosted ISO | 64 | - |
| Autofocusing | ||
| Focus manually | ||
| Autofocus touch | ||
| Autofocus continuous | ||
| Autofocus single | ||
| Autofocus tracking | ||
| Autofocus selectice | ||
| Autofocus center weighted | ||
| Multi area autofocus | ||
| Live view autofocus | ||
| Face detect autofocus | ||
| Contract detect autofocus | ||
| Phase detect autofocus | ||
| Number of focus points | 121 | 23 |
| Lens | ||
| Lens mounting type | Micro Four Thirds | fixed lens |
| Lens focal range | - | 24-480mm (20.0x) |
| Max aperture | - | f/3.3-6.4 |
| Macro focus range | - | 3cm |
| Amount of lenses | 107 | - |
| Focal length multiplier | 2.1 | 5.9 |
| Screen | ||
| Display type | Fully Articulated | Fixed Type |
| Display diagonal | 3" | 3" |
| Resolution of display | 1,037 thousand dot | 460 thousand dot |
| Selfie friendly | ||
| Liveview | ||
| Touch display | ||
| Viewfinder Information | ||
| Viewfinder type | Electronic | None |
| Viewfinder resolution | 2,360 thousand dot | - |
| Viewfinder coverage | 100% | - |
| Viewfinder magnification | 0.74x | - |
| Features | ||
| Slowest shutter speed | 60s | 15s |
| Maximum shutter speed | 1/8000s | 1/2000s |
| Maximum quiet shutter speed | 1/32000s | - |
| Continuous shooting speed | 60.0 frames per sec | 10.0 frames per sec |
| Shutter priority | ||
| Aperture priority | ||
| Manual exposure | ||
| Exposure compensation | Yes | Yes |
| Custom white balance | ||
| Image stabilization | ||
| Built-in flash | ||
| Flash range | no built-in flash | 6.40 m |
| Flash options | 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 |
| Hot shoe | ||
| Auto exposure bracketing | ||
| White balance bracketing | ||
| Exposure | ||
| Multisegment metering | ||
| Average metering | ||
| Spot metering | ||
| Partial metering | ||
| AF area metering | ||
| Center weighted metering | ||
| Video features | ||
| Supported video resolutions | 4096 x 2160 @ 24p / 237 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM | 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (220 fps) |
| Highest video resolution | 4096x2160 | 1920x1080 |
| Video file format | MPEG-4, H.264 | MPEG-4, AVCHD |
| Mic jack | ||
| Headphone jack | ||
| Connectivity | ||
| Wireless | Built-In | None |
| Bluetooth | ||
| NFC | ||
| HDMI | ||
| USB | Yes (USB-PD allows charging by laptop or external power bank) | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) |
| GPS | Built-in | BuiltIn |
| Physical | ||
| Environmental seal | ||
| Water proof | ||
| Dust proof | ||
| Shock proof | ||
| Crush proof | ||
| Freeze proof | ||
| Weight | 997g (2.20 pounds) | 206g (0.45 pounds) |
| Physical dimensions | 144 x 147 x 75mm (5.7" x 5.8" x 3.0") | 105 x 59 x 28mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.1") |
| DXO scores | ||
| DXO All around score | not tested | not tested |
| DXO Color Depth score | not tested | not tested |
| DXO Dynamic range score | not tested | not tested |
| DXO Low light score | not tested | not tested |
| Other | ||
| Battery life | 870 images | 260 images |
| Style of battery | Built-in | Battery Pack |
| Self timer | Yes (2 or 12 secs, custom) | Yes (2 or 10 sec) |
| Time lapse shooting | ||
| Storage media | - | SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal |
| Storage slots | 2 | Single |
| Pricing at launch | $2,999 | $349 |