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Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic FX580

Portability
80
Imaging
53
Features
84
Overall
65
Olympus OM-D E-M5 II front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX580 front
Portability
95
Imaging
34
Features
29
Overall
32

Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic FX580 Key Specs

Olympus E-M5 II
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Display
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 469g - 124 x 85 x 45mm
  • Launched February 2015
  • Old Model is Olympus E-M5
  • New Model is Olympus E-M5 III
Panasonic FX580
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 1600 (Expand to 6400)
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 25-125mm (F2.8-5.9) lens
  • 167g - 95 x 57 x 22mm
  • Launched January 2009
  • Other Name is Lumix DMC-FX550
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Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic FX580 Overview

On this page, we will be analyzing the Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic FX580, former being a Advanced Mirrorless while the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by companies Olympus and Panasonic. There is a substantial difference between the image resolutions of the E-M5 II (16MP) and FX580 (12MP) and the E-M5 II (Four Thirds) and FX580 (1/2.3") boast different sensor sizing.

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The E-M5 II was manufactured 6 years later than the FX580 and that is quite a big difference as far as tech is concerned. The two cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-M5 II being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic FX580 being a Compact camera.

Before going straight to a more detailed comparison, here is a short overview of how the E-M5 II scores vs the FX580 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Photography Glossary
	
	

Reasons to pick Olympus E-M5 II over the Panasonic FX580

 E-M5 II FX580 
LaunchedFebruary 2015January 2009More recent by 74 months
Focus manually Very exact focusing
Screen typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating screen
Screen resolution1037k230kClearer screen (+807k dot)
Selfie screen Take selfies
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Panasonic FX580 over the Olympus E-M5 II

 FX580 E-M5 II 

Common features in the Olympus E-M5 II and Panasonic FX580

 E-M5 II FX580 
Screen dimensions3"3"Equal screen measurement

Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic FX580 Physical Comparison

In case you're looking to lug around your camera frequently, you are going to need to factor its weight and volume. The Olympus E-M5 II features external measurements of 124mm x 85mm x 45mm (4.9" x 3.3" x 1.8") accompanied by a weight of 469 grams (1.03 lbs) while the Panasonic FX580 has sizing of 95mm x 57mm x 22mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9") and a weight of 167 grams (0.37 lbs).

Check the Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic FX580 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you are utilizing at that time. Following is a front view physical size comparison of the E-M5 II and the FX580.

Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic FX580 size comparison

Using size and weight, the portability grade of the E-M5 II and FX580 is 80 and 95 respectively.

Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic FX580 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic FX580 Sensor Comparison

Generally, it can be tough to visualize the contrast between sensor measurements only by reviewing specs. The visual here might provide you a much better sense of the sensor sizing in the E-M5 II and FX580.

As you can plainly see, both the cameras provide different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The E-M5 II featuring a bigger sensor is going to make getting shallow depth of field simpler and the Olympus E-M5 II will offer extra detail due to its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution will let you crop shots more aggressively. The fresher E-M5 II provides an edge in sensor technology.

Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic FX580 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic FX580 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic FX580 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-M5 II Portrait photography advice
Panasonic FX580 Portrait photography advice
71
manual focus
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
supports face detection focus
saves RAW files
26
provides face detect focusing
lack of manual focus
lack of manual mode
external flash not possible
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of RAW files
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus E-M5 II
Street photography with Panasonic FX580
82
screen articulates fully
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
comes with focus via touch
weather proof
great high ISO (25,600)
56
has image stabilization (Optical)
no moving screen
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus E-M5 II
Sports photography with Panasonic FX580
65
high shutter speed (1/8,000s)
silent shutter (1/16,000s)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
supports tracking autofocus
weather proof
bad battery (310 CIPA)
no phase detect auto focus
27
has image stabilization (Optical)
slow continuous shooting (2.0 frames per second)
sensor resolution low (12MP)
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-M5 II as a Travel photography camera
Panasonic FX580 as a Travel photography camera
74
weather proof
comes with focus via touch
sensor resolution is decent (16MP)
selfie friendly display
bad battery (310 per charge)
58
built-in flash
fairly wide (25mm)
no Time Lapse mode
sensor resolution low (12MP)
display isn't selfie friendly
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.8)
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus E-M5 II
Landscape photography with Panasonic FX580
74
manual focus
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor resolution is decent (16MP)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
great high ISO (25,600)
saves RAW files
weather proof
bad battery (310 shots)
36
fairly wide (25mm)
good sized screen (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Optical)
lack of manual focus
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.8)
lack of manual mode
sensor resolution low (12MP)
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of RAW files
no Time Lapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-M5 II Vlogging features
Panasonic FX580 Vlogging features
82
selfie friendly display
has touchscreen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
supports face detection focus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
does have external microphone support
30
fairly wide (25mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
provides face detect focusing
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.8)
display isn't selfie friendly
video res low (1280 x 720 resolution)
no mic jack
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Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic FX580 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M5 II and Panasonic FX580
 Olympus OM-D E-M5 IIPanasonic Lumix DMC-FX580
General Information
Company Olympus Panasonic
Model Olympus OM-D E-M5 II Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX580
Also Known as - Lumix DMC-FX550
Class Advanced Mirrorless Small Sensor Compact
Launched 2015-02-06 2009-01-27
Body design SLR-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Processor TruePic VII -
Sensor type MOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 16MP 12MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 16:9, 4:3 and 3:2
Peak resolution 4608 x 3456 4000 x 3000
Highest native ISO 25600 1600
Highest enhanced ISO - 6400
Min native ISO 200 80
RAW pictures
Min enhanced ISO 100 -
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
AF continuous
Single AF
Tracking AF
AF selectice
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Number of focus points 81 11
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 25-125mm (5.0x)
Largest aperture - f/2.8-5.9
Macro focus range - 5cm
Available lenses 107 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.9
Screen
Range of display Fully Articulated Fixed Type
Display sizing 3 inches 3 inches
Resolution of display 1,037k dot 230k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic None
Viewfinder resolution 2,360k dot -
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.74x -
Features
Min shutter speed 60 seconds 60 seconds
Max shutter speed 1/8000 seconds 1/2000 seconds
Max quiet shutter speed 1/16000 seconds -
Continuous shutter speed 10.0fps 2.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Change WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range no built-in flash 6.00 m
Flash settings Auto, redeye, fill, off, redeye slow sync, slow sync, 2nd-curtain slow sync, manual Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction, Slow Sync
External flash
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Max flash sync 1/250 seconds -
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60p, 50p, 30p, 25p, 24p), 1280 x 720 (60p, 50p, 30p, 25p, 24p), 640 x 480 (30p) 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video file format MPEG-4, H.264, Motion JPEG Motion JPEG
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 proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 469 grams (1.03 pounds) 167 grams (0.37 pounds)
Physical dimensions 124 x 85 x 45mm (4.9" x 3.3" x 1.8") 95 x 57 x 22mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score 73 not tested
DXO Color Depth score 23.0 not tested
DXO Dynamic range score 12.4 not tested
DXO Low light score 896 not tested
Other
Battery life 310 images -
Type of battery Battery Pack -
Battery model BLN-1 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 secs, custom) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/MMC/SDHC card, Internal
Storage slots One One
Pricing at release $699 $499