Clicky

Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic FZ1000

Portability
80
Imaging
53
Features
84
Overall
65
Olympus OM-D E-M5 II front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ1000 front
Portability
55
Imaging
51
Features
80
Overall
62

Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic FZ1000 Key Specs

Olympus E-M5 II
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • 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
  • Older Model is Olympus E-M5
  • Updated by Olympus E-M5 III
Panasonic FZ1000
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - 1" Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 125 - 12800 (Raise to 25600)
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • 25-400mm (F2.8-4.0) lens
  • 831g - 137 x 99 x 131mm
  • Announced June 2014
  • Newer Model is Panasonic FZ2500
Japan-exclusive Leica Leitz Phone 3 features big sensor and new modes

Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic FZ1000 Overview

Let's look a bit more in depth at the Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic FZ1000, former is a Advanced Mirrorless while the latter is a Large Sensor Superzoom by companies Olympus and Panasonic. The image resolution of the E-M5 II (16MP) and the FZ1000 (20MP) is pretty close but the E-M5 II (Four Thirds) and FZ1000 (1") come with totally different sensor dimensions.

Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music video

The E-M5 II was announced 8 months after the FZ1000 and they are of a similar age. Both cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-M5 II being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic FZ1000 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera.

Before going straight into a full comparison, below is a short summary of how the E-M5 II matches up versus the FZ1000 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Apple Innovates by Creating Next-Level Optical Stabilization for iPhone
	
	

Reasons to pick Olympus E-M5 II over the Panasonic FZ1000

 E-M5 II FZ1000 
AnnouncedFebruary 2015June 2014More modern by 8 months
Screen resolution1037k921kCrisper screen (+116k dot)
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Panasonic FZ1000 over the Olympus E-M5 II

 FZ1000 E-M5 II 

Common features in the Olympus E-M5 II and Panasonic FZ1000

 E-M5 II FZ1000 
Manual focus Very accurate focus
Screen typeFully ArticulatedFully ArticulatedFully Articulated screen
Screen dimension3"3"Identical screen sizing
Selfie screen Both good for selfies

Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic FZ1000 Physical Comparison

For those who are aiming to carry around your camera frequently, you need to think about its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-M5 II provides physical dimensions of 124mm x 85mm x 45mm (4.9" x 3.3" x 1.8") along with a weight of 469 grams (1.03 lbs) while the Panasonic FZ1000 has measurements of 137mm x 99mm x 131mm (5.4" x 3.9" x 5.2") along with a weight of 831 grams (1.83 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic FZ1000 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Always remember, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you use at that moment. The following is the front view scale comparison of the E-M5 II vs the FZ1000.

Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic FZ1000 size comparison

Factoring in size and weight, the portability score of the E-M5 II and FZ1000 is 80 and 55 respectively.

Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic FZ1000 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic FZ1000 Sensor Comparison

Usually, it's difficult to see the gap in sensor sizes merely by researching a spec sheet. The pic underneath should provide you a far better sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-M5 II and FZ1000.

Clearly, both cameras posses different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The E-M5 II using its bigger sensor will make shooting shallower DOF simpler and the Panasonic FZ1000 will render extra detail with its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution will make it easier to crop photographs somewhat more aggressively. The more modern E-M5 II is going to have an advantage with regard to sensor tech.

Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic FZ1000 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic FZ1000 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic FZ1000 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photobucket discusses licensing 13 billion images with AI firms

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-M5 II Portrait photography advice
Panasonic FZ1000 Portrait photography advice
71
focusing manually
sensor resolution is decent (16MP)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
provides face detect autofocus
saves RAW files
70
focusing manually
decent MP (20MP)
good sensor size (1")
provides face detection autofocus
delivers RAW formats
Photography Glossary

Street Comparison

Olympus E-M5 II as a Street photography camera
Panasonic FZ1000 as a Street photography camera
82
screen articulates fully
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
features touch focus
weather proofing
great high ISO (25,600)
70
screen articulates fully
image stabilization (Optical)
good sensor size (1")
delivers RAW formats
Meta to Introduce 'AI-Generated' Labels for Media starting next month

Sports Comparison

Olympus E-M5 II Sports photography highlights
Panasonic FZ1000 Sports photography highlights
65
maximum shutter speed is high (1/8,000 seconds)
silent shutter (1/16,000 seconds)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
provides tracking focus
weather proofing
not so great battery (310 CIPA)
does not have phase detect autofocus
67
excellent zoom range (25-400mm 16.0 x zoom)
image stabilization (Optical)
decent MP (20MP)
good sensor size (1")
provides tracking autofocus
lacks phase detect autofocus
President Biden pushes bill mandating TikTok sale or ban

Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus E-M5 II
Travel photography with Panasonic FZ1000
74
weather proofing
features touch focus
sensor resolution is decent (16MP)
selfie friendly display
not so great battery (310 shots)
65
decent MP (20 megapixels)
has built in flash
selfie friendly screen
rather wide (25mm)
very long reach (400mm)
sluggish max aperture (f2.8)
Snapchat Adds Watermarks to AI-Created Images

Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-M5 II Landscape photography highlights
Panasonic FZ1000 Landscape photography highlights
74
focusing manually
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
nice screen size (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor resolution is decent (16MP)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
great high ISO (25,600)
saves RAW files
weather proofing
not so great battery (310 CIPA)
64
focusing manually
rather wide (25mm)
screen size is good (3 inches)
image stabilization (Optical)
decent MP (20 megapixels)
good sensor size (1")
delivers RAW formats
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f2.8)
Samsung Releases Faster Versions of EVO MicroSD Cards

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-M5 II as a Vlogging camera
Panasonic FZ1000 as a Vlogging camera
82
selfie friendly display
touchscreen capability
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
provides face detect autofocus
high res video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
comes with microphone support
66
rather wide (25mm)
selfie friendly screen
image stabilization (Optical)
provides face detection autofocus
video resolution high (3840 x 2160 resolution)
includes external mic port
sluggish max aperture (f2.8)
Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide

Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic FZ1000 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M5 II and Panasonic FZ1000
 Olympus OM-D E-M5 IIPanasonic Lumix DMC-FZ1000
General Information
Make Olympus Panasonic
Model type Olympus OM-D E-M5 II Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ1000
Type Advanced Mirrorless Large Sensor Superzoom
Launched 2015-02-06 2014-06-12
Body design SLR-style mirrorless SLR-like (bridge)
Sensor Information
Chip TruePic VII Venus Engine
Sensor type MOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds 1"
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 13.2 x 8.8mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 116.2mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixel 20 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 4608 x 3456 5472 x 3648
Highest native ISO 25600 12800
Highest enhanced ISO - 25600
Min native ISO 200 125
RAW photos
Min enhanced ISO 100 80
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Continuous autofocus
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Autofocus center weighted
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Total focus points 81 49
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 25-400mm (16.0x)
Highest aperture - f/2.8-4.0
Macro focusing range - 3cm
Amount of lenses 107 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 2.7
Screen
Screen type Fully Articulated Fully Articulated
Screen sizing 3 inches 3 inches
Resolution of screen 1,037 thousand dot 921 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic Electronic
Viewfinder resolution 2,360 thousand dot 2,359 thousand dot
Viewfinder coverage 100% 100%
Viewfinder magnification 0.74x 0.7x
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60 seconds 60 seconds
Fastest shutter speed 1/8000 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Fastest silent shutter speed 1/16000 seconds -
Continuous shutter speed 10.0fps 12.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance no built-in flash 13.50 m (at Auto ISO)
Flash options Auto, redeye, fill, off, redeye slow sync, slow sync, 2nd-curtain slow sync, manual Auto, Auto/Red-eye Reduction, Forced On, Forced On/Red-eye Reduction, Slow Sync, Slow Sync/Red-eye Reduction, Forced Off
Hot shoe
AEB
White balance bracketing
Fastest flash sync 1/250 seconds -
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60p, 50p, 30p, 25p, 24p), 1280 x 720 (60p, 50p, 30p, 25p, 24p), 640 x 480 (30p) 3840x2160 (30p), 1920 x 1080 (60p, 60i, 30p, 24p) 1280x720 (30p), 640 x 480 (30p)
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 3840x2160
Video format MPEG-4, H.264, Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD
Mic jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 469 grams (1.03 lb) 831 grams (1.83 lb)
Dimensions 124 x 85 x 45mm (4.9" x 3.3" x 1.8") 137 x 99 x 131mm (5.4" x 3.9" x 5.2")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 73 64
DXO Color Depth rating 23.0 22.1
DXO Dynamic range rating 12.4 11.7
DXO Low light rating 896 517
Other
Battery life 310 photographs 360 photographs
Battery form Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLN-1 DMW-BLC12PP
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 secs, custom) Yes
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC -
Storage slots 1 1
Launch cost $699 $800