Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic S2

On this page, we will be reviewing the Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic S2, one being a Advanced Mirrorless and the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by companies Olympus and Panasonic. The resolution of the E-M5 II (16MP) and the S2 (14MP) is relatively well matched but the E-M5 II (Four Thirds) and S2 (1/2.3") posses different sensor sizing.

Photography Glossary

The E-M5 II was released 3 years later than the S2 and that is quite a large gap as far as tech is concerned. Both of the cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-M5 II being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic S2 being a Compact camera.

Before we go into a full comparison, here is a simple summation of how the E-M5 II matches up against the S2 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

The following is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus OM-D E-M5 II and Panasonic Lumix DMC-S2. The complete galleries are provided at Olympus E-M5 II Gallery and Panasonic S2 Gallery.

If you're intending to carry your camera often, you should factor in its weight and volume. The Olympus E-M5 II has outside dimensions of 124mm x 85mm x 45mm (4.9" x 3.3" x 1.8") and a weight of 469 grams (1.03 lbs) whilst the Panasonic S2 has sizing of 98mm x 57mm x 21mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 0.8") along with a weight of 112 grams (0.25 lbs).

Look at the Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic S2 in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ dependant on the lens you have chosen at that time. Here is a front view size comparison of the E-M5 II versus the S2.

Looking at size and weight, the portability rating of the E-M5 II and S2 is 80 and 96 respectively.

In many cases, it is very tough to visualize the gap between sensor sizing simply by reading through specs. The visual below should offer you a much better sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-M5 II and S2.

All in all, both of those cameras provide different megapixels and different sensor sizing. 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 give more detail as a result of its extra 2MP. Higher resolution will also allow you to crop shots more aggressively. The newer E-M5 II provides an advantage in sensor innovation.