Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic S2
80 Imaging
54 Features
84 Overall
66
![Olympus OM-D E-M5 II front Olympus OM-D E-M5 II front](https://pxlmag.com/db/images/cameras/gallery/medium/Olympus-OM-D-E-M5-II/Olympus-E-M5-II-front.jpg)
![Panasonic Lumix DMC-S2 front Panasonic Lumix DMC-S2 front](https://pxlmag.com/db/images/cameras/gallery/medium/Panasonic-Lumix-DMC-S2/Panasonic-S2-front.jpg)
96 Imaging
37 Features
29 Overall
33
Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic S2 Key Specs
(Full Review)
- 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
- 3" Fully Articulated Display
- ISO 200 - 25600
- Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
- 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
- 1920 x 1080 video
- Micro Four Thirds Mount
- 469g - 124 x 85 x 45mm
- Introduced February 2015
- Older Model is Olympus E-M5
- Refreshed by Olympus E-M5 III
(Full Review)
- 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
- 2.7" Fixed Screen
- ISO 100 - 6400
- Optical Image Stabilization
- 1280 x 720 video
- 28-112mm (F3.1-6.5) lens
- 112g - 98 x 57 x 21mm
- Launched January 2012
![](https://pxlmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/ai-licence-218x150.jpg)
Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic S2 Overview
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.
![](https://pxlmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/iphone-optical-stabilization-218x150.jpg)
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.
![](https://pxlmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/tiktok-218x150.jpg)
Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic S2 Gallery
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.
Reasons to pick Olympus E-M5 II over the Panasonic S2
E-M5 II | S2 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Launched | February 2015 | ![]() | January 2012 | Fresher by 38 months |
Manually focus | ![]() | More exact focusing | ||
Screen type | Fully Articulated | ![]() | Fixed | Fully Articulating screen |
Screen dimensions | 3" | ![]() | 2.7" | Bigger screen (+0.3") |
Screen resolution | 1037k | ![]() | 230k | Clearer screen (+807k dot) |
Selfie screen | ![]() | Take selfies | ||
Touch friendly screen | ![]() | Quickly navigate |
Reasons to pick Panasonic S2 over the Olympus E-M5 II
S2 | E-M5 II |
---|
Common features in the Olympus E-M5 II and Panasonic S2
E-M5 II | S2 |
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Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic S2 Physical Comparison
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.![Camera Size Comparison with Lenses Camera Size Comparison with Lenses](https://pxlmag.com/db/assets/camera-size-comparison-animation.gif)
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.
![Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic S2 size comparison Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic S2 size comparison](https://pxlmag.com/db/images/camera-compare/Olympus-OM-D-E-M5-II-vs-Panasonic-Lumix-DMC-S2-size-comparison.jpg)
Looking at size and weight, the portability rating of the E-M5 II and S2 is 80 and 96 respectively.
![Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic S2 top view buttons comparison Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic S2 top view buttons comparison](https://pxlmag.com/db/images/camera-compare/Olympus-OM-D-E-M5-II-vs-Panasonic-Lumix-DMC-S2-top-view-buttons-comparison.jpg)
Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic S2 Sensor Comparison
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.
![Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic S2 sensor size comparison Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic S2 sensor size comparison](https://pxlmag.com/db/images/sensor-compare/Olympus-OM-D-E-M5-II-vs-Panasonic-Lumix-DMC-S2-sensor-size-comparison.png)
Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic S2 Screen and ViewFinder
![Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic S2 Screen and Viewfinder comparison Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic S2 Screen and Viewfinder comparison](https://pxlmag.com/db/images/camera-compare/Olympus-OM-D-E-M5-II-vs-Panasonic-Lumix-DMC-S2-screen-back-comparison.jpg)
![](https://pxlmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/maxresdefault-218x150.jpg)
Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison
![](https://pxlmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photography-glossary-218x150.jpg)
Street Comparison
![](https://pxlmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/samsung-evo-microsd-cards-featur-218x150.jpg)
Sports Comparison
![](https://pxlmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/No-Surprise-Pentax-17-Pre-Orders-218x150.jpg)
Travel Comparison
![](https://pxlmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/LP3_cut_13f_0212-218x150.jpg)
Landscape Comparison
![](https://pxlmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Approach-to-AI-Generated-Content-218x150.jpg)
Vlogging Comparison
![](https://pxlmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/snapchat-218x150.jpg)
Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic S2 Specifications
Olympus OM-D E-M5 II | Panasonic Lumix DMC-S2 | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Make | Olympus | Panasonic |
Model type | Olympus OM-D E-M5 II | Panasonic Lumix DMC-S2 |
Class | Advanced Mirrorless | Small Sensor Compact |
Introduced | 2015-02-06 | 2012-01-09 |
Physical type | SLR-style mirrorless | Compact |
Sensor Information | ||
Processor Chip | TruePic VII | - |
Sensor type | MOS | CCD |
Sensor size | Four Thirds | 1/2.3" |
Sensor measurements | 17.3 x 13mm | 6.08 x 4.56mm |
Sensor area | 224.9mm² | 27.7mm² |
Sensor resolution | 16 megapixel | 14 megapixel |
Anti alias filter | ||
Aspect ratio | 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 | 4:3 and 16:9 |
Full resolution | 4608 x 3456 | 4320 x 3240 |
Max native ISO | 25600 | 6400 |
Min native ISO | 200 | 100 |
RAW images | ||
Min boosted ISO | 100 | - |
Autofocusing | ||
Manual focusing | ||
Touch focus | ||
Continuous AF | ||
Single AF | ||
Tracking AF | ||
Selective AF | ||
Center weighted AF | ||
AF multi area | ||
AF live view | ||
Face detect focusing | ||
Contract detect focusing | ||
Phase detect focusing | ||
Total focus points | 81 | 23 |
Lens | ||
Lens support | Micro Four Thirds | fixed lens |
Lens zoom range | - | 28-112mm (4.0x) |
Max aperture | - | f/3.1-6.5 |
Macro focusing range | - | 5cm |
Total lenses | 107 | - |
Crop factor | 2.1 | 5.9 |
Screen | ||
Type of display | Fully Articulated | Fixed Type |
Display diagonal | 3" | 2.7" |
Display resolution | 1,037 thousand dots | 230 thousand dots |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch functionality | ||
Display tech | - | TFT Color LCD |
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder | Electronic | None |
Viewfinder resolution | 2,360 thousand dots | - |
Viewfinder coverage | 100% | - |
Viewfinder magnification | 0.74x | - |
Features | ||
Slowest shutter speed | 60s | 8s |
Maximum shutter speed | 1/8000s | 1/1600s |
Maximum quiet shutter speed | 1/16000s | - |
Continuous shooting rate | 10.0 frames/s | 2.0 frames/s |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Manual mode | ||
Exposure compensation | Yes | - |
Change WB | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Integrated flash | ||
Flash distance | no built-in flash | 3.30 m |
Flash options | Auto, redeye, fill, off, redeye slow sync, slow sync, 2nd-curtain slow sync, manual | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction |
External flash | ||
Auto exposure bracketing | ||
White balance bracketing | ||
Maximum flash synchronize | 1/250s | - |
Exposure | ||
Multisegment exposure | ||
Average exposure | ||
Spot exposure | ||
Partial exposure | ||
AF area exposure | ||
Center weighted exposure | ||
Video features | ||
Supported 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), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps) |
Max video resolution | 1920x1080 | 1280x720 |
Video data format | MPEG-4, H.264, Motion JPEG | Motion JPEG |
Microphone port | ||
Headphone port | ||
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 sealing | ||
Water proofing | ||
Dust proofing | ||
Shock proofing | ||
Crush proofing | ||
Freeze proofing | ||
Weight | 469 gr (1.03 lb) | 112 gr (0.25 lb) |
Physical dimensions | 124 x 85 x 45mm (4.9" x 3.3" x 1.8") | 98 x 57 x 21mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 0.8") |
DXO scores | ||
DXO All around rating | 73 | not tested |
DXO Color Depth rating | 23.0 | not tested |
DXO Dynamic range rating | 12.4 | not tested |
DXO Low light rating | 896 | not tested |
Other | ||
Battery life | 310 pictures | 280 pictures |
Form of battery | Battery Pack | Battery Pack |
Battery ID | BLN-1 | - |
Self timer | Yes (2 or 10 secs, custom) | Yes (2 or 10 sec) |
Time lapse shooting | ||
Storage type | SD/SDHC/SDXC | SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal |
Card slots | Single | Single |
Retail price | $699 | $109 |