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Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic SZ7

Portability
80
Imaging
54
Features
84
Overall
66
Olympus OM-D E-M5 II front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ7 front
Portability
95
Imaging
37
Features
41
Overall
38

Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic SZ7 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 Maximum Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 469g - 124 x 85 x 45mm
  • Released February 2015
  • Superseded the Olympus E-M5
  • New Model is Olympus E-M5 III
Panasonic SZ7
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 25-250mm (F3.1-5.9) lens
  • 133g - 99 x 59 x 21mm
  • Launched January 2012
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Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic SZ7 Overview

Let's look more closely at the Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic SZ7, former being a Advanced Mirrorless while the other is a Small Sensor Compact by rivals Olympus and Panasonic. The resolution of the E-M5 II (16MP) and the SZ7 (14MP) is very well matched but the E-M5 II (Four Thirds) and SZ7 (1/2.3") use different sensor dimensions.

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The E-M5 II was manufactured 3 years later than the SZ7 and that is quite a large difference as far as technology is concerned. Both cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-M5 II being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic SZ7 being a Compact camera.

Before going through a comprehensive comparison, below is a brief highlight of how the E-M5 II grades versus the SZ7 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-M5 II over the Panasonic SZ7

 E-M5 II SZ7 
LaunchedFebruary 2015January 2012More recent by 38 months
Focus manually Dial accurate focusing
Display typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating display
Display resolution1037k460kSharper display (+577k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Panasonic SZ7 over the Olympus E-M5 II

 SZ7 E-M5 II 

Common features in the Olympus E-M5 II and Panasonic SZ7

 E-M5 II SZ7 
Display dimension3"3"Identical display sizing

Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic SZ7 Physical Comparison

In case you're aiming to lug around your camera often, you have to consider its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-M5 II provides outside measurements of 124mm x 85mm x 45mm (4.9" x 3.3" x 1.8") having a weight of 469 grams (1.03 lbs) while the Panasonic SZ7 has measurements of 99mm x 59mm x 21mm (3.9" x 2.3" x 0.8") having a weight of 133 grams (0.29 lbs).

Compare the Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic SZ7 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you are utilising during that time. Following is the front view dimension comparison of the E-M5 II versus the SZ7.

Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic SZ7 size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-M5 II and SZ7 is 80 and 95 respectively.

Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic SZ7 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic SZ7 Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, it is difficult to imagine the gap between sensor measurements just by checking specs. The visual below should give you a far better sense of the sensor sizing in the E-M5 II and SZ7.

As you can plainly see, both cameras have got different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The E-M5 II because of its larger sensor is going to make shooting bokeh simpler and the Olympus E-M5 II will give you more detail due to its extra 2MP. Greater resolution can also allow you to crop photos much more aggressively. The younger E-M5 II provides a benefit with regard to sensor innovation.

Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic SZ7 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic SZ7 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic SZ7 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-M5 II Portrait photography advice
Panasonic SZ7 Portrait photography advice
72
has manual focus
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
supports face detect focus
supports RAW formats
33
MP count decent (14 megapixels)
offers face detect focusing
manual focus not available
manual exposure not possible
no external flash support
very small sensor (1/2.3")
does not have RAW files
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus E-M5 II
Street photography with Panasonic SZ7
82
screen articulates
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
has focus by touch
environment proofing
good high ISO (25,600)
63
image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than average (133g)
screen is fixed
very small sensor (1/2.3")
does not have RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-M5 II Sports photography info
Panasonic SZ7 Sports photography info
65
max shutter speed is good (1/8,000s)
silent shooting (1/16,000s)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
supports tracking focus
environment proofing
not so great battery pack (310 CIPA)
no phase detect auto focus
43
image stabilization (Optical)
MP count decent (14 megapixels)
offers tracking focus
no shutter priority
very small sensor (1/2.3")
does not have phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus E-M5 II
Travel photography with Panasonic SZ7
74
environment proofing
has focus by touch
decent sensor resolution (16 megapixels)
screen is selfie friendly
not so great battery pack (310 CIPA)
70
lighter than average (133 grams)
MP count decent (14 megapixels)
built-in flash
really wide (25mm)
very long reach (250mm)
no Time Lapse mode
doesn't offer selfie friendly screen
slow maximum aperture (f3.1)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-M5 II Landscape photography information
Panasonic SZ7 Landscape photography information
74
has manual focus
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
good high ISO (25,600)
supports RAW formats
environment proofing
not so great battery pack (310 CIPA)
42
really wide (25mm)
nice screen size (3")
image stabilization (Optical)
MP count decent (14MP)
manual focus not available
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f3.1)
manual exposure not possible
very small sensor (1/2.3")
does not have RAW files
no Time Lapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-M5 II Vlogging info
Panasonic SZ7 Vlogging info
82
screen is selfie friendly
touchscreen
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
supports face detect focus
high res video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
has mic jack
35
really wide (25mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
offers face detect focusing
high res video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
lighter than average (133g)
slow maximum aperture (f3.1)
doesn't offer selfie friendly screen
no mic support
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Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic SZ7 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M5 II and Panasonic SZ7
 Olympus OM-D E-M5 IIPanasonic Lumix DMC-SZ7
General Information
Company Olympus Panasonic
Model type Olympus OM-D E-M5 II Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ7
Class Advanced Mirrorless Small Sensor Compact
Released 2015-02-06 2012-01-09
Physical type SLR-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Chip TruePic VII -
Sensor type MOS CMOS
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 16 megapixels 14 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 4608 x 3456 4320 x 3240
Max native ISO 25600 6400
Minimum native ISO 200 100
RAW data
Minimum boosted ISO 100 -
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Total focus points 81 23
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 25-250mm (10.0x)
Highest aperture - f/3.1-5.9
Macro focusing distance - 4cm
Total lenses 107 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.9
Screen
Screen type Fully Articulated Fixed Type
Screen size 3 inches 3 inches
Screen resolution 1,037 thousand dots 460 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Screen technology - 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 silent shutter speed 1/16000s -
Continuous shooting rate 10.0 frames/s 10.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes -
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance no built-in flash 5.60 m
Flash modes Auto, redeye, fill, off, redeye slow sync, slow sync, 2nd-curtain slow sync, manual Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction
External flash
AEB
White balance bracketing
Maximum flash synchronize 1/250s -
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
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) 1920 x 1080 (60, 30 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Max video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video format MPEG-4, H.264, Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD
Mic support
Headphone support
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
Environmental sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 469g (1.03 lbs) 133g (0.29 lbs)
Dimensions 124 x 85 x 45mm (4.9" x 3.3" x 1.8") 99 x 59 x 21mm (3.9" x 2.3" 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 photographs 220 photographs
Battery style Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLN-1 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 secs, custom) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Card slots Single Single
Launch pricing $699 $199