Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic ZR1

Let's look a bit more closely at the Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic ZR1, former is a Advanced Mirrorless while the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by competitors Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a considerable gap between the sensor resolutions of the E-M5 II (16MP) and ZR1 (12MP) and the E-M5 II (Four Thirds) and ZR1 (1/2.3") boast totally different sensor sizes.

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The E-M5 II was manufactured 5 years after the ZR1 which is quite a large difference as far as technology is concerned. Both of these cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-M5 II being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic ZR1 being a Compact camera.

Before going straight to a detailed comparison, here is a simple view of how the E-M5 II grades vs the ZR1 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

This is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus OM-D E-M5 II & Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZR1. The entire galleries are provided at Olympus E-M5 II Gallery & Panasonic ZR1 Gallery.

When you are intending to travel with your camera regularly, you will need to take into account its weight and volume. The Olympus E-M5 II has outside measurements 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 ZR1 has sizing of 98mm x 55mm x 26mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 1.0") with a weight of 158 grams (0.35 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic ZR1 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you select at that time. The following is a front view dimensions comparison of the E-M5 II against the ZR1.

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-M5 II and ZR1 is 80 and 94 respectively.

More often than not, it is very difficult to visualise the difference between sensor dimensions only by going over specs. The image below might provide you a more clear sense of the sensor sizing in the E-M5 II and ZR1.

All in all, both of these cameras provide different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The E-M5 II featuring a bigger sensor will make getting bokeh easier and the Olympus E-M5 II will offer you more detail due to its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also let you crop shots more aggressively. The younger E-M5 II is going to have an advantage when it comes to sensor technology.