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Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic ZR1

Portability
80
Imaging
53
Features
84
Overall
65
Olympus OM-D E-M5 II front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZR1 front
Portability
94
Imaging
35
Features
17
Overall
27

Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic ZR1 Key Specs

Olympus E-M5 II
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Display
  • 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
  • Released February 2015
  • Older Model is Olympus E-M5
  • Renewed by Olympus E-M5 III
Panasonic ZR1
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 25-200mm (F3.3-5.9) lens
  • 158g - 98 x 55 x 26mm
  • Released July 2009
  • Alternate Name is Lumix DMC-ZX1
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Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic ZR1 Overview

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.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-M5 II over the Panasonic ZR1

 E-M5 II ZR1 
ReleasedFebruary 2015July 2009Newer by 68 months
Focus manually Very accurate focusing
Screen typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating screen
Screen dimensions3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution1037k230kCrisper screen (+807k dot)
Selfie screen Take selfies
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Panasonic ZR1 over the Olympus E-M5 II

 ZR1 E-M5 II 

Common features in the Olympus E-M5 II and Panasonic ZR1

 E-M5 II ZR1 

Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic ZR1 Physical Comparison

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. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

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.

Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic ZR1 size comparison

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

Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic ZR1 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic ZR1 Sensor Comparison

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.

Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic ZR1 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic ZR1 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic ZR1 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-M5 II Portrait photography factors
Panasonic ZR1 Portrait photography factors
71
you can focus manually
decent MP (16MP)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
comes with face detection focus
saves RAW files
21
focusing manually not possible
no manual control
can't use external flash
resolution not great (12MP)
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of RAW files
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus E-M5 II
Street photography with Panasonic ZR1
82
screen can move to multiple angles
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
features focus by touch
weather proof
very good high ISO (25,600)
56
built in image stabilization (Optical)
no articulating screen
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-M5 II as a Sports photography camera
Panasonic ZR1 as a Sports photography camera
65
great max shutter speed (1/8,000 seconds)
silent mode (1/16,000 seconds)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent MP (16 megapixels)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
comes with tracking autofocus
weather proof
not so great battery (310 per charge)
lacks phase detect auto focus
25
built in image stabilization (Optical)
low frames per second (2.0 frames/s)
lack of shutter priority mode
resolution not great (12 megapixels)
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of phase detect auto focus
Photography Glossary

Travel Comparison

Olympus E-M5 II Travel photography features
Panasonic ZR1 Travel photography features
74
weather proof
features focus by touch
decent MP (16 megapixels)
display is selfie friendly
not so great battery (310 per charge)
57
flash built-in
fairly wide (25mm)
lack of Time Lapse function
resolution not great (12MP)
doesn't have selfie friendly display
sluggish max aperture (f3.3)
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus E-M5 II
Landscape photography with Panasonic ZR1
74
you can focus manually
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is good (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent MP (16 megapixels)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
very good high ISO (25,600)
saves RAW files
weather proof
not so great battery (310 per charge)
32
fairly wide (25mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
focusing manually not possible
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f3.3)
screen is small (2.7 inch)
no manual control
resolution not great (12MP)
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of RAW files
lack of Time Lapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-M5 II as a Vlogging camera
Panasonic ZR1 as a Vlogging camera
82
display is selfie friendly
touchscreen enabled
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
comes with face detection focus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
comes with external microphone port
28
fairly wide (25mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
sluggish max aperture (f3.3)
doesn't have selfie friendly display
low quality video (1280 x 720 pixels)
lack of external mic jack
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Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic ZR1 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M5 II and Panasonic ZR1
 Olympus OM-D E-M5 IIPanasonic Lumix DMC-ZR1
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Panasonic
Model type Olympus OM-D E-M5 II Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZR1
Other name - Lumix DMC-ZX1
Type Advanced Mirrorless Small Sensor Compact
Released 2015-02-06 2009-07-27
Body design SLR-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Powered by TruePic VII Venus Engine V
Sensor type MOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixels 12 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 4608 x 3456 4000 x 3000
Max native ISO 25600 6400
Minimum native ISO 200 80
RAW files
Minimum boosted ISO 100 -
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
Continuous AF
AF single
Tracking AF
Selective AF
AF center weighted
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Total focus points 81 11
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 25-200mm (8.0x)
Maximal aperture - f/3.3-5.9
Macro focusing range - 3cm
Number of lenses 107 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.9
Screen
Display type Fully Articulated Fixed Type
Display sizing 3" 2.7"
Resolution of display 1,037k dot 230k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic None
Viewfinder resolution 2,360k dot -
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.74x -
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60 secs 60 secs
Maximum shutter speed 1/8000 secs 1/2000 secs
Maximum quiet shutter speed 1/16000 secs -
Continuous shooting speed 10.0 frames/s 2.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Change WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance no built-in flash 5.10 m
Flash options Auto, redeye, fill, off, redeye slow sync, slow sync, 2nd-curtain slow sync, manual Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Sync
Hot shoe
AEB
White balance bracketing
Maximum flash sync 1/250 secs -
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) 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Max video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video format MPEG-4, H.264, Motion JPEG Motion JPEG
Mic input
Headphone input
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 seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 469g (1.03 lb) 158g (0.35 lb)
Physical dimensions 124 x 85 x 45mm (4.9" x 3.3" x 1.8") 98 x 55 x 26mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 1.0")
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 -
Type of battery Battery Pack -
Battery ID BLN-1 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 secs, custom) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC card, Internal
Storage slots 1 1
Cost at launch $699 $280