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Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic ZS100

Portability
80
Imaging
53
Features
84
Overall
65
Olympus OM-D E-M5 II front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS100 front
Portability
87
Imaging
52
Features
65
Overall
57

Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic ZS100 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
  • Old Model is Olympus E-M5
  • Refreshed by Olympus E-M5 III
Panasonic ZS100
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - 1" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 125 - 12800 (Increase to 25600)
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • 25-250mm (F2.8-5.9) lens
  • 312g - 111 x 65 x 44mm
  • Revealed January 2016
  • Also Known as Lumix DMC-TZ100
  • New Model is Panasonic ZS200
Photography Glossary

Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic ZS100 Overview

On this page, we are matching up the Olympus E-M5 II and Panasonic ZS100, one being a Advanced Mirrorless and the other is a Large Sensor Compact by rivals Olympus and Panasonic. The sensor resolution of the E-M5 II (16MP) and the ZS100 (20MP) is fairly similar but the E-M5 II (Four Thirds) and ZS100 (1") offer different sensor sizing.

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The E-M5 II was revealed 11 months prior to the ZS100 so they are both of a similar generation. The two cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-M5 II being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic ZS100 being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before diving straight to a in depth comparison, here is a quick overview of how the E-M5 II grades vs the ZS100 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-M5 II over the Panasonic ZS100

 E-M5 II ZS100 
Display typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating display
Selfie screen Take selfies

Reasons to pick Panasonic ZS100 over the Olympus E-M5 II

 ZS100 E-M5 II 
RevealedJanuary 2016February 2015Fresher by 11 months
Display resolution1040k1037kClearer display (+3k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-M5 II and Panasonic ZS100

 E-M5 II ZS100 
Focus manually Dial precise focus
Display dimensions3"3"Equal display measurement
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic ZS100 Physical Comparison

If you are going to carry your camera often, you're going to have to take into account its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-M5 II has got physical measurements of 124mm x 85mm x 45mm (4.9" x 3.3" x 1.8") accompanied by a weight of 469 grams (1.03 lbs) and the Panasonic ZS100 has dimensions of 111mm x 65mm x 44mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.7") with a weight of 312 grams (0.69 lbs).

Check out the Olympus E-M5 II and Panasonic ZS100 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you are working with at that time. Following is a front view size comparison of the E-M5 II and the ZS100.

Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic ZS100 size comparison

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-M5 II and ZS100 is 80 and 87 respectively.

Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic ZS100 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic ZS100 Sensor Comparison

Normally, it is very tough to imagine the difference between sensor sizing purely by reading a spec sheet. The graphic underneath will help provide you a greater sense of the sensor sizing in the E-M5 II and ZS100.

Clearly, the 2 cameras have different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The E-M5 II with its larger sensor is going to make achieving shallow depth of field easier and the Panasonic ZS100 will offer you greater detail because of its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also let you crop pics a bit more aggressively. The older E-M5 II is going to be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor technology.

Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic ZS100 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic ZS100 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic ZS100 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-M5 II Portrait photography info
Panasonic ZS100 Portrait photography info
71
you can focus manually
decent MP (16MP)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
provides face detection focusing
delivers RAW files
64
you can focus manually
good megapixels (20 megapixels)
good sensor size (1")
offers face detection focus
exports RAW files
no external flash support
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-M5 II Street photography highlights
Panasonic ZS100 Street photography highlights
82
screen articulates fully
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW files
offers touch to focus
weather proofing
good ISO range (25,600)
78
image stabilization (Optical)
good sensor size (1")
exports RAW files
offers touch focus
lighter than competition (312 grams)
no articulating screen
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus E-M5 II
Sports photography with Panasonic ZS100
65
high shutter speed (1/8,000 seconds)
silent shooting (1/16,000 seconds)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent MP (16 megapixels)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
provides tracking autofocus
weather proofing
bad battery life (310 shots)
no phase detect AF
67
quiet mode (1/16,000 seconds)
image stabilization (Optical)
good megapixels (20MP)
good sensor size (1")
offers tracking autofocus
has no phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-M5 II as a Travel photography camera
Panasonic ZS100 as a Travel photography camera
74
weather proofing
offers touch to focus
decent MP (16MP)
screen is selfie friendly
bad battery life (310 shots)
75
lighter than competition (312 grams)
offers touch focus
good megapixels (20 megapixels)
built-in flash
fairly wide (25mm)
long zoom (250mm)
display isn't selfie friendly
sluggish max aperture (f2.8)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-M5 II Landscape photography info
Panasonic ZS100 Landscape photography info
74
you can focus manually
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
decent sized screen (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent MP (16 megapixels)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
good ISO range (25,600)
delivers RAW files
weather proofing
bad battery life (310 CIPA)
68
you can focus manually
fairly wide (25mm)
nice screen size (3 inch)
image stabilization (Optical)
good megapixels (20 megapixels)
good sensor size (1")
exports RAW files
cannot swap lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f2.8)
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-M5 II Vlogging features
Panasonic ZS100 Vlogging features
82
screen is selfie friendly
touchscreen functionality
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
provides face detection focusing
high res video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
includes external microphone jack
35
fairly wide (25mm)
touchscreen
image stabilization (Optical)
offers face detection focus
video res high (3840 x 2160 pixels)
lighter than competition (312 grams)
sluggish max aperture (f2.8)
display isn't selfie friendly
no external mic port
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Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic ZS100 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M5 II and Panasonic ZS100
 Olympus OM-D E-M5 IIPanasonic Lumix DMC-ZS100
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Panasonic
Model Olympus OM-D E-M5 II Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS100
Alternative name - Lumix DMC-TZ100
Class Advanced Mirrorless Large Sensor Compact
Released 2015-02-06 2016-01-05
Body design SLR-style mirrorless Large Sensor Compact
Sensor Information
Powered by TruePic VII Venus Engine
Sensor type MOS MOS
Sensor size Four Thirds 1"
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 13.2 x 8.8mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 116.2mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixel 20 megapixel
Anti aliasing 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 5472 x 3648
Max native ISO 25600 12800
Max boosted ISO - 25600
Min native ISO 200 125
RAW support
Min boosted ISO 100 80
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch focus
Continuous AF
AF single
Tracking AF
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Number of focus points 81 49
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 25-250mm (10.0x)
Largest aperture - f/2.8-5.9
Macro focus range - 5cm
Number of lenses 107 -
Crop factor 2.1 2.7
Screen
Range of display Fully Articulated Fixed Type
Display size 3 inch 3 inch
Display resolution 1,037 thousand dot 1,040 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic Electronic
Viewfinder resolution 2,360 thousand dot 1,166 thousand dot
Viewfinder coverage 100% 100%
Viewfinder magnification 0.74x 0.46x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60s 60s
Highest shutter speed 1/8000s 1/2000s
Highest quiet shutter speed 1/16000s 1/16000s
Continuous shooting speed 10.0fps 9.9fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range no built-in flash 8.00 m (at Auto ISO)
Flash options Auto, redeye, fill, off, redeye slow sync, slow sync, 2nd-curtain slow sync, manual Auto, Auto/Red-eye Reduction, Forced On, Forced On/Red-eye Reduction, Slow Sync., Slow Sync./Red-eye Reduction, Forced Off
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Highest flash sync 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) 4K/UHD (3840 x 2160 @ 30p/24p), 1920 x 1080 @ 60p/60i/30p/24p, 640 x 480 (30p)
Max video resolution 1920x1080 3840x2160
Video format MPEG-4, H.264, Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD
Mic jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 469 gr (1.03 lbs) 312 gr (0.69 lbs)
Physical dimensions 124 x 85 x 45mm (4.9" x 3.3" x 1.8") 111 x 65 x 44mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.7")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 73 70
DXO Color Depth score 23.0 22.8
DXO Dynamic range score 12.4 12.5
DXO Low light score 896 559
Other
Battery life 310 images 300 images
Battery form Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model BLN-1 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 secs, custom) Yes (2 or 10 secs, 3 shots @ 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC card
Storage slots One One
Cost at launch $699 $700