Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic ZS50

On this page, we are reviewing the Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic ZS50, one being a Advanced Mirrorless and the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom by rivals Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a huge gap among the resolutions of the E-M5 II (16MP) and ZS50 (12MP) and the E-M5 II (Four Thirds) and ZS50 (1/2.3") offer different sensor measurements.

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The E-M5 II was introduced 2 months later than the ZS50 which means that they are both of a similar generation. Both cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-M5 II being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic ZS50 being a Compact camera.

Before going into a complete comparison, here is a concise view of how the E-M5 II scores against the ZS50 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

The following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus OM-D E-M5 II and Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS50. The whole galleries are viewable at Olympus E-M5 II Gallery and Panasonic ZS50 Gallery.

For those who are intending to lug around your camera, you are going to need to factor in its weight and volume. The Olympus E-M5 II has got physical measurements of 124mm x 85mm x 45mm (4.9" x 3.3" x 1.8") with a weight of 469 grams (1.03 lbs) and the Panasonic ZS50 has sizing of 111mm x 65mm x 34mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.3") with a weight of 243 grams (0.54 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic ZS50 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Keep in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ based on the lens you are utilizing at that time. Here is a front view measurement comparison of the E-M5 II compared to the ZS50.

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-M5 II and ZS50 is 80 and 90 respectively.

Quite often, its difficult to imagine the gap in sensor measurements merely by seeing specs. The photograph underneath will help give you a clearer sense of the sensor sizing in the E-M5 II and ZS50.

As you can plainly see, both of these cameras have different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The E-M5 II having a larger sensor is going to make getting shallow DOF easier and the Olympus E-M5 II will provide greater detail using its extra 4MP. Greater resolution can also help you crop photos a bit more aggressively.