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Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic ZS50

Portability
80
Imaging
53
Features
84
Overall
65
Olympus OM-D E-M5 II front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS50 front
Portability
90
Imaging
37
Features
57
Overall
45

Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic ZS50 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
  • Announced February 2015
  • Older Model is Olympus E-M5
  • New Model is Olympus E-M5 III
Panasonic ZS50
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 24-720mm (F3.3-6.4) lens
  • 243g - 111 x 65 x 34mm
  • Introduced January 2015
  • Also Known as Lumix DMC-TZ70
  • Earlier Model is Panasonic ZS45
  • Updated by Panasonic ZS60
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Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic ZS50 Overview

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.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-M5 II over the Panasonic ZS50

 E-M5 II ZS50 
Display typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating display
Selfie screen Take selfies
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Panasonic ZS50 over the Olympus E-M5 II

 ZS50 E-M5 II 
Display resolution1040k1037kClearer display (+3k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-M5 II and Panasonic ZS50

 E-M5 II ZS50 
IntroducedFebruary 2015January 2015Same generation
Manual focus Very precise focus
Display dimensions3"3"Equal display measurements

Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic ZS50 Physical Comparison

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. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

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.

Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic ZS50 size comparison

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

Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic ZS50 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic ZS50 Sensor Comparison

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.

Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic ZS50 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic ZS50 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic ZS50 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-M5 II Portrait photography info
Panasonic ZS50 Portrait photography info
71
has manual focus
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
offers face detect focus
delivers RAW formats
42
manual focus
provides face detect autofocus
saves RAW formats
can't use external flash
low megapixels (12MP)
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-M5 II as a Street photography camera
Panasonic ZS50 as a Street photography camera
82
screen articulates
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
includes focus by touch
environment proof
very good high ISO (25,600)
68
built in image stabilization (Optical)
saves RAW formats
lighter than average (243 grams)
screen is fixed
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-M5 II as a Sports photography camera
Panasonic ZS50 as a Sports photography camera
65
great max shutter speed (1/8,000s)
silent shutter (1/16,000s)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
offers tracking focus
environment proof
not so great battery life (310 CIPA)
no phase detect auto focus
43
amazing zoom range (24-720mm 30.0 x zoom)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
provides tracking focus
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
does not have phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus E-M5 II
Travel photography with Panasonic ZS50
74
environment proof
includes focus by touch
decent megapixels (16MP)
selfie friendly screen
not so great battery life (310 per charge)
66
lighter than average (243 grams)
built-in flash
pretty wide (24mm)
great reach (720mm)
low megapixels (12MP)
doesn't have a selfie friendly screen
slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
Photography Glossary

Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-M5 II as a Landscape photography camera
Panasonic ZS50 as a Landscape photography camera
74
has manual focus
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is good (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
very good high ISO (25,600)
delivers RAW formats
environment proof
not so great battery life (310 CIPA)
51
manual focus
pretty wide (24mm)
screen is a decent size (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
saves RAW formats
can't swap lenses (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
low megapixels (12MP)
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-M5 II Vlogging factors
Panasonic ZS50 Vlogging factors
82
selfie friendly screen
built-in touchscreen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
offers face detect focus
video res high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
has mic port
34
pretty wide (24mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
provides face detect autofocus
video res high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
lighter than average (243 grams)
slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
doesn't have a selfie friendly screen
doesn't have microphone support
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Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic ZS50 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M5 II and Panasonic ZS50
 Olympus OM-D E-M5 IIPanasonic Lumix DMC-ZS50
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Panasonic
Model type Olympus OM-D E-M5 II Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS50
Also Known as - Lumix DMC-TZ70
Category Advanced Mirrorless Small Sensor Superzoom
Announced 2015-02-06 2015-01-06
Physical type SLR-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Chip TruePic VII -
Sensor type MOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixels 12 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Highest resolution 4608 x 3456 4000 x 3000
Highest native ISO 25600 6400
Lowest native ISO 200 80
RAW format
Lowest boosted ISO 100 -
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch focus
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Tracking autofocus
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Total focus points 81 23
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 24-720mm (30.0x)
Largest aperture - f/3.3-6.4
Macro focusing distance - 3cm
Total lenses 107 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.8
Screen
Type of screen Fully Articulated Fixed Type
Screen diagonal 3 inch 3 inch
Screen resolution 1,037k dots 1,040k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic Electronic
Viewfinder resolution 2,360k dots 1,166k dots
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification 0.74x 0.46x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60 secs 4 secs
Maximum shutter speed 1/8000 secs 1/2000 secs
Maximum silent shutter speed 1/16000 secs -
Continuous shooting rate 10.0 frames per second 10.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance no built-in flash 6.40 m
Flash modes Auto, redeye, fill, off, redeye slow sync, slow sync, 2nd-curtain slow sync, manual Auto, Auto/Red-eye Reduction, Forced On, Slow Sync./Red-eye Reduction, Forced Off
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Maximum flash synchronize 1/250 secs -
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 (60p/60i/30p), 1280 x 720 (60p/30p), 640 x 480 (30p)
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video file format MPEG-4, H.264, Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD
Microphone support
Headphone support
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 sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 469 grams (1.03 lbs) 243 grams (0.54 lbs)
Physical dimensions 124 x 85 x 45mm (4.9" x 3.3" x 1.8") 111 x 65 x 34mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.3")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 73 44
DXO Color Depth rating 23.0 20.0
DXO Dynamic range rating 12.4 11.2
DXO Low light rating 896 138
Other
Battery life 310 shots 300 shots
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 shooting
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Card slots Single Single
Pricing at launch $699 $350