Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic ZS8
80 Imaging
53 Features
84 Overall
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92 Imaging
37 Features
39 Overall
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Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic ZS8 Key Specs
(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
- Introduced February 2015
- Succeeded the Olympus E-M5
- Newer Model is Olympus E-M5 III
(Full Review)
- 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
- 3" Fixed Screen
- ISO 100 - 6400
- Optical Image Stabilization
- 1280 x 720 video
- 24-384mm (F3.3-5.9) lens
- 210g - 105 x 58 x 33mm
- Released July 2011
- Other Name is Lumix DMC-TZ18
- Replaced the Panasonic ZS7
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Below is a comprehensive assessment of the Olympus E-M5 II and Panasonic ZS8, former being a Advanced Mirrorless while the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by competitors Olympus and Panasonic. The image resolution of the E-M5 II (16MP) and the ZS8 (14MP) is pretty similar but the E-M5 II (Four Thirds) and ZS8 (1/2.3") have different sensor measurements.
Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music videoThe E-M5 II was unveiled 3 years later than the ZS8 and that is quite a large difference as far as technology is concerned. Both the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-M5 II being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic ZS8 being a Compact camera.
Before we go into a thorough comparison, here is a quick summation of how the E-M5 II matches up against the ZS8 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.
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This is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus OM-D E-M5 II & Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS8. The full galleries are available at Olympus E-M5 II Gallery & Panasonic ZS8 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus E-M5 II over the Panasonic ZS8
| E-M5 II | ZS8 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Released | February 2015 | July 2011 | More recent by 44 months | |
| Manual focus | Dial precise focus | |||
| Screen type | Fully Articulated | Fixed | Fully Articulating screen | |
| Screen resolution | 1037k | 230k | Clearer screen (+807k dot) | |
| Selfie screen | Take selfies | |||
| Touch screen | Quickly navigate |
Reasons to pick Panasonic ZS8 over the Olympus E-M5 II
| ZS8 | E-M5 II |
|---|
Common features in the Olympus E-M5 II and Panasonic ZS8
| E-M5 II | ZS8 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Screen size | 3" | 3" | Same screen measurements |
Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic ZS8 Physical Comparison
When you are intending to lug around your camera often, you'll have to factor in its weight and volume. The Olympus E-M5 II provides exterior measurements of 124mm x 85mm x 45mm (4.9" x 3.3" x 1.8") and a weight of 469 grams (1.03 lbs) and the Panasonic ZS8 has sizing of 105mm x 58mm x 33mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.3") accompanied by a weight of 210 grams (0.46 lbs).
Look at the Olympus E-M5 II and Panasonic ZS8 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Remember, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you have at that moment. Below is a front view size comparison of the E-M5 II vs the ZS8.

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-M5 II and ZS8 is 80 and 92 respectively.
Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic ZS8 Sensor Comparison
More often than not, it is very difficult to picture the difference between sensor measurements merely by reading technical specs. The visual underneath may give you a greater sense of the sensor sizing in the E-M5 II and ZS8.
As you have seen, both of these cameras come with different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The E-M5 II with its bigger sensor is going to make shooting shallow DOF less difficult and the Olympus E-M5 II will deliver extra detail having an extra 2 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also enable you to crop pictures a good deal more aggressively. The fresher E-M5 II provides an edge in sensor technology.
Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic ZS8 Screen and ViewFinder
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Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic ZS8 Specifications
| Olympus OM-D E-M5 II | Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS8 | |
|---|---|---|
| General Information | ||
| Manufacturer | Olympus | Panasonic |
| Model type | Olympus OM-D E-M5 II | Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS8 |
| Also called | - | Lumix DMC-TZ18 |
| Category | Advanced Mirrorless | Small Sensor Superzoom |
| Introduced | 2015-02-06 | 2011-07-19 |
| Body design | SLR-style mirrorless | Compact |
| Sensor Information | ||
| Powered by | TruePic VII | Venus Engine FHD |
| Sensor type | MOS | CCD |
| Sensor size | Four Thirds | 1/2.3" |
| Sensor measurements | 17.3 x 13mm | 6.08 x 4.56mm |
| Sensor area | 224.9mm² | 27.7mm² |
| Sensor resolution | 16MP | 14MP |
| Anti alias 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 | 4320 x 3240 |
| Max native ISO | 25600 | 6400 |
| Min native ISO | 200 | 100 |
| RAW pictures | ||
| Min boosted ISO | 100 | - |
| Autofocusing | ||
| Manual focusing | ||
| AF touch | ||
| Continuous AF | ||
| AF single | ||
| AF tracking | ||
| Selective AF | ||
| AF center weighted | ||
| AF multi area | ||
| AF live view | ||
| Face detect AF | ||
| Contract detect AF | ||
| Phase detect AF | ||
| Total focus points | 81 | 11 |
| Lens | ||
| Lens mount type | Micro Four Thirds | fixed lens |
| Lens zoom range | - | 24-384mm (16.0x) |
| Max aperture | - | f/3.3-5.9 |
| Macro focusing distance | - | 3cm |
| Number of lenses | 107 | - |
| Focal length multiplier | 2.1 | 5.9 |
| Screen | ||
| Range of display | Fully Articulated | Fixed Type |
| Display size | 3" | 3" |
| Resolution of display | 1,037 thousand dot | 230 thousand dot |
| Selfie friendly | ||
| Liveview | ||
| Touch friendly | ||
| Display tech | - | TFT LCD |
| Viewfinder Information | ||
| Viewfinder type | Electronic | None |
| Viewfinder resolution | 2,360 thousand dot | - |
| Viewfinder coverage | 100% | - |
| Viewfinder magnification | 0.74x | - |
| Features | ||
| Lowest shutter speed | 60 seconds | 60 seconds |
| Highest shutter speed | 1/8000 seconds | 1/4000 seconds |
| Highest quiet shutter speed | 1/16000 seconds | - |
| Continuous shooting speed | 10.0 frames per sec | 2.0 frames per sec |
| Shutter priority | ||
| Aperture priority | ||
| Manual exposure | ||
| Exposure compensation | Yes | Yes |
| Set WB | ||
| Image stabilization | ||
| Integrated flash | ||
| Flash distance | no built-in flash | 5.00 m |
| Flash options | Auto, redeye, fill, off, redeye slow sync, slow sync, 2nd-curtain slow sync, manual | Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Syncro |
| Hot shoe | ||
| AE bracketing | ||
| White balance bracketing | ||
| Highest flash sync | 1/250 seconds | - |
| Exposure | ||
| Multisegment | ||
| Average | ||
| Spot | ||
| Partial | ||
| AF area | ||
| Center weighted | ||
| 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) | 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps) |
| Max video resolution | 1920x1080 | 1280x720 |
| Video file format | MPEG-4, H.264, Motion JPEG | MPEG-4 |
| Microphone 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 | ||
| Environmental seal | ||
| Water proofing | ||
| Dust proofing | ||
| Shock proofing | ||
| Crush proofing | ||
| Freeze proofing | ||
| Weight | 469g (1.03 pounds) | 210g (0.46 pounds) |
| Physical dimensions | 124 x 85 x 45mm (4.9" x 3.3" x 1.8") | 105 x 58 x 33mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.3") |
| 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 shots | 340 shots |
| Battery format | Battery Pack | Battery Pack |
| Battery ID | BLN-1 | - |
| Self timer | Yes (2 or 10 secs, custom) | Yes (2 or 10 sec) |
| Time lapse feature | ||
| Storage media | SD/SDHC/SDXC | SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal |
| Storage slots | 1 | 1 |
| Retail cost | $699 | $275 |