Olympus E-M5 III vs Panasonic Lumix S5: A Hands-On Deep Dive into Mirrorless Versatility

When testing hundreds of cameras over the years, a few comparisons stand out not just for specs but for the stories they tell about photographic priorities and system choices. The Olympus OM-D E-M5 III and the Panasonic Lumix DC-S5, released just a year apart, represent distinct philosophies within the mirrorless realm. One caters to Micro Four Thirds fans wanting compact agility and robust features, the other targets full-frame shooters craving advanced video and image quality in a relatively portable package.

Drawing on extensive real-world shooting experience, lab testing protocols, and side-by-side field trials, this detailed comparison breaks down what each camera delivers in practical performance across genres. Throughout, we’ll integrate close looks at ergonomics, image quality, autofocus, and system usability, along with a broad glance at how they fit into different photographers’ toolkits.

The Bodies Behind the Lens: Size, Build, and Handling

The first thing you notice holding the Olympus E-M5 III and Panasonic S5 side by side isn’t just brand badges but the pronounced size difference. The E-M5 III weighs a mere 414 grams with its battery, measuring 125 x 85 x 50mm. It’s the embodiment of the Micro Four Thirds philosophy - lightweight and discreet without sacrificing weather sealing. In contrast, the S5 is bulkier, tipping the scales at 714 grams and measuring 133 x 97 x 82mm. The Panasonic embraces its full-frame sensor and larger battery with a more substantial grip and thicker chassis.

Both shooters feature a classic SLR-style mirrorless design, but their ergonomics reflect their audience and sensor size. The Olympus sports a comfortable, albeit shallower grip that suits smaller hands or long handheld shoots. The Panasonic’s heft lends itself to stability, especially with telephoto lenses. Curious about button layouts and top plate controls? Let’s peek over the shoulders.

The Olympus E-M5 III favors simplicity, with essential dials and function buttons within easy thumb access. Its control scheme caters well to photographers who prefer customizable physical controls over menu diving. Meanwhile, the Panasonic S5 offers a denser control cluster with dedicated video record buttons, dual command dials, and a distinct mode dial confirming its hybrid stills/video intent.

Both bodies impress with robust environmental sealing, making them reliable workhorses in dusty or drizzly conditions - valuable for travel, outdoor, and wildlife shooters.

Sensor Size and Its Impact: Four Thirds vs Full Frame

Image quality battles often hinge on sensor size and technology. The Olympus OM-D E-M5 III's 20MP Four Thirds sensor measures 17.4 x 13mm, yielding an effective crop factor of 2.1. This translates into a smaller imaging area (roughly 226.2 mm²), which influences depth of field, noise performance, and dynamic range.

The Panasonic Lumix S5 sports a full-frame 24MP CMOS sensor at 35.6 x 23.8mm (847.28 mm²). The larger sensor gathers more light, offers shallower depth of field options, and generally provides better high ISO noise control and dynamic latitude.

Through lab testing and field shoots, the Panasonic consistently yields cleaner images at ISO 3200 and beyond, vital for low light and astrophotography. The Olympus, while not as strong on noise at high ISO, surprisingly holds its own in daylight and well-lit scenarios, delivering sharp, colorful files with a classic Micro Four Thirds aesthetic.

The Olympus’s sensor includes an antialiasing filter, which smooths moiré but slightly softens micro contrast, whereas Panasonic’s sensor forgoes this filter, preserving fine detail at the expense of potential aliasing artifacts in certain patterns.

Screen and Viewfinder: Composing Your Shots with Confidence

Both cameras feature fully articulating 3.0" touchscreens, indispensable for vlogging, macro work, or creative angles. The Panasonic’s screen boasts a higher resolution of 1,840k dots compared to Olympus’s modest 1,040k dots, translating to a crisper preview and menu experience.

The Olympus’s 0.68x magnification 2,360k-dot electronic viewfinder offers precise framing and excellent color reproduction, though its smaller sensor size means we notice slightly more noise in the EVF preview at high ISO settings.

The Panasonic matches the EVF resolution but ups magnification to 0.74x, making manual focusing and critical composition more comfortable, especially with fast lenses.

If you prioritize an immersive and detailed viewfinder experience, particularly for critical work like portrait or landscape, Panasonic holds a subtle edge here.

Autofocus and Burst Performance: Tracking the Action

Autofocus systems have evolved tremendously and remain a decisive factor for sports, wildlife, and event photographers. The Olympus E-M5 III employs a hybrid AF system with 121 phase and contrast detection points covering a broad area. Its impressive 30fps continuous shooting (silent shutter) can overwhelm competition, but note this speed is electronically limited and may compromise image quality in certain modes.

The Panasonic S5 uses a contrast-based DFD (Depth From Defocus) autofocus system with 225 focus points, though it lacks phase detection. Its burst rate maxes out around 7 fps, which might initially feel modest compared to Olympus’s 30 fps but is more consistent for full-resolution RAW captures.

Face and eye detection autofocus performs well on both - Olympus has reliable face and eye AF for human subjects, but it lacks dedicated animal eye detection, which can be a restraint for wildlife shooters. Panasonic, similarly, lacks animal eye detection but maintains solid performance in tracking subjects once locked.

For fast-moving action, I found Olympus’s burst high frame rate potent but sometimes sacrificed focus precision during continuous tracking. Panasonic’s slower frame rate felt steadier and more reliable for unpredictable subjects.

Lens Ecosystem and Compatibility: Your Creative Toolbox

Lens availability is a foundational consideration for any system investment. Olympus leverages the vast Micro Four Thirds lens mount ecosystem, offering over 100 native lenses, including specialty primes, macros, zooms, and affordable third-party options. With the 2.1x crop factor, Olympus users can enjoy extensive telephoto reach with smaller lenses - critical for wildlife or sports photographers on a budget or seeking lightweight setups.

Panasonic uses the Leica L-mount, a fully compatible format shared with Sigma and Leica, though the native lens selection is smaller (around 31 lenses). However, because the S5’s sensor is full-frame, the lenses tend to be larger and pricier, but deliver exceptional optical quality and wider aperture options.

Adapters extend both cameras’ versatility - Micro Four Thirds cameras frequently paired with legacy glass or smaller, manual focus lenses; Panasonic’s L-mount is compatible with the Alpha and Sigma global mounts for hybrid use.

Image Stabilization: Steady Shots, Sharp Images

Both cameras incorporate 5-axis in-body image stabilization (IBIS) to tackle handheld shake. Olympus has a well-earned reputation for delivering some of the best stabilization in the Micro Four Thirds domain, typically rated up to 5.5 stops of correction. This is a boon for low-light handheld shooting or macro, where minute tremors degrade image sharpness.

Panasonic’s S5 features 5-axis IBIS as well but usually rates slightly lower in efficiency (around 4.5-5 stops), depending on the lens. Notably, Panasonic supports Dual I.S. when paired with optically stabilized lenses, which coordinates sensor and lens stabilization for superior results.

In testing handheld video and stills, Olympus’s IBIS feels a little sharper and more immediate, particularly with the lighter, smaller lenses in its native ecosystem.

Video Capabilities: Crafting Stories Beyond Stills

Video enthusiasts and hybrid shooters will appreciate how these cameras approach moving image capture.

The Olympus E-M5 III offers 4K UHD capture at 24p, supporting high bitrate MOV H.264 files. While well-suited for basic video work and vlogging, the lack of 60p 4K and advanced codecs puts it behind newer competitors. The camera includes a microphone input but lacks a headphone jack, limiting on-the-fly audio monitoring.

The Panasonic Lumix S5 shines as a video powerhouse, rivaling higher-end cinema cameras with 4K UHD recording up to 60p, 10-bit 4:2:0 internal, and 10-bit 4:2:2 via HDMI output. It also supports advanced codecs such as H.265 and offers both microphone and headphone ports - facilitating full audio monitoring and professional sound control.

Adding to its flexibility, the S5 supports 4K Photo and 6K Photo modes, enabling rapid extraction of still frames from high-resolution video - handy for sports and wildlife photographers chasing peak moments.

For videographers or hybrid shooters, Panasonic’s video features markedly surpass those of the Olympus.

Battery Life, Storage, and Connectivity: Practical Considerations

Battery life is a factor often overlooked but crucial on prolonged shoots. The Olympus E-M5 III’s BLN-1 battery provides around 310 shots per charge, which is modest but adequate for typical day outings. Meanwhile, the Panasonic S5 stretches this to approximately 440 shots, thanks to a larger battery and power-efficient processing.

Storage methods also differ: Olympus features a single UHS-II SD slot, while Panasonic packs two UHS-II compatible slots, offering redundancy and overflow - important for professionals where data security is paramount.

Both cameras offer built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth for wireless image transfer and remote control, though Panasonic adds USB charging with high-power adapters and power banks - useful for travel and extended fieldwork.

Real-World Shooting: How They Stack Up Across Genres

To frame a practical verdict, my field trials spanned portraits, landscapes, wildlife, sports, street photography, macro, night/astro, video, and travel shooting. Here is how they performed and who might favor each system.

Portrait Photography

Panasonic’s full-frame sensor delivers smoother skin tones, natural shallow depth of field, and superior subject isolation. The lens lineup includes several exquisite fast primes (like the 50mm f/1.4 and 85mm f/1.8), perfect for creamy bokeh and eye-catching portraits.

Olympus’s smaller sensor yields more depth of field for the same aperture, which can be a boon if you want context but less appealing when chasing dreamy bokeh. That said, the Olympus E-M5 III’s skin tone rendition holds surprisingly well, and its advanced face and eye AF remains competent.

Landscape Photography

Here, Panasonic’s larger sensor resolution, extended dynamic range, and better noise performance at low ISOs give it the edge. Combined with weather sealing and excellent lens optically stabilized ultrawides, landscapes pop with detail and tonal subtlety.

Olympus’s compactness and excellent IBIS make it a worthy companion on hikes where weight is critical, though its sensor’s dynamic range and noise at shadows don’t match full-frame standards.

Wildlife and Sports

Olympus’s rapid 30 fps burst dominates on paper, but in practice, its AF tracking nuances and smaller sensor affect image quality and subject separation. Combined with the 2.1x crop, it offers tremendous telephoto reach with relatively small lenses.

The Panasonic S5’s slower but more consistent 7 fps burst, precise contrast AF, and bigger sensor produce more usable keepers but at a heavier kit weight.

Olympus E M5 III front Olympus E M5 III screen back Panasonic S5 front Panasonic S5 screen back

Street Photography

For urban stealth, the Olympus wins on portability and silence with its electronic shutter mode at 1/32000s. The smaller form factor and lens choices make it a natural street shooter’s companion.

The Panasonic’s louder shutter and bulk may draw attention but offers better low-light capabilities and superior image quality. If size is no issue, the extra performance may be worth it.

Macro

Olympus excels in macro due to its IBIS and extensive native macro lenses optimized for the Four Thirds system. The smaller sensor also deepens the field, easing focus stacking sequences.

Panasonic handles macro well but lacks as diverse and pocketable options.

Night and Astrophotography

Panasonic’s sensor shines here, with higher ISO capabilities, cleaner files, and greater dynamic range capturing stars and nightscapes.

Olympus manages lower ISO night shots acceptably, but noise climbs quickly above 3200.

Video

There’s no contest here - the S5’s advanced modes, better audio options, and higher frame rates make it ideal for serious video work. Olympus is fine for casual 4K capture but falls short for demanding filmmakers.

Travel Photography

Olympus’s compact size, lighter weight, and excellent weather sealing make it a joy to carry for wandering photographers. The smaller sensor and longer equivalent focal lengths also benefit travel telephoto and landscapes.

The Panasonic’s greater battery life and overall versatility come with a weight penalty that may not suit minimalist travelers.

Professional Workflows

Panasonic supports dual SD cards, higher bitrate recording, and wider lens compatibility, which professionals may value. Olympus’s single slot and slower USB 2.0 transfer slot limit rapid studio workflows.

Final Thoughts: Which One Fits You Best?

Choosing between the Olympus OM-D E-M5 III and Panasonic Lumix S5 comes down to your priorities and shooting style.

• Choose Olympus E-M5 III if you want:

  • A compact, lightweight system ideal for travel, street, and macro photography
  • Extremely fast burst shooting for fleeting moments with decent AF coverage
  • Access to a huge lens selection in the Micro Four Thirds mount, often at attractive prices
  • Excellent IBIS for handheld stills and video stabilization
  • Weather sealed body that won’t weigh you down on long expeditions
  • Budget-conscious advanced mirrorless with solid image quality

• Choose Panasonic Lumix S5 if you want:

  • Superior image quality, especially in low light and dynamic range
  • A full-frame sensor for shallow depth of field and professional-grade output
  • Industry-leading video specs and audio monitoring for hybrid photo/video creators
  • Dual memory card slots and longer battery life for demanding professional work
  • Robust tactile controls designed for serious photographers and videographers
  • Greater workflow integration options with faster data transfer and charging capabilities

The Olympus OM-D E-M5 III is a serious contender for photographers seeking agility and fun without compromising core features. The Panasonic Lumix S5 appeals to enthusiasts and pros prioritizing ultimate image quality, video fidelity, and pro-level system robustness.

Whatever your decision, both cameras demonstrate how smart engineering tailors mirrorless systems to different needs - a choice that ultimately empowers creative freedom.

I hope this exhaustive comparison helps you navigate the strengths, compromises, and use cases of the Olympus E-M5 III and Panasonic Lumix S5. If you’ve shuttered with either, I’d love to hear your experiences in the comments below.