Olympus E-M5 III vs Panasonic S2
80 Imaging
61 Features
88 Overall
71


96 Imaging
37 Features
29 Overall
33
Olympus E-M5 III vs Panasonic S2 Key Specs
(Full Review)
- 20MP - Four Thirds Sensor
- 3" Fully Articulated Display
- ISO 200 - 25600
- Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
- 1/8000s Max Shutter
- 4096 x 2160 video
- Micro Four Thirds Mount
- 414g - 125 x 85 x 50mm
- Released October 2019
- Earlier Model is Olympus E-M5 II
- Renewed by OM System OM-5
(Full Review)
- 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
- 2.7" Fixed Screen
- ISO 100 - 6400
- Optical Image Stabilization
- 1280 x 720 video
- 28-112mm (F3.1-6.5) lens
- 112g - 98 x 57 x 21mm
- Revealed January 2012

Olympus E-M5 III vs Panasonic S2 Overview
Lets look a bit more closely at the Olympus E-M5 III versus Panasonic S2, former is a Advanced Mirrorless while the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by brands Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a sizable gap between the sensor resolutions of the E-M5 III (20MP) and S2 (14MP) and the E-M5 III (Four Thirds) and S2 (1/2.3") posses different sensor dimensions.

The E-M5 III was manufactured 7 years after the S2 which is quite a significant difference as far as technology is concerned. Both of these cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-M5 III being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic S2 being a Compact camera.
Before getting straight to a step-by-step comparison, here is a quick synopsis of how the E-M5 III scores versus the S2 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Olympus E-M5 III vs Panasonic S2 Gallery
Following is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus OM-D E-M5 III & Panasonic Lumix DMC-S2. The entire galleries are provided at Olympus E-M5 III Gallery & Panasonic S2 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus E-M5 III over the Panasonic S2
E-M5 III | S2 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Revealed | October 2019 | ![]() | January 2012 | More modern by 95 months |
Focus manually | ![]() | More accurate focusing | ||
Screen type | Fully Articulated | ![]() | Fixed | Fully Articulating screen |
Screen dimensions | 3" | ![]() | 2.7" | Bigger screen (+0.3") |
Screen resolution | 1040k | ![]() | 230k | Sharper screen (+810k dot) |
Selfie screen | ![]() | Take selfies | ||
Touch friendly screen | ![]() | Quickly navigate |
Reasons to pick Panasonic S2 over the Olympus E-M5 III
S2 | E-M5 III |
---|
Common features in the Olympus E-M5 III and Panasonic S2
E-M5 III | S2 |
---|
Olympus E-M5 III vs Panasonic S2 Physical Comparison
For anybody who is aiming to carry around your camera regularly, you will want to think about its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-M5 III has got physical dimensions of 125mm x 85mm x 50mm (4.9" x 3.3" x 2.0") with a weight of 414 grams (0.91 lbs) and the Panasonic S2 has dimensions of 98mm x 57mm x 21mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 0.8") having a weight of 112 grams (0.25 lbs).
Contrast the Olympus E-M5 III versus Panasonic S2 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Always remember, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you are utilizing at the time. Here is a front view measurements comparison of the E-M5 III and the S2.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-M5 III and S2 is 80 and 96 respectively.

Olympus E-M5 III vs Panasonic S2 Sensor Comparison
Quite often, it is very hard to picture the difference between sensor sizes merely by reading a spec sheet. The pic underneath might give you a stronger sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-M5 III and S2.
As you can see, each of the cameras provide different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The E-M5 III featuring a bigger sensor is going to make shooting shallower depth of field simpler and the Olympus E-M5 III will deliver more detail due to its extra 6 Megapixels. Higher resolution will let you crop pictures more aggressively. The younger E-M5 III provides an edge with regard to sensor innovation.

Olympus E-M5 III vs Panasonic S2 Screen and ViewFinder


Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison

Street Comparison

Sports Comparison

Travel Comparison

Landscape Comparison

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-M5 III vs Panasonic S2 Specifications
Olympus OM-D E-M5 III | Panasonic Lumix DMC-S2 | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Make | Olympus | Panasonic |
Model type | Olympus OM-D E-M5 III | Panasonic Lumix DMC-S2 |
Class | Advanced Mirrorless | Small Sensor Compact |
Released | 2019-10-17 | 2012-01-09 |
Physical type | SLR-style mirrorless | Compact |
Sensor Information | ||
Chip | TruePic VIII | - |
Sensor type | MOS | CCD |
Sensor size | Four Thirds | 1/2.3" |
Sensor measurements | 17.4 x 13mm | 6.08 x 4.56mm |
Sensor area | 226.2mm² | 27.7mm² |
Sensor resolution | 20 megapixel | 14 megapixel |
Anti alias filter | ||
Aspect ratio | 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 | 4:3 and 16:9 |
Peak resolution | 5184 x 3888 | 4320 x 3240 |
Highest native ISO | 25600 | 6400 |
Lowest native ISO | 200 | 100 |
RAW format | ||
Lowest enhanced ISO | 64 | - |
Autofocusing | ||
Focus manually | ||
Autofocus touch | ||
Continuous autofocus | ||
Single autofocus | ||
Autofocus tracking | ||
Autofocus selectice | ||
Center weighted autofocus | ||
Autofocus multi area | ||
Live view autofocus | ||
Face detect focus | ||
Contract detect focus | ||
Phase detect focus | ||
Total focus points | 121 | 23 |
Lens | ||
Lens mount type | Micro Four Thirds | fixed lens |
Lens zoom range | - | 28-112mm (4.0x) |
Largest aperture | - | f/3.1-6.5 |
Macro focusing range | - | 5cm |
Amount of lenses | 107 | - |
Focal length multiplier | 2.1 | 5.9 |
Screen | ||
Display type | Fully Articulated | Fixed Type |
Display sizing | 3" | 2.7" |
Resolution of display | 1,040 thousand dots | 230 thousand dots |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch function | ||
Display tech | - | TFT Color LCD |
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder | Electronic | None |
Viewfinder resolution | 2,360 thousand dots | - |
Viewfinder coverage | 100% | - |
Viewfinder magnification | 0.68x | - |
Features | ||
Minimum shutter speed | 60s | 8s |
Fastest shutter speed | 1/8000s | 1/1600s |
Fastest quiet shutter speed | 1/32000s | - |
Continuous shutter rate | 30.0fps | 2.0fps |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Expose Manually | ||
Exposure compensation | Yes | - |
Change white balance | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Built-in flash | ||
Flash distance | no built-in flash | 3.30 m |
Flash modes | Auto, redeye, fill, off, redeye slow sync, slow sync, 2nd-curtain slow sync, manual | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction |
External flash | ||
AE bracketing | ||
WB bracketing | ||
Fastest flash synchronize | 1/250s | - |
Exposure | ||
Multisegment | ||
Average | ||
Spot | ||
Partial | ||
AF area | ||
Center weighted | ||
Video features | ||
Video resolutions | 4096 x 2160 @ 24p / 237 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM | 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps) |
Highest video resolution | 4096x2160 | 1280x720 |
Video file format | MPEG-4, H.264 | Motion JPEG |
Microphone support | ||
Headphone support | ||
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 sealing | ||
Water proofing | ||
Dust proofing | ||
Shock proofing | ||
Crush proofing | ||
Freeze proofing | ||
Weight | 414g (0.91 pounds) | 112g (0.25 pounds) |
Physical dimensions | 125 x 85 x 50mm (4.9" x 3.3" x 2.0") | 98 x 57 x 21mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 0.8") |
DXO scores | ||
DXO Overall rating | not tested | not tested |
DXO Color Depth rating | not tested | not tested |
DXO Dynamic range rating | not tested | not tested |
DXO Low light rating | not tested | not tested |
Other | ||
Battery life | 310 photographs | 280 photographs |
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 feature | ||
Type of storage | SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-II supported) | SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal |
Card slots | One | One |
Retail pricing | $1,199 | $109 |