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Olympus E-M5 III vs Panasonic S2

Portability
80
Imaging
62
Features
88
Overall
72
Olympus OM-D E-M5 III front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-S2 front
Portability
96
Imaging
38
Features
29
Overall
34

Olympus E-M5 III vs Panasonic S2 Key Specs

Olympus E-M5 III
(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
Panasonic S2
(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
Photography Glossary

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.

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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.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-M5 III over the Panasonic S2

 E-M5 III S2 
RevealedOctober 2019January 2012More modern by 95 months
Focus manually More accurate focusing
Screen typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating screen
Screen dimensions3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution1040k230kSharper 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. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

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.

Olympus E-M5 III vs Panasonic S2 size comparison

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 top view buttons comparison

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 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-M5 III vs Panasonic S2 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-M5 III vs Panasonic S2 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus E-M5 III
Portrait photography with Panasonic S2
77
focusing manually
MP count good (20MP)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
has face detect focusing
supports RAW files
34
MP count good (14MP)
comes with face detection focusing
focusing manually not possible
manual mode not available
no external flash support
small sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW files
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus E-M5 III
Street photography with Panasonic S2
83
screen articulates fully
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
boasts touch focus
environment proofing
good ISO range (25,600)
63
built in image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competition (112g)
screen is fixed
small sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-M5 III Sports photography information
Panasonic S2 Sports photography information
76
maximum shutter speed is high (1/8,000s)
quiet shooting (1/32,000s)
max frames per second high (30.0 fps)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
MP count good (20 megapixels)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
has tracking focus
environment proofing
sensor has phase detect AF
terrible battery pack (310 CIPA)
40
built in image stabilization (Optical)
MP count good (14MP)
great battery life (280 per charge)
low frames per second (2.0 frames per second)
lack of shutter priority mode
small sensor (1/2.3")
no phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-M5 III Travel photography highlights
Panasonic S2 Travel photography highlights
77
environment proofing
has bluetooth
boasts touch focus
MP count good (20MP)
display is selfie friendly
terrible battery pack (310 per charge)
71
great battery life (280 shots)
lighter than competition (112g)
MP count good (14 megapixels)
has built in flash
relatively wide (28mm)
lack of Timelapse recording
does not offer selfie friendly display
sluggish max aperture (f3.1)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-M5 III Landscape photography information
Panasonic S2 Landscape photography information
77
focusing manually
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is good (3")
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
MP count good (20MP)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
good ISO range (25,600)
supports RAW files
environment proofing
terrible battery pack (310 per charge)
41
relatively wide (28mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
MP count good (14 megapixels)
great battery life (280 CIPA)
focusing manually not possible
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f3.1)
screen is somewhat small (2.7")
manual mode not available
small sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW files
lack of Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-M5 III Vlogging features
Panasonic S2 Vlogging features
84
display is selfie friendly
has touchscreen
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
has face detect focusing
video resolution high (4096 x 2160 pixels)
includes microphone jack
33
relatively wide (28mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
comes with face detection focusing
lighter than competition (112g)
sluggish max aperture (f3.1)
does not offer selfie friendly display
low quality video (1280 x 720 resolution)
lack of external microphone support
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Olympus E-M5 III vs Panasonic S2 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M5 III and Panasonic S2
 Olympus OM-D E-M5 IIIPanasonic 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