Olympus E-M5 III vs Panasonic SZ8
80 Imaging
61 Features
88 Overall
71


94 Imaging
40 Features
31 Overall
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Olympus E-M5 III vs Panasonic SZ8 Key Specs
(Full Review)
- 20MP - Four Thirds Sensor
- 3" Fully Articulated Display
- ISO 200 - 25600
- Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
- 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
- 4096 x 2160 video
- Micro Four Thirds Mount
- 414g - 125 x 85 x 50mm
- Announced October 2019
- Replaced the Olympus E-M5 II
- Updated by OM System OM-5
(Full Review)
- 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
- 3" Fixed Screen
- ISO 100 - 1600 (Bump to 6400)
- Optical Image Stabilization
- 1280 x 720 video
- 24-288mm (F3.1-6.3) lens
- 159g - 100 x 60 x 27mm
- Released January 2014

Olympus E-M5 III vs Panasonic SZ8 Overview
Lets look more in depth at the Olympus E-M5 III and Panasonic SZ8, former is a Advanced Mirrorless while the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by rivals Olympus and Panasonic. There is a large difference among the image resolutions of the E-M5 III (20MP) and SZ8 (16MP) and the E-M5 III (Four Thirds) and SZ8 (1/2.3") offer different sensor dimensions.

The E-M5 III was revealed 5 years after the SZ8 which is a fairly serious difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both of the cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-M5 III being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic SZ8 being a Compact camera.
Before going into a complete comparison, here is a brief introduction of how the E-M5 III grades against the SZ8 for portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Olympus E-M5 III vs Panasonic SZ8 Gallery
Following is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus OM-D E-M5 III & Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ8. The full galleries are provided at Olympus E-M5 III Gallery & Panasonic SZ8 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus E-M5 III over the Panasonic SZ8
E-M5 III | SZ8 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Released | October 2019 | ![]() | January 2014 | More modern by 71 months |
Focus manually | ![]() | More exact focus | ||
Screen type | Fully Articulated | ![]() | Fixed | Fully Articulating screen |
Screen resolution | 1040k | ![]() | 460k | Crisper screen (+580k dot) |
Selfie screen | ![]() | Take selfies | ||
Touch friendly screen | ![]() | Quickly navigate |
Reasons to pick Panasonic SZ8 over the Olympus E-M5 III
SZ8 | E-M5 III |
---|
Common features in the Olympus E-M5 III and Panasonic SZ8
E-M5 III | SZ8 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Screen dimensions | 3" | ![]() | 3" | Equal screen sizing |
Olympus E-M5 III vs Panasonic SZ8 Physical Comparison
For anybody who is planning to carry around your camera regularly, you'll have to factor in its weight and volume. The Olympus E-M5 III comes with external measurements of 125mm x 85mm x 50mm (4.9" x 3.3" x 2.0") accompanied by a weight of 414 grams (0.91 lbs) while the Panasonic SZ8 has sizing of 100mm x 60mm x 27mm (3.9" x 2.4" x 1.1") with a weight of 159 grams (0.35 lbs).
Analyze the Olympus E-M5 III and Panasonic SZ8 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Always remember, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you are using at the time. Here is a front view sizing comparison of the E-M5 III vs the SZ8.

Looking at size and weight, the portability rating of the E-M5 III and SZ8 is 80 and 94 respectively.

Olympus E-M5 III vs Panasonic SZ8 Sensor Comparison
Generally, it is difficult to picture the gap in sensor sizes merely by seeing a spec sheet. The pic underneath will provide you a much better sense of the sensor measurements in the E-M5 III and SZ8.
As you can see, both the cameras have different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The E-M5 III using its bigger sensor is going to make getting shallower depth of field easier and the Olympus E-M5 III will show more detail because of its extra 4MP. Higher resolution will help you crop pictures a bit more aggressively. The newer E-M5 III provides a benefit when it comes to sensor technology.

Olympus E-M5 III vs Panasonic SZ8 Screen and ViewFinder


Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison

Street Comparison

Sports Comparison

Travel Comparison

Landscape Comparison

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-M5 III vs Panasonic SZ8 Specifications
Olympus OM-D E-M5 III | Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ8 | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Make | Olympus | Panasonic |
Model | Olympus OM-D E-M5 III | Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ8 |
Class | Advanced Mirrorless | Small Sensor Superzoom |
Announced | 2019-10-17 | 2014-01-06 |
Body design | SLR-style mirrorless | Compact |
Sensor Information | ||
Powered by | TruePic VIII | Venus Engine |
Sensor type | MOS | CCD |
Sensor size | Four Thirds | 1/2.3" |
Sensor measurements | 17.4 x 13mm | 6.08 x 4.56mm |
Sensor surface area | 226.2mm² | 27.7mm² |
Sensor resolution | 20MP | 16MP |
Anti aliasing filter | ||
Aspect ratio | 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 | 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 |
Highest Possible resolution | 5184 x 3888 | 4608 x 3456 |
Maximum native ISO | 25600 | 1600 |
Maximum enhanced ISO | - | 6400 |
Minimum native ISO | 200 | 100 |
RAW pictures | ||
Minimum enhanced ISO | 64 | - |
Autofocusing | ||
Focus manually | ||
Autofocus touch | ||
Continuous autofocus | ||
Autofocus single | ||
Autofocus tracking | ||
Autofocus selectice | ||
Autofocus center weighted | ||
Autofocus multi area | ||
Live view autofocus | ||
Face detect autofocus | ||
Contract detect autofocus | ||
Phase detect autofocus | ||
Number of focus points | 121 | 9 |
Lens | ||
Lens mount | Micro Four Thirds | fixed lens |
Lens focal range | - | 24-288mm (12.0x) |
Maximal aperture | - | f/3.1-6.3 |
Number of lenses | 107 | - |
Focal length multiplier | 2.1 | 5.9 |
Screen | ||
Display type | Fully Articulated | Fixed Type |
Display sizing | 3" | 3" |
Resolution of display | 1,040 thousand dot | 460 thousand dot |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch functionality | ||
Display tech | - | TFT LCD |
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder | Electronic | None |
Viewfinder resolution | 2,360 thousand dot | - |
Viewfinder coverage | 100% | - |
Viewfinder magnification | 0.68x | - |
Features | ||
Min shutter speed | 60 seconds | 8 seconds |
Max shutter speed | 1/8000 seconds | 1/2000 seconds |
Max quiet shutter speed | 1/32000 seconds | - |
Continuous shutter speed | 30.0 frames per second | 1.0 frames per second |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Manually set exposure | ||
Exposure compensation | Yes | - |
Custom white balance | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Built-in flash | ||
Flash range | no built-in flash | 5.20 m |
Flash settings | 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 | ||
White balance bracketing | ||
Max flash sync | 1/250 seconds | - |
Exposure | ||
Multisegment metering | ||
Average metering | ||
Spot metering | ||
Partial metering | ||
AF area metering | ||
Center weighted metering | ||
Video features | ||
Video resolutions | 4096 x 2160 @ 24p / 237 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM | 1280 x 720 (30p), 640 x 480 (30p), 320 x 240 (30p) |
Maximum video resolution | 4096x2160 | 1280x720 |
Video file format | MPEG-4, H.264 | Motion JPEG |
Microphone jack | ||
Headphone jack | ||
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 | ||
Environmental seal | ||
Water proof | ||
Dust proof | ||
Shock proof | ||
Crush proof | ||
Freeze proof | ||
Weight | 414g (0.91 lb) | 159g (0.35 lb) |
Physical dimensions | 125 x 85 x 50mm (4.9" x 3.3" x 2.0") | 100 x 60 x 27mm (3.9" x 2.4" x 1.1") |
DXO scores | ||
DXO Overall score | not tested | not tested |
DXO Color Depth score | not tested | not tested |
DXO Dynamic range score | not tested | not tested |
DXO Low light score | not tested | not tested |
Other | ||
Battery life | 310 images | 200 images |
Style of battery | Battery Pack | Battery Pack |
Battery model | BLN-1 | - |
Self timer | Yes (2 or 10 secs, custom) | Yes (2 or 10 sec) |
Time lapse shooting | ||
Type of storage | SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-II supported) | SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal |
Storage slots | 1 | 1 |
Cost at release | $1,199 | $275 |