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Olympus E-M5 III vs Panasonic XS1

Portability
80
Imaging
62
Features
88
Overall
72
Olympus OM-D E-M5 III front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-XS1 front
Portability
97
Imaging
40
Features
26
Overall
34

Olympus E-M5 III vs Panasonic XS1 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
  • Launched October 2019
  • Old Model is Olympus E-M5 II
  • Newer Model is OM System OM-5
Panasonic XS1
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 24-120mm (F2.8-6.9) lens
  • 103g - 94 x 54 x 14mm
  • Announced January 2013
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Olympus E-M5 III vs Panasonic XS1 Overview

On this page, we will be evaluating the Olympus E-M5 III vs Panasonic XS1, one is a Advanced Mirrorless and the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by rivals Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a big gap between the sensor resolutions of the E-M5 III (20MP) and XS1 (16MP) and the E-M5 III (Four Thirds) and XS1 (1/2.3") boast totally different sensor sizing.

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The E-M5 III was brought out 6 years after the XS1 which is quite a big gap as far as technology is concerned. Each of the cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-M5 III being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic XS1 being a Compact camera.

Before getting into a full comparison, here is a brief summation of how the E-M5 III scores versus the XS1 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-M5 III over the Panasonic XS1

 E-M5 III XS1 
AnnouncedOctober 2019January 2013Newer by 83 months
Focus manually More exact focusing
Screen typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating screen
Screen dimensions3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution1040k230kClearer screen (+810k dot)
Selfie screen Take selfies
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Panasonic XS1 over the Olympus E-M5 III

 XS1 E-M5 III 

Common features in the Olympus E-M5 III and Panasonic XS1

 E-M5 III XS1 

Olympus E-M5 III vs Panasonic XS1 Physical Comparison

For those who are intending to travel with your camera, you should think about its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-M5 III has external measurements of 125mm x 85mm x 50mm (4.9" x 3.3" x 2.0") having a weight of 414 grams (0.91 lbs) whilst the Panasonic XS1 has proportions of 94mm x 54mm x 14mm (3.7" x 2.1" x 0.6") having a weight of 103 grams (0.23 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus E-M5 III vs Panasonic XS1 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary dependant on the lens you have at that moment. Underneath is a front view dimension comparison of the E-M5 III vs the XS1.

Olympus E-M5 III vs Panasonic XS1 size comparison

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-M5 III and XS1 is 80 and 97 respectively.

Olympus E-M5 III vs Panasonic XS1 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-M5 III vs Panasonic XS1 Sensor Comparison

More often than not, it is very hard to envision the difference between sensor dimensions merely by reading through technical specs. The pic underneath may offer you a much better sense of the sensor measurements in the E-M5 III and XS1.

As you have seen, both of the cameras have different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The E-M5 III due to its bigger sensor will make achieving bokeh less difficult and the Olympus E-M5 III will give you more detail having its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also help you crop photographs a bit more aggressively. The more recent E-M5 III will have an edge in sensor tech.

Olympus E-M5 III vs Panasonic XS1 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-M5 III vs Panasonic XS1 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-M5 III vs Panasonic XS1 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-M5 III as a Portrait photography camera
Panasonic XS1 as a Portrait photography camera
77
you can focus manually
megapixel count decent (20 megapixels)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
offers face detection autofocus
exports RAW formats
30
megapixel count good (16 megapixels)
no manual focus
lack of manual exposure
no external flash support
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-M5 III Street photography features
Panasonic XS1 Street photography features
83
screen articulates fully
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
has touch to focus
weather sealing
above average high ISO (25,600)
64
built in image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than average in class (103 grams)
screen is fixed
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus E-M5 III
Sports photography with Panasonic XS1
76
maximum shutter speed is high (1/8,000s)
silent shutter (1/32,000s)
fast shooting (30.0 fps)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
megapixel count decent (20 megapixels)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
offers tracking autofocus
weather sealing
has phase detect autofocus
bad battery power (310 CIPA)
41
built in image stabilization (Optical)
megapixel count good (16MP)
supports tracking autofocus
very slow continuous shooting (1.0 frames/s)
lack of shutter priority mode
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
doesn't have phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-M5 III Travel photography information
Panasonic XS1 Travel photography information
77
weather sealing
supports bluetooth
has touch to focus
megapixel count decent (20 megapixels)
selfie friendly screen
bad battery power (310 CIPA)
69
lighter than average in class (103 grams)
megapixel count good (16 megapixels)
flash built-in
fairly wide (24mm)
missing Timelapse mode
doesn't feature selfie friendly display
sluggish max aperture (f2.8)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-M5 III as a Landscape photography camera
Panasonic XS1 as a Landscape photography camera
77
you can focus manually
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
pretty good screen size (3")
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
megapixel count decent (20 megapixels)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
above average high ISO (25,600)
exports RAW formats
weather sealing
bad battery power (310 shots)
39
fairly wide (24mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
megapixel count good (16MP)
no manual focus
cannot change lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f2.8)
small screen (2.7")
lack of manual exposure
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW files
missing Timelapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-M5 III as a Vlogging camera
Panasonic XS1 as a Vlogging camera
84
selfie friendly screen
touchscreen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
offers face detection autofocus
high res video (4096 x 2160 pxls)
has external microphone socket
31
fairly wide (24mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than average in class (103 grams)
sluggish max aperture (f2.8)
doesn't feature selfie friendly display
low video resolution (1280 x 720 pixels)
missing external microphone port
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Olympus E-M5 III vs Panasonic XS1 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M5 III and Panasonic XS1
 Olympus OM-D E-M5 IIIPanasonic Lumix DMC-XS1
General Information
Company Olympus Panasonic
Model Olympus OM-D E-M5 III Panasonic Lumix DMC-XS1
Type Advanced Mirrorless Small Sensor Compact
Launched 2019-10-17 2013-01-07
Body design SLR-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Powered by 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 surface area 226.2mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 20 megapixel 16 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 -
Maximum resolution 5184 x 3888 4608 x 3456
Maximum native ISO 25600 6400
Min native ISO 200 100
RAW data
Min boosted ISO 64 -
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
AF continuous
AF single
AF tracking
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Number of focus points 121 -
Cross focus points - -
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 24-120mm (5.0x)
Max aperture - f/2.8-6.9
Macro focus distance - 5cm
Number of lenses 107 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.9
Screen
Display type Fully Articulated Fixed Type
Display sizing 3" 2.7"
Display resolution 1,040k dot 230k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Display tech - TFT LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic None
Viewfinder resolution 2,360k dot -
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.68x -
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 seconds 60 seconds
Highest shutter speed 1/8000 seconds 1/1600 seconds
Highest quiet shutter speed 1/32000 seconds -
Continuous shooting speed 30.0 frames per sec 1.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Set WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range no built-in flash 4.40 m
Flash modes Auto, redeye, fill, off, redeye slow sync, slow sync, 2nd-curtain slow sync, manual Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Syncro
Hot shoe
AEB
WB bracketing
Highest flash sync 1/250 seconds -
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions 4096 x 2160 @ 24p / 237 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution 4096x2160 1280x720
Video format MPEG-4, H.264 Motion JPEG
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
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 proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 414 grams (0.91 lb) 103 grams (0.23 lb)
Physical dimensions 125 x 85 x 50mm (4.9" x 3.3" x 2.0") 94 x 54 x 14mm (3.7" x 2.1" x 0.6")
DXO scores
DXO All around 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 photographs 260 photographs
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
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-II supported) SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Storage slots One One
Pricing at launch $1,199 $130