Olympus E-M5 III vs Panasonic ZS15

Its time to look more in depth at the Olympus E-M5 III and Panasonic ZS15, former being a Advanced Mirrorless while the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by rivals Olympus and Panasonic. There is a sizable difference among the resolutions of the E-M5 III (20MP) and ZS15 (12MP) and the E-M5 III (Four Thirds) and ZS15 (1/2.3") provide totally different sensor measurements.

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The E-M5 III was unveiled 7 years later than the ZS15 and that is a fairly significant difference as far as camera tech is concerned. The two cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-M5 III being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic ZS15 being a Compact camera.

Before delving right into a in depth comparison, here is a quick summation of how the E-M5 III matches up versus the ZS15 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Here is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus OM-D E-M5 III & Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS15. The full galleries are provided at Olympus E-M5 III Gallery & Panasonic ZS15 Gallery.

When you are intending to carry your camera regularly, you will have to factor its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-M5 III enjoys outer dimensions of 125mm x 85mm x 50mm (4.9" x 3.3" x 2.0") along with a weight of 414 grams (0.91 lbs) and the Panasonic ZS15 has proportions of 105mm x 58mm x 33mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.3") with a weight of 208 grams (0.46 lbs).

Examine the Olympus E-M5 III and Panasonic ZS15 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you have attached at that time. Underneath is a front view physical size comparison of the E-M5 III and the ZS15.

Considering size and weight, the portability score of the E-M5 III and ZS15 is 80 and 92 respectively.

Usually, its difficult to envision the gap in sensor sizing only by checking out technical specs. The visual here should give you a better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-M5 III and ZS15.

As you have seen, the two cameras have different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The E-M5 III having a bigger sensor will make shooting shallower depth of field easier and the Olympus E-M5 III will show extra detail having an extra 8 Megapixels. Higher resolution will enable you to crop pictures a bit more aggressively. The more recent E-M5 III will have an advantage with regard to sensor tech.