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Olympus E-M5 III vs Panasonic ZS30

Portability
80
Imaging
62
Features
88
Overall
72
Olympus OM-D E-M5 III front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS30 front
Portability
92
Imaging
42
Features
48
Overall
44

Olympus E-M5 III vs Panasonic ZS30 Key Specs

Olympus E-M5 III
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • 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
  • Old Model is Olympus E-M5 II
  • Successor is OM System OM-5
Panasonic ZS30
(Full Review)
  • 18MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 24-480mm (F3.3-6.4) lens
  • 198g - 105 x 59 x 28mm
  • Released January 2013
  • Other Name is Lumix DMC-TZ40
  • Replaced the Panasonic ZS25
  • Replacement is Panasonic ZS35
Photography Glossary

Olympus E-M5 III vs Panasonic ZS30 Overview

Lets look a little more in depth at the Olympus E-M5 III and Panasonic ZS30, one is a Advanced Mirrorless and the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom by brands Olympus and Panasonic. The resolution of the E-M5 III (20MP) and the ZS30 (18MP) is very close but the E-M5 III (Four Thirds) and ZS30 (1/2.3") boast totally different sensor dimensions.

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The E-M5 III was unveiled 6 years after the ZS30 which is a fairly big gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Both of the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-M5 III being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic ZS30 being a Compact camera.

Before getting into a step-by-step comparison, here is a quick summary of how the E-M5 III grades versus the ZS30 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-M5 III over the Panasonic ZS30

 E-M5 III ZS30 
ReleasedOctober 2019January 2013More modern by 83 months
Focus manually Very precise focus
Display typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating display
Display resolution1040k920kSharper display (+120k dot)
Selfie screen Take selfies

Reasons to pick Panasonic ZS30 over the Olympus E-M5 III

 ZS30 E-M5 III 

Common features in the Olympus E-M5 III and Panasonic ZS30

 E-M5 III ZS30 
Display size3"3"Same display sizing
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Olympus E-M5 III vs Panasonic ZS30 Physical Comparison

When you are going to carry around your camera regularly, you'll have to take into account its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-M5 III offers exterior measurements of 125mm x 85mm x 50mm (4.9" x 3.3" x 2.0") having a weight of 414 grams (0.91 lbs) while the Panasonic ZS30 has measurements of 105mm x 59mm x 28mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.1") with a weight of 198 grams (0.44 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus E-M5 III and Panasonic ZS30 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Always remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ based on the lens you have chosen at that moment. The following is a front view scale comparison of the E-M5 III vs the ZS30.

Olympus E-M5 III vs Panasonic ZS30 size comparison

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-M5 III and ZS30 is 80 and 92 respectively.

Olympus E-M5 III vs Panasonic ZS30 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-M5 III vs Panasonic ZS30 Sensor Comparison

Typically, it can be hard to see the contrast in sensor sizes purely by viewing a spec sheet. The picture below might offer you a greater sense of the sensor measurements in the E-M5 III and ZS30.

As you can see, the two cameras feature different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The E-M5 III having a larger sensor will make shooting shallower depth of field simpler and the Olympus E-M5 III will provide you with extra detail having an extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also enable you to crop images way more aggressively. The newer E-M5 III is going to have an edge when it comes to sensor tech.

Olympus E-M5 III vs Panasonic ZS30 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-M5 III vs Panasonic ZS30 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-M5 III vs Panasonic ZS30 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-M5 III as a Portrait photography camera
Panasonic ZS30 as a Portrait photography camera
77
manual focus
good MP (20MP)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
supports face detection focusing
saves RAW formats
33
megapixel count decent (18MP)
focusing manually not possible
can't use external flash
small sensor size (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-M5 III as a Street photography camera
Panasonic ZS30 as a Street photography camera
83
screen can move to multiple angles
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
features touch focus
weather sealing
above average ISO range (25,600)
66
image stabilization (Optical)
includes focus by touch
lighter than average in class (198 grams)
screen does not articulate
small sensor size (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-M5 III Sports photography info
Panasonic ZS30 Sports photography info
76
high shutter speed (1/8,000 seconds)
quiet mode (1/32,000 seconds)
max frames per second high (30.0 frames/s)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good MP (20MP)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
supports tracking autofocus
weather sealing
supports phase detect AF
bad battery (310 shots)
46
great zoom range (24-480mm 20.0 x zoom)
image stabilization (Optical)
megapixel count decent (18MP)
features tracking focus
low maximum shutter speed (1/1,200 seconds)
small sensor size (1/2.3")
bad battery life (260 per charge)
has no phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus E-M5 III
Travel photography with Panasonic ZS30
77
weather sealing
supports bluetooth
features touch focus
good MP (20 megapixels)
display is selfie friendly
bad battery (310 CIPA)
69
lighter than average in class (198g)
includes focus by touch
megapixel count decent (18MP)
has built in flash
really wide (24mm)
great zoom (480mm)
doesn't have Time Lapse recording
bad battery life (260 CIPA)
does not feature selfie friendly screen
slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus E-M5 III
Landscape photography with Panasonic ZS30
77
manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
nice screen size (3 inches)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good MP (20 megapixels)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
above average ISO range (25,600)
saves RAW formats
weather sealing
bad battery (310 shots)
44
really wide (24mm)
pretty good screen size (3 inch)
image stabilization (Optical)
megapixel count decent (18 megapixels)
focusing manually not possible
cannot swap lenses (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
small sensor size (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
bad battery life (260 shots)
doesn't have Time Lapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-M5 III Vlogging factors
Panasonic ZS30 Vlogging factors
84
display is selfie friendly
touch screen
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
supports face detection focusing
video resolution high (4096 x 2160 pxls)
comes with external mic socket
35
really wide (24mm)
has touchscreen
image stabilization (Optical)
high quality video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
lighter than average in class (198 grams)
slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
does not feature selfie friendly screen
doesn't have mic port
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Olympus E-M5 III vs Panasonic ZS30 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M5 III and Panasonic ZS30
 Olympus OM-D E-M5 IIIPanasonic Lumix DMC-ZS30
General Information
Company Olympus Panasonic
Model Olympus OM-D E-M5 III Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS30
Otherwise known as - Lumix DMC-TZ40
Type Advanced Mirrorless Small Sensor Superzoom
Announced 2019-10-17 2013-01-07
Body design SLR-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Processor TruePic VIII -
Sensor type MOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 17.4 x 13mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor area 226.2mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 20MP 18MP
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 4896 x 3672
Maximum native ISO 25600 6400
Lowest native ISO 200 100
RAW pictures
Lowest enhanced ISO 64 -
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch to focus
Continuous AF
Single AF
Tracking AF
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Number of focus points 121 23
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 24-480mm (20.0x)
Largest aperture - f/3.3-6.4
Macro focus distance - 3cm
Available lenses 107 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.8
Screen
Screen type Fully Articulated Fixed Type
Screen sizing 3 inches 3 inches
Resolution of screen 1,040k dot 920k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic None
Viewfinder resolution 2,360k dot -
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.68x -
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60 secs 15 secs
Fastest shutter speed 1/8000 secs 1/1200 secs
Fastest silent shutter speed 1/32000 secs -
Continuous shutter speed 30.0fps 10.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range no built-in flash 6.40 m
Flash modes Auto, redeye, fill, off, redeye slow sync, slow sync, 2nd-curtain slow sync, manual Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Syncro
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Fastest flash sync 1/250 secs -
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 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (220 fps)
Maximum video resolution 4096x2160 1920x1080
Video data format MPEG-4, H.264 MPEG-4, AVCHD
Mic 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 BuiltIn
Physical
Environment seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 414 grams (0.91 lb) 198 grams (0.44 lb)
Physical dimensions 125 x 85 x 50mm (4.9" x 3.3" x 2.0") 105 x 59 x 28mm (4.1" x 2.3" 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 photographs 260 photographs
Battery form Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model 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
Storage slots 1 1
Launch pricing $1,199 $250