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Olympus E-M5 III vs Panasonic ZS8

Portability
80
Imaging
62
Features
88
Overall
72
Olympus OM-D E-M5 III front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS8 front
Portability
92
Imaging
37
Features
39
Overall
37

Olympus E-M5 III vs Panasonic ZS8 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 Max Shutter
  • 4096 x 2160 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 414g - 125 x 85 x 50mm
  • Released October 2019
  • Replaced the Olympus E-M5 II
  • Renewed by OM System OM-5
Panasonic ZS8
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 24-384mm (F3.3-5.9) lens
  • 210g - 105 x 58 x 33mm
  • Launched July 2011
  • Additionally Known as Lumix DMC-TZ18
  • Succeeded the Panasonic ZS7
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Olympus E-M5 III vs Panasonic ZS8 Overview

Below is a thorough analysis of the Olympus E-M5 III versus Panasonic ZS8, former being a Advanced Mirrorless while the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by companies Olympus and Panasonic. There is a large difference between the image resolutions of the E-M5 III (20MP) and ZS8 (14MP) and the E-M5 III (Four Thirds) and ZS8 (1/2.3") use totally different sensor sizes.

Photography Glossary

The E-M5 III was unveiled 8 years later than the ZS8 and that is quite a serious difference as far as tech is concerned. Both of the cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-M5 III being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic ZS8 being a Compact camera.

Before going through a step-by-step comparison, below is a simple highlight of how the E-M5 III scores against the ZS8 for portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-M5 III over the Panasonic ZS8

 E-M5 III ZS8 
LaunchedOctober 2019July 2011More recent by 101 months
Manual focus Very exact focus
Screen typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating screen
Screen resolution1040k230kSharper screen (+810k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Panasonic ZS8 over the Olympus E-M5 III

 ZS8 E-M5 III 

Common features in the Olympus E-M5 III and Panasonic ZS8

 E-M5 III ZS8 
Screen sizing3"3"Equivalent screen dimensions

Olympus E-M5 III vs Panasonic ZS8 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is looking to lug around your camera regularly, you're going to have to factor its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-M5 III offers physical measurements of 125mm x 85mm x 50mm (4.9" x 3.3" x 2.0") along with a weight of 414 grams (0.91 lbs) whilst the Panasonic ZS8 has proportions of 105mm x 58mm x 33mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.3") along with a weight of 210 grams (0.46 lbs).

See the Olympus E-M5 III versus Panasonic ZS8 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you choose at that moment. Here is the front view measurements comparison of the E-M5 III against the ZS8.

Olympus E-M5 III vs Panasonic ZS8 size comparison

Considering size and weight, the portability grade of the E-M5 III and ZS8 is 80 and 92 respectively.

Olympus E-M5 III vs Panasonic ZS8 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-M5 III vs Panasonic ZS8 Sensor Comparison

Generally, its hard to envision the gap between sensor measurements just by looking at specs. The visual here will help give you a much better sense of the sensor sizing in the E-M5 III and ZS8.

All in all, the two cameras enjoy different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The E-M5 III with its bigger sensor will make shooting bokeh simpler and the Olympus E-M5 III will give you extra detail having an extra 6MP. Higher resolution will enable you to crop shots far more aggressively. The newer E-M5 III is going to have an advantage with regard to sensor tech.

Olympus E-M5 III vs Panasonic ZS8 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-M5 III vs Panasonic ZS8 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-M5 III vs Panasonic ZS8 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-M5 III Portrait photography highlights
Panasonic ZS8 Portrait photography highlights
77
you can focus manually
MP count good (20MP)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
features face detect focus
saves RAW files
30
sensor resolution is decent (14 megapixels)
focusing manually not possible
external flash not possible
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-M5 III Street photography advice
Panasonic ZS8 Street photography advice
83
screen articulates
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
supports touch to focus
weather sealing
above average ISO range (25,600)
61
has image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than average in class (210g)
screen is fixed
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-M5 III Sports photography advice
Panasonic ZS8 Sports photography advice
76
maximum shutter speed is high (1/8,000 seconds)
quiet mode (1/32,000 seconds)
fast shooting (30.0 frames/s)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
MP count good (20 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
features tracking focus
weather sealing
supports phase detect auto focus
not so great battery (310 shots)
47
great zoom range (24-384mm 16.0 x zoom)
has image stabilization (Optical)
sensor resolution is decent (14 megapixels)
comes with tracking autofocus
max frames per second very slow (2.0 fps)
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
lacks phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-M5 III Travel photography highlights
Panasonic ZS8 Travel photography highlights
77
weather sealing
has bluetooth
supports touch to focus
MP count good (20 megapixels)
display is selfie friendly
not so great battery (310 per charge)
69
lighter than average in class (210 grams)
sensor resolution is decent (14MP)
built-in flash
reasonably wide (24mm)
great reach (384mm)
no Time Lapse recording
doesn't feature selfie friendly screen
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.3)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-M5 III Landscape photography factors
Panasonic ZS8 Landscape photography factors
77
you can focus manually
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
good sized screen (3 inches)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
MP count good (20 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
above average ISO range (25,600)
saves RAW files
weather sealing
not so great battery (310 per charge)
44
reasonably wide (24mm)
nice screen size (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Optical)
sensor resolution is decent (14 megapixels)
focusing manually not possible
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.3)
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
no Time Lapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus E-M5 III
Vlogging with Panasonic ZS8
84
display is selfie friendly
touchscreen capability
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
features face detect focus
high res video (4096 x 2160 pixels)
comes with microphone socket
30
reasonably wide (24mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than average in class (210 grams)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.3)
doesn't feature selfie friendly screen
video res low (1280 x 720 resolution)
no external mic port
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Olympus E-M5 III vs Panasonic ZS8 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M5 III and Panasonic ZS8
 Olympus OM-D E-M5 IIIPanasonic Lumix DMC-ZS8
General Information
Company Olympus Panasonic
Model type Olympus OM-D E-M5 III Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS8
Other name - Lumix DMC-TZ18
Class Advanced Mirrorless Small Sensor Superzoom
Released 2019-10-17 2011-07-19
Body design SLR-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Powered by TruePic VIII Venus Engine FHD
Sensor type MOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 17.4 x 13mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor surface area 226.2mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 20MP 14MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 5184 x 3888 4320 x 3240
Maximum native ISO 25600 6400
Lowest native ISO 200 100
RAW files
Lowest boosted ISO 64 -
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Total focus points 121 11
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 24-384mm (16.0x)
Highest aperture - f/3.3-5.9
Macro focusing range - 3cm
Number of lenses 107 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.9
Screen
Screen type Fully Articulated Fixed Type
Screen size 3 inches 3 inches
Screen resolution 1,040k dot 230k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Screen technology - 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 1/4000 seconds
Highest silent shutter speed 1/32000 seconds -
Continuous shooting speed 30.0 frames/s 2.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance no built-in flash 5.00 m
Flash options Auto, redeye, fill, off, redeye slow sync, slow sync, 2nd-curtain slow sync, manual Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Syncro
External flash
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Highest flash sync 1/250 seconds -
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)
Maximum video resolution 4096x2160 1280x720
Video data format MPEG-4, H.264 MPEG-4
Mic 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 proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 414 grams (0.91 pounds) 210 grams (0.46 pounds)
Dimensions 125 x 85 x 50mm (4.9" x 3.3" x 2.0") 105 x 58 x 33mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.3")
DXO scores
DXO All around 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 pictures 340 pictures
Style of battery 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
Storage slots One One
Launch pricing $1,199 $275