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Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic FZ1000 II

Portability
81
Imaging
52
Features
70
Overall
59
Olympus OM-D E-M5 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DC-FZ1000 II front
Portability
55
Imaging
54
Features
82
Overall
65

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic FZ1000 II Key Specs

Olympus E-M5
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 425g - 122 x 89 x 43mm
  • Announced April 2012
  • Successor is Olympus E-M5 II
Panasonic FZ1000 II
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - 1" Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Display
  • ISO 125 - 12800 (Push to 25600)
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • 25-400mm (F2.8-4.0) lens
  • 808g - 136 x 97 x 132mm
  • Announced February 2019
  • Previous Model is Panasonic FZ1000
Photography Glossary

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic FZ1000 II Overview

In this write-up, we are evaluating the Olympus E-M5 versus Panasonic FZ1000 II, former is a Advanced Mirrorless while the other is a Large Sensor Superzoom by competitors Olympus and Panasonic. The image resolution of the E-M5 (16MP) and the FZ1000 II (20MP) is very similar but the E-M5 (Four Thirds) and FZ1000 II (1") use totally different sensor dimensions.

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The E-M5 was brought out 7 years before the FZ1000 II which is quite a serious difference as far as tech is concerned. Both the cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-M5 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic FZ1000 II being a SLR-like (bridge) camera.

Before delving in to a more detailed comparison, below is a brief highlight of how the E-M5 matches up versus the FZ1000 II when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-M5 over the Panasonic FZ1000 II

 E-M5 FZ1000 II 

Reasons to pick Panasonic FZ1000 II over the Olympus E-M5

 FZ1000 II E-M5 
AnnouncedFebruary 2019April 2012Newer by 82 months
Display typeFully ArticulatedTiltingFully Articulating display
Display resolution1240k610kCrisper display (+630k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies

Common features in the Olympus E-M5 and Panasonic FZ1000 II

 E-M5 FZ1000 II 
Focus manually Very accurate focusing
Display sizing3"3"Equivalent display sizing
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic FZ1000 II Physical Comparison

For anyone who is aiming to travel with your camera often, you will need to factor in its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-M5 features outer dimensions of 122mm x 89mm x 43mm (4.8" x 3.5" x 1.7") along with a weight of 425 grams (0.94 lbs) whilst the Panasonic FZ1000 II has proportions of 136mm x 97mm x 132mm (5.4" x 3.8" x 5.2") having a weight of 808 grams (1.78 lbs).

Check out the Olympus E-M5 versus Panasonic FZ1000 II in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you have chosen at that moment. Here is the front view measurement comparison of the E-M5 compared to the FZ1000 II.

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic FZ1000 II size comparison

Looking at size and weight, the portability rating of the E-M5 and FZ1000 II is 81 and 55 respectively.

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic FZ1000 II top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic FZ1000 II Sensor Comparison

Generally, its tough to visualise the difference between sensor dimensions only by reviewing a spec sheet. The picture below will help offer you a greater sense of the sensor sizes in the E-M5 and FZ1000 II.

Clearly, both of the cameras offer different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The E-M5 because of its larger sensor will make shooting shallow depth of field less difficult and the Panasonic FZ1000 II will offer more detail having its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution will let you crop images a little more aggressively. The more aged E-M5 is going to be behind when it comes to sensor technology.

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic FZ1000 II sensor size comparison

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic FZ1000 II Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic FZ1000 II Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-M5 Portrait photography information
Panasonic FZ1000 II Portrait photography information
71
has manual focus
resolution is good (16MP)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
has face detection focusing
saves RAW files
72
manual focus
sensor resolution is decent (20MP)
sensor size is nice (1")
offers face detect autofocus
exports RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-M5 as a Street photography camera
Panasonic FZ1000 II as a Street photography camera
82
screen tilts up and down
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
supports touch to focus
weather proof
very good high ISO (25,600)
71
screen can move to multiple angles
image stabilization (Optical)
sensor size is nice (1")
exports RAW formats
features focus via touch
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-M5 as a Sports photography camera
Panasonic FZ1000 II as a Sports photography camera
67
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
has tracking autofocus
weather proof
lacks phase detect AF
69
amazing zoom range (25-400mm 16.0 x zoom)
silent shutter (1/16,000s)
image stabilization (Optical)
sensor resolution is decent (20 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (1")
offers tracking focus
has no phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-M5 Travel photography information
Panasonic FZ1000 II Travel photography information
66
weather proof
supports touch to focus
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
lack of Timelapse recording
doesn't contain selfie friendly display
67
connects via bluetooth
features focus via touch
sensor resolution is decent (20 megapixels)
has built in flash
display is selfie friendly
rather wide (25mm)
great reach (400mm)
slow max aperture (f2.8)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-M5 Landscape photography info
Panasonic FZ1000 II Landscape photography info
73
has manual focus
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is good (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
very good high ISO (25,600)
saves RAW files
weather proof
lack of Timelapse recording
65
manual focus
rather wide (25mm)
nice screen size (3 inch)
image stabilization (Optical)
sensor resolution is decent (20 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (1")
exports RAW formats
can't switch lenses (fixed lens mount)
slow max aperture (f2.8)
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-M5 Vlogging highlights
Panasonic FZ1000 II Vlogging highlights
34
touchscreen functionality
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
has face detection focusing
video res high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
doesn't contain selfie friendly display
lack of external microphone port
67
rather wide (25mm)
display is selfie friendly
touchscreen
image stabilization (Optical)
offers face detect autofocus
video resolution high (3840 x 2160 pxls)
comes with mic port
slow max aperture (f2.8)
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Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic FZ1000 II Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M5 and Panasonic FZ1000 II
 Olympus OM-D E-M5Panasonic Lumix DC-FZ1000 II
General Information
Company Olympus Panasonic
Model type Olympus OM-D E-M5 Panasonic Lumix DC-FZ1000 II
Class Advanced Mirrorless Large Sensor Superzoom
Announced 2012-04-30 2019-02-18
Body design SLR-style mirrorless SLR-like (bridge)
Sensor Information
Processor Chip TruePic VI Venus Engine
Sensor type CMOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds 1"
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 13.2 x 8.8mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 116.2mm²
Sensor resolution 16MP 20MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Highest resolution 4608 x 3456 5472 x 3648
Highest native ISO 25600 12800
Highest boosted ISO - 25600
Minimum native ISO 200 125
RAW photos
Minimum boosted ISO 100 80
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
AF touch
AF continuous
Single AF
Tracking AF
Selective AF
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Total focus points 35 49
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 25-400mm (16.0x)
Maximum aperture - f/2.8-4.0
Macro focusing range - 3cm
Total lenses 107 -
Crop factor 2.1 2.7
Screen
Range of screen Tilting Fully Articulated
Screen diagonal 3" 3"
Resolution of screen 610k dot 1,240k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Screen technology Touch control in electrostatic capacitance type OLED monitor -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic Electronic
Viewfinder resolution 1,440k dot 2,360k dot
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification 0.58x 0.74x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60s 60s
Highest shutter speed 1/4000s 1/4000s
Highest silent shutter speed - 1/16000s
Continuous shooting speed 9.0fps 12.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance no built-in flash 13.50 m (with Auto ISO)
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync (2), Manual (3 levels) Auto, Auto/Red-eye Reduction, Forced On, Forced On/Red-eye Reduction, Slow Sync, Slow Sync/Red-eye Reduction, Forced Off, 1st / 2nd Slow Sync.
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Highest flash sync 1/250s -
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 3840x2160 (30p), 1920 x 1080 (60p, 60i, 30p, 24p) 1280x720 (30p), 640 x 480 (30p)
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 3840x2160
Video format H.264, Motion JPEG MPEG-4, H.264
Mic jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless Eye-Fi Connected Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 425 gr (0.94 pounds) 808 gr (1.78 pounds)
Dimensions 122 x 89 x 43mm (4.8" x 3.5" x 1.7") 136 x 97 x 132mm (5.4" x 3.8" x 5.2")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 71 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 22.8 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 12.3 not tested
DXO Low light rating 826 not tested
Other
Battery life 360 images 350 images
Form of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLN-1 DMW-BLC12PP
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes
Time lapse feature
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC card (UHS-I supported)
Storage slots Single Single
Pricing at launch $799 $898