Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic S5
81 Imaging
51 Features
70 Overall
58
60 Imaging
75 Features
92 Overall
81
Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic S5 Key Specs
(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
- Released April 2012
- Renewed by Olympus E-M5 II
(Full Review)
- 24MP - Full frame Sensor
- 3.0" Fully Articulated Display
- ISO 100 - 51200 (Raise to 204800)
- Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
- No Anti-Alias Filter
- 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
- 3840 x 2160 video
- Leica L Mount
- 714g - 133 x 97 x 82mm
- Released August 2020
- Updated by Panasonic S5 II
Photography Glossary Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic S5 Overview
Let's take a more detailed look at the Olympus E-M5 and Panasonic S5, former is a Advanced Mirrorless while the other is a Pro Mirrorless by competitors Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a substantial gap between the resolutions of the E-M5 (16MP) and S5 (24MP) and the E-M5 (Four Thirds) and S5 (Full frame) boast different sensor dimensions.
Snapchat Adds Watermarks to AI-Created ImagesThe E-M5 was unveiled 9 years earlier than the S5 which is quite a big difference as far as technology is concerned. Both cameras have the same body design (SLR-style mirrorless).
Before getting right into a comprehensive comparison, here is a short summary of how the E-M5 scores versus the S5 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.
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Below is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus OM-D E-M5 & Panasonic Lumix DC-S5. The full galleries are viewable at Olympus E-M5 Gallery & Panasonic S5 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus E-M5 over the Panasonic S5
| E-M5 | S5 |
|---|
Reasons to pick Panasonic S5 over the Olympus E-M5
| S5 | E-M5 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Released | August 2020 | April 2012 | More modern by 100 months | |
| Display type | Fully Articulated | Tilting | Fully Articulating display | |
| Display resolution | 1840k | 610k | Sharper display (+1230k dot) | |
| Selfie screen | Take selfies |
Common features in the Olympus E-M5 and Panasonic S5
| E-M5 | S5 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manually focus | Very exact focus | |||
| Display dimensions | 3" | 3.0" | Equal display sizing | |
| Touch display | Easily navigate |
Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic S5 Physical Comparison
In case you're planning to carry around your camera, you will need to think about its weight and volume. The Olympus E-M5 offers exterior dimensions of 122mm x 89mm x 43mm (4.8" x 3.5" x 1.7") with a weight of 425 grams (0.94 lbs) and the Panasonic S5 has sizing of 133mm x 97mm x 82mm (5.2" x 3.8" x 3.2") having a weight of 714 grams (1.57 lbs).
Check out the Olympus E-M5 and Panasonic S5 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you have chosen during that time. Following is a front view sizing comparison of the E-M5 against the S5.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-M5 and S5 is 81 and 60 respectively.
Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic S5 Sensor Comparison
Normally, it is hard to imagine the gap between sensor sizes only by looking at specifications. The pic below will give you a more clear sense of the sensor sizes in the E-M5 and S5.
To sum up, each of the cameras have different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The E-M5 with its tinier sensor is going to make shooting shallow DOF trickier and the Panasonic S5 will give more detail having an extra 8 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also help you crop images a bit more aggressively. The more aged E-M5 is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor innovation.
Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic S5 Screen and ViewFinder
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Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic S5 Specifications
| Olympus OM-D E-M5 | Panasonic Lumix DC-S5 | |
|---|---|---|
| General Information | ||
| Brand | Olympus | Panasonic |
| Model type | Olympus OM-D E-M5 | Panasonic Lumix DC-S5 |
| Category | Advanced Mirrorless | Pro Mirrorless |
| Released | 2012-04-30 | 2020-08-14 |
| Body design | SLR-style mirrorless | SLR-style mirrorless |
| Sensor Information | ||
| Powered by | TruePic VI | - |
| Sensor type | CMOS | CMOS |
| Sensor size | Four Thirds | Full frame |
| Sensor dimensions | 17.3 x 13mm | 35.6 x 23.8mm |
| Sensor surface area | 224.9mm² | 847.3mm² |
| Sensor resolution | 16 megapixels | 24 megapixels |
| Anti alias filter | ||
| Aspect ratio | 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 | 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 |
| Full resolution | 4608 x 3456 | 6000 x 4000 |
| Max native ISO | 25600 | 51200 |
| Max boosted ISO | - | 204800 |
| Min native ISO | 200 | 100 |
| RAW images | ||
| Min boosted ISO | 100 | 50 |
| Autofocusing | ||
| Manual focusing | ||
| AF touch | ||
| Continuous AF | ||
| AF single | ||
| AF tracking | ||
| AF selectice | ||
| AF center weighted | ||
| AF multi area | ||
| Live view AF | ||
| Face detection AF | ||
| Contract detection AF | ||
| Phase detection AF | ||
| Total focus points | 35 | 225 |
| Lens | ||
| Lens mount type | Micro Four Thirds | Leica L |
| Number of lenses | 107 | 31 |
| Focal length multiplier | 2.1 | 1 |
| Screen | ||
| Range of screen | Tilting | Fully Articulated |
| Screen sizing | 3 inches | 3.0 inches |
| Resolution of screen | 610k dot | 1,840k 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 | ||
| Slowest shutter speed | 60s | 60s |
| Maximum shutter speed | 1/4000s | 1/8000s |
| Maximum silent shutter speed | - | 1/8000s |
| Continuous shooting speed | 9.0 frames/s | 7.0 frames/s |
| Shutter priority | ||
| Aperture priority | ||
| Manual exposure | ||
| Exposure compensation | Yes | Yes |
| Custom WB | ||
| Image stabilization | ||
| Built-in flash | ||
| Flash distance | no built-in flash | no built-in flash |
| 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 w/Red-eye Reduction, Forced Off |
| Hot shoe | ||
| AEB | ||
| White balance bracketing | ||
| Maximum flash sync | 1/250s | 1/250s |
| Exposure | ||
| Multisegment exposure | ||
| Average exposure | ||
| Spot exposure | ||
| Partial exposure | ||
| AF area exposure | ||
| Center weighted exposure | ||
| Video features | ||
| Supported video resolutions | 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) | 3840 x 2160 @ 60p / 200 Mbps, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM |
| Max video resolution | 1920x1080 | 3840x2160 |
| Video data format | H.264, Motion JPEG | MPEG-4, H.264, H.265 |
| Mic input | ||
| Headphone input | ||
| Connectivity | ||
| Wireless | Eye-Fi Connected | Built-In |
| Bluetooth | ||
| NFC | ||
| HDMI | ||
| USB | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) | Yes (can be charged with high-power laptop/tablet chargers or portable power banks) |
| GPS | None | None |
| Physical | ||
| Environmental seal | ||
| Water proofing | ||
| Dust proofing | ||
| Shock proofing | ||
| Crush proofing | ||
| Freeze proofing | ||
| Weight | 425 gr (0.94 pounds) | 714 gr (1.57 pounds) |
| Physical dimensions | 122 x 89 x 43mm (4.8" x 3.5" x 1.7") | 133 x 97 x 82mm (5.2" x 3.8" x 3.2") |
| 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 photographs | 440 photographs |
| Battery format | Battery Pack | Battery Pack |
| Battery ID | BLN-1 | - |
| Self timer | Yes (2 or 12 sec) | Yes |
| Time lapse recording | ||
| Storage media | SD/SDHC/SDXC | SD Memory Card, SDHC Memory Card, SDXC Memory Card |
| Storage slots | 1 | Two |
| Launch cost | $799 | $1,999 |