Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic FS15

Below, we will be contrasting the Olympus E-M5 and Panasonic FS15, former being a Advanced Mirrorless while the latter is a Ultracompact by companies Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a considerable gap among the resolutions of the E-M5 (16MP) and FS15 (12MP) and the E-M5 (Four Thirds) and FS15 (1/2.3") possess different sensor sizes.

Photography Glossary

The E-M5 was brought out 3 years later than the FS15 and that is a fairly large difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-M5 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic FS15 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before going in to a in depth comparison, below is a brief summary of how the E-M5 scores versus the FS15 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

This is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus OM-D E-M5 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS15. The entire galleries are provided at Olympus E-M5 Gallery & Panasonic FS15 Gallery.

For those who are going to carry your camera regularly, you'll need to factor in its weight and volume. The Olympus E-M5 enjoys external dimensions of 122mm x 89mm x 43mm (4.8" x 3.5" x 1.7") having a weight of 425 grams (0.94 lbs) while the Panasonic FS15 has sizing of 97mm x 54mm x 22mm (3.8" x 2.1" x 0.9") and a weight of 136 grams (0.30 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-M5 and Panasonic FS15 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you have at that moment. Here is the front view over all size comparison of the E-M5 against the FS15.

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-M5 and FS15 is 81 and 95 respectively.

Typically, its hard to imagine the difference in sensor sizing merely by going through technical specs. The graphic here should offer you a clearer sense of the sensor sizes in the E-M5 and FS15.

As you have seen, the 2 cameras have got different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The E-M5 due to its bigger sensor is going to make achieving shallow depth of field easier and the Olympus E-M5 will provide extra detail having its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also allow you to crop pictures much more aggressively. The fresher E-M5 should have an edge when it comes to sensor technology.