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Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic FS15

Portability
81
Imaging
52
Features
70
Overall
59
Olympus OM-D E-M5 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS15 front
Portability
95
Imaging
35
Features
17
Overall
27

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic FS15 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 FS15
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 1600 (Expand to 6400)
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 640 x 480 video
  • 29-145mm (F3.3-5.9) lens
  • 136g - 97 x 54 x 22mm
  • Announced January 2009
Photography Glossary

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic FS15 Overview

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.

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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.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-M5 over the Panasonic FS15

 E-M5 FS15 
AnnouncedApril 2012January 2009Fresher by 40 months
Manual focus Dial exact focusing
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen dimension3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution610k230kSharper screen (+380k dot)
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Panasonic FS15 over the Olympus E-M5

 FS15 E-M5 

Common features in the Olympus E-M5 and Panasonic FS15

 E-M5 FS15 
Selfie screen Neither features selfie screen

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic FS15 Physical Comparison

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. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

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.

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic FS15 size comparison

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

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic FS15 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic FS15 Sensor Comparison

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.

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic FS15 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic FS15 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic FS15 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-M5 Portrait photography information
Panasonic FS15 Portrait photography information
71
manual focus
decent MP (16 megapixels)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
comes with face detection autofocus
exports RAW files
21
focusing manually not possible
manual mode not available
no external flash support
MP count low (12MP)
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW format
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-M5 Street photography details
Panasonic FS15 Street photography details
82
tilting screen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
offers focus by touch
weather proof
above average ISO range (25,600)
57
has image stabilization (Optical)
screen does not articulate
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-M5 Sports photography factors
Panasonic FS15 Sports photography factors
67
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent MP (16 megapixels)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
comes with tracking autofocus
weather proof
has no phase detect autofocus
25
has image stabilization (Optical)
painfully slow continuous shooting (2.0 frames per second)
no shutter priority
MP count low (12 megapixels)
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
doesn't have phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-M5 as a Travel photography camera
Panasonic FS15 as a Travel photography camera
66
weather proof
offers focus by touch
decent MP (16 megapixels)
does not have Timelapse mode
screen isn't selfie friendly
51
flash built-in
missing Time Lapse recording
MP count low (12MP)
screen is not selfie friendly
wide angle not the best (29mm)
slow max aperture (f3.3)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-M5 as a Landscape photography camera
Panasonic FS15 as a Landscape photography camera
73
manual focus
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is good (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent MP (16MP)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
above average ISO range (25,600)
exports RAW files
weather proof
does not have Timelapse mode
28
has image stabilization (Optical)
focusing manually not possible
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not the best (29mm)
slow max aperture (f3.3)
screen is small (2.7 inches)
manual mode not available
MP count low (12 megapixels)
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW format
missing Time Lapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-M5 as a Vlogging camera
Panasonic FS15 as a Vlogging camera
34
has touchscreen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
comes with face detection autofocus
video res high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
screen isn't selfie friendly
does not have external microphone socket
25
has image stabilization (Optical)
wide angle not the best (29mm)
slow max aperture (f3.3)
screen is not selfie friendly
video res low (640 x 480 resolution)
missing mic jack
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Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic FS15 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M5 and Panasonic FS15
 Olympus OM-D E-M5Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS15
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Panasonic
Model type Olympus OM-D E-M5 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS15
Class Advanced Mirrorless Ultracompact
Announced 2012-04-30 2009-01-16
Body design SLR-style mirrorless Ultracompact
Sensor Information
Processor TruePic VI -
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixel 12 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 16:9, 4:3 and 3:2
Full resolution 4608 x 3456 4000 x 3000
Max native ISO 25600 1600
Max boosted ISO - 6400
Lowest native ISO 200 80
RAW pictures
Lowest boosted ISO 100 -
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
Continuous AF
Single AF
Tracking AF
Selective AF
AF center weighted
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Total focus points 35 11
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 29-145mm (5.0x)
Maximal aperture - f/3.3-5.9
Macro focusing range - 5cm
Available lenses 107 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.9
Screen
Screen type Tilting Fixed Type
Screen size 3 inches 2.7 inches
Resolution of screen 610 thousand dot 230 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Screen technology Touch control in electrostatic capacitance type OLED monitor -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic None
Viewfinder resolution 1,440 thousand dot -
Viewfinder coverage 100% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.58x -
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60s 60s
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000s 1/2000s
Continuous shooting speed 9.0 frames per sec 2.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Change WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 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 Off
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Maximum flash sync 1/250s -
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Max video resolution 1920x1080 640x480
Video data format H.264, Motion JPEG Motion JPEG
Mic input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless Eye-Fi Connected None
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 grams (0.94 lbs) 136 grams (0.30 lbs)
Dimensions 122 x 89 x 43mm (4.8" x 3.5" x 1.7") 97 x 54 x 22mm (3.8" x 2.1" x 0.9")
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 -
Style of battery Battery Pack -
Battery ID BLN-1 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/MMC/SDHC card, Internal
Storage slots Single Single
Pricing at launch $799 $180