Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic FZ35

Following is a extended review of the Olympus E-M5 and Panasonic FZ35, one is a Advanced Mirrorless and the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom by rivals Olympus and Panasonic. There is a significant difference among the image resolutions of the E-M5 (16MP) and FZ35 (12MP) and the E-M5 (Four Thirds) and FZ35 (1/2.3") enjoy totally different sensor sizing.

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The E-M5 was unveiled 23 months after the FZ35 making the cameras a generation away from each other. The two cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-M5 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic FZ35 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera.

Before diving through a step-by-step comparison, below is a brief highlight of how the E-M5 matches up against the FZ35 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Here is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus OM-D E-M5 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ35. The full galleries are viewable at Olympus E-M5 Gallery and Panasonic FZ35 Gallery.

For those who are intending to carry around your camera frequently, you will have to factor its weight and volume. The Olympus E-M5 has got physical 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 FZ35 has sizing of 118mm x 76mm x 89mm (4.6" x 3.0" x 3.5") accompanied by a weight of 397 grams (0.88 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-M5 and Panasonic FZ35 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ dependant on the lens you use at the time. The following is the front view measurements comparison of the E-M5 against the FZ35.

Taking into account size and weight, the portability score of the E-M5 and FZ35 is 81 and 72 respectively.

Generally, its difficult to envision the gap in sensor sizes merely by checking out specs. The picture underneath will provide you a greater sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-M5 and FZ35.

As you can plainly see, both of these cameras posses different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The E-M5 having a larger sensor will make achieving shallow depth of field easier and the Olympus E-M5 will provide extra detail having an extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution will make it easier to crop photos somewhat more aggressively. The fresher E-M5 will have an advantage with regard to sensor innovation.