Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic FZ47
81 Imaging
51 Features
70 Overall
58


68 Imaging
35 Features
45 Overall
39
Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic FZ47 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
- Introduced April 2012
- Replacement is Olympus E-M5 II
(Full Review)
- 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
- 3" Fixed Display
- ISO 100 - 1600 (Expand to 6400)
- Optical Image Stabilization
- 1920 x 1080 video
- 25-600mm (F2.8-5.2) lens
- 498g - 120 x 80 x 92mm
- Released July 2011
- Alternate Name is Lumix DMC-FZ48

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic FZ47 Overview
On this page, we are contrasting the Olympus E-M5 versus Panasonic FZ47, former being a Advanced Mirrorless while the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom by competitors Olympus and Panasonic. There is a large difference between the sensor resolutions of the E-M5 (16MP) and FZ47 (12MP) and the E-M5 (Four Thirds) and FZ47 (1/2.3") have totally different sensor sizing.

The E-M5 was brought out 10 months later than the FZ47 which means that they are both of a similar age. Both of the cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-M5 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic FZ47 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera.
Before getting straight to a complete comparison, here is a brief summation of how the E-M5 grades against the FZ47 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic FZ47 Gallery
Here is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus OM-D E-M5 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ47. The entire galleries are available at Olympus E-M5 Gallery & Panasonic FZ47 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus E-M5 over the Panasonic FZ47
E-M5 | FZ47 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Released | April 2012 | ![]() | July 2011 | More recent by 10 months |
Display type | Tilting | ![]() | Fixed | Tilting display |
Display resolution | 610k | ![]() | 460k | Clearer display (+150k dot) |
Touch display | ![]() | Easily navigate |
Reasons to pick Panasonic FZ47 over the Olympus E-M5
FZ47 | E-M5 |
---|
Common features in the Olympus E-M5 and Panasonic FZ47
E-M5 | FZ47 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Focus manually | ![]() | Very accurate focusing | ||
Display dimensions | 3" | ![]() | 3" | Equal display measurement |
Selfie screen | ![]() | Neither features selfie screen |
Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic FZ47 Physical Comparison
If you are looking to lug around your camera regularly, you are going to need to factor in its weight and volume. The Olympus E-M5 enjoys 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) while the Panasonic FZ47 has sizing of 120mm x 80mm x 92mm (4.7" x 3.1" x 3.6") along with a weight of 498 grams (1.10 lbs).
Analyze the Olympus E-M5 versus Panasonic FZ47 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Always remember, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you select during that time. The following is a front view sizing comparison of the E-M5 against the FZ47.

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability grade of the E-M5 and FZ47 is 81 and 68 respectively.

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic FZ47 Sensor Comparison
In many cases, it is very hard to envision the gap between sensor measurements only by reading through technical specs. The visual underneath should give you a far better sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-M5 and FZ47.
As you can tell, both cameras have different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The E-M5 because of its larger sensor will make shooting shallow depth of field less difficult and the Olympus E-M5 will give extra detail having its extra 4MP. Greater resolution can also let you crop photos a bit more aggressively. The more modern E-M5 will have an edge when it comes to sensor tech.

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic FZ47 Screen and ViewFinder


Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison

Street Comparison

Sports Comparison

Travel Comparison

Landscape Comparison

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic FZ47 Specifications
Olympus OM-D E-M5 | Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ47 | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Brand | Olympus | Panasonic |
Model | Olympus OM-D E-M5 | Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ47 |
Also Known as | - | Lumix DMC-FZ48 |
Type | Advanced Mirrorless | Small Sensor Superzoom |
Introduced | 2012-04-30 | 2011-07-21 |
Body design | SLR-style mirrorless | SLR-like (bridge) |
Sensor Information | ||
Chip | TruePic VI | Venus Engine FHD |
Sensor type | CMOS | CCD |
Sensor size | Four Thirds | 1/2.3" |
Sensor measurements | 17.3 x 13mm | 6.08 x 4.56mm |
Sensor surface area | 224.9mm² | 27.7mm² |
Sensor resolution | 16 megapixels | 12 megapixels |
Anti aliasing 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 | 4000 x 3000 |
Max native ISO | 25600 | 1600 |
Max boosted ISO | - | 6400 |
Lowest native ISO | 200 | 100 |
RAW data | ||
Lowest boosted ISO | 100 | - |
Autofocusing | ||
Focus manually | ||
AF touch | ||
AF continuous | ||
AF single | ||
Tracking AF | ||
AF selectice | ||
AF center weighted | ||
Multi area AF | ||
Live view AF | ||
Face detection focusing | ||
Contract detection focusing | ||
Phase detection focusing | ||
Number of focus points | 35 | 23 |
Lens | ||
Lens mounting type | Micro Four Thirds | fixed lens |
Lens focal range | - | 25-600mm (24.0x) |
Largest aperture | - | f/2.8-5.2 |
Macro focus range | - | 1cm |
Amount of lenses | 107 | - |
Crop factor | 2.1 | 5.9 |
Screen | ||
Screen type | Tilting | Fixed Type |
Screen sizing | 3" | 3" |
Screen resolution | 610k dot | 460k dot |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch function | ||
Screen tech | Touch control in electrostatic capacitance type OLED monitor | - |
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder type | Electronic | Electronic |
Viewfinder resolution | 1,440k dot | - |
Viewfinder coverage | 100 percent | 100 percent |
Viewfinder magnification | 0.58x | - |
Features | ||
Lowest shutter speed | 60 secs | 60 secs |
Highest shutter speed | 1/4000 secs | 1/2000 secs |
Continuous shooting speed | 9.0fps | 4.0fps |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Manual exposure | ||
Exposure compensation | Yes | Yes |
Custom WB | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Inbuilt flash | ||
Flash range | no built-in flash | 9.50 m |
Flash options | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync (2), Manual (3 levels) | Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Sync |
Hot shoe | ||
AEB | ||
WB bracketing | ||
Highest flash sync | 1/250 secs | 1/2000 secs |
Exposure | ||
Multisegment exposure | ||
Average exposure | ||
Spot exposure | ||
Partial exposure | ||
AF area exposure | ||
Center weighted exposure | ||
Video features | ||
Video resolutions | 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) | 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) |
Max video resolution | 1920x1080 | 1920x1080 |
Video format | H.264, Motion JPEG | AVCHD |
Microphone 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 proof | ||
Dust proof | ||
Shock proof | ||
Crush proof | ||
Freeze proof | ||
Weight | 425 gr (0.94 pounds) | 498 gr (1.10 pounds) |
Physical dimensions | 122 x 89 x 43mm (4.8" x 3.5" x 1.7") | 120 x 80 x 92mm (4.7" x 3.1" x 3.6") |
DXO scores | ||
DXO All around score | 71 | not tested |
DXO Color Depth score | 22.8 | not tested |
DXO Dynamic range score | 12.3 | not tested |
DXO Low light score | 826 | not tested |
Other | ||
Battery life | 360 photographs | 400 photographs |
Battery format | Battery Pack | Battery Pack |
Battery model | BLN-1 | - |
Self timer | Yes (2 or 12 sec) | Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10 sec (3 pictures)) |
Time lapse shooting | ||
Type of storage | SD/SDHC/SDXC | SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal |
Storage slots | Single | Single |
Pricing at launch | $799 | $379 |