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Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic S2

Portability
81
Imaging
52
Features
70
Overall
59
Olympus OM-D E-M5 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-S2 front
Portability
96
Imaging
37
Features
29
Overall
33

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic S2 Key Specs

Olympus E-M5
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • 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
  • New Model is Olympus E-M5 II
Panasonic S2
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-112mm (F3.1-6.5) lens
  • 112g - 98 x 57 x 21mm
  • Introduced January 2012
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Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic S2 Overview

Here, we will be matching up the Olympus E-M5 versus Panasonic S2, former is a Advanced Mirrorless while the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by manufacturers Olympus and Panasonic. The image resolution of the E-M5 (16MP) and the S2 (14MP) is pretty similar but the E-M5 (Four Thirds) and S2 (1/2.3") posses totally different sensor measurements.

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The E-M5 was revealed 4 months after the S2 and they are of a similar age. The two cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-M5 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic S2 being a Compact camera.

Before going into a thorough comparison, here is a brief summary of how the E-M5 matches up against the S2 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-M5 over the Panasonic S2

 E-M5 S2 
Focus manually Dial precise focus
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen size3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution610k230kSharper screen (+380k dot)
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Panasonic S2 over the Olympus E-M5

 S2 E-M5 

Common features in the Olympus E-M5 and Panasonic S2

 E-M5 S2 
IntroducedApril 2012January 2012Similar age
Selfie screen Lack of selfie screen

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic S2 Physical Comparison

In case you're looking to travel with your camera, you have to take into account its weight and size. The Olympus E-M5 has outside dimensions of 122mm x 89mm x 43mm (4.8" x 3.5" x 1.7") along with a weight of 425 grams (0.94 lbs) while the Panasonic S2 has specifications of 98mm x 57mm x 21mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 0.8") and a weight of 112 grams (0.25 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus E-M5 versus Panasonic S2 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you choose at that time. Here is a front view measurements comparison of the E-M5 versus the S2.

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic S2 size comparison

Looking at size and weight, the portability grade of the E-M5 and S2 is 81 and 96 respectively.

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic S2 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic S2 Sensor Comparison

Usually, its hard to envision the difference between sensor dimensions purely by reading a spec sheet. The pic below will give you a better sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-M5 and S2.

Clearly, both of these cameras feature different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The E-M5 using its bigger sensor will make achieving shallower depth of field simpler and the Olympus E-M5 will offer greater detail because of its extra 2 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also make it easier to crop photographs way more aggressively.

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic S2 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic S2 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic S2 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-M5 Portrait photography information
Panasonic S2 Portrait photography information
71
manual focus
decent MP (16MP)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
has face detect focus
supports RAW files
33
good megapixels (14 megapixels)
features face detect focusing
no manual focus
no manual control
cannot use external flash
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
no RAW format
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-M5 Street photography details
Panasonic S2 Street photography details
82
screen tilts up and down
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
provides touch to focus
environment sealing
above average high ISO (25,600)
63
image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competition (112g)
no moving screen
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
no RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus E-M5
Sports photography with Panasonic S2
67
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent MP (16MP)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
has tracking focus
environment sealing
does not have phase detect auto focus
39
image stabilization (Optical)
good megapixels (14MP)
great battery power (280 CIPA)
slow continuous shooting (2.0 frames per second)
lack of shutter priority mode
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
no phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-M5 Travel photography features
Panasonic S2 Travel photography features
66
environment sealing
provides touch to focus
decent MP (16 megapixels)
missing Timelapse mode
screen isn't selfie friendly
70
great battery power (280 shots)
lighter than competition (112g)
good megapixels (14MP)
has built in flash
decently wide (28mm)
lack of Time Lapse function
display isn't selfie friendly
sluggish max aperture (f3.1)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-M5 as a Landscape photography camera
Panasonic S2 as a Landscape photography camera
73
manual focus
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen is a decent size (3")
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent MP (16 megapixels)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
above average high ISO (25,600)
supports RAW files
environment sealing
missing Timelapse mode
41
decently wide (28mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
good megapixels (14 megapixels)
great battery power (280 per charge)
no manual focus
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f3.1)
small screen (2.7 inches)
no manual control
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
no RAW format
lack of Time Lapse function
Photography Glossary

Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus E-M5
Vlogging with Panasonic S2
34
has touchscreen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
has face detect focus
video res high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
screen isn't selfie friendly
missing microphone socket
32
decently wide (28mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
features face detect focusing
lighter than competition (112 grams)
sluggish max aperture (f3.1)
display isn't selfie friendly
low video resolution (1280 x 720 resolution)
lack of mic socket
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Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic S2 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M5 and Panasonic S2
 Olympus OM-D E-M5Panasonic Lumix DMC-S2
General Information
Company Olympus Panasonic
Model Olympus OM-D E-M5 Panasonic Lumix DMC-S2
Class Advanced Mirrorless Small Sensor Compact
Announced 2012-04-30 2012-01-09
Physical type SLR-style mirrorless Compact
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 surface area 224.9mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixel 14 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 4608 x 3456 4320 x 3240
Maximum native ISO 25600 6400
Min native ISO 200 100
RAW pictures
Min boosted ISO 100 -
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
Continuous autofocus
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Autofocus center weighted
Autofocus multi area
Live view autofocus
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Number of focus points 35 23
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 28-112mm (4.0x)
Maximal aperture - f/3.1-6.5
Macro focus range - 5cm
Available lenses 107 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.9
Screen
Type of display Tilting Fixed Type
Display size 3 inch 2.7 inch
Resolution of display 610k dots 230k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Display technology Touch control in electrostatic capacitance type OLED monitor TFT Color LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic None
Viewfinder resolution 1,440k dots -
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.58x -
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 seconds 8 seconds
Highest shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/1600 seconds
Continuous shooting rate 9.0fps 2.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes -
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range no built-in flash 3.30 m
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync (2), Manual (3 levels) Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Highest flash synchronize 1/250 seconds -
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video file format H.264, Motion JPEG Motion JPEG
Mic port
Headphone port
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 sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 425g (0.94 pounds) 112g (0.25 pounds)
Physical dimensions 122 x 89 x 43mm (4.8" x 3.5" x 1.7") 98 x 57 x 21mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 0.8")
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 images 280 images
Battery type Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model BLN-1 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Card slots One One
Cost at launch $799 $109