Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic SZ10

Following is a detailed review of the Olympus E-M5 and Panasonic SZ10, former is a Advanced Mirrorless while the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom by companies Olympus and Panasonic. The resolution of the E-M5 (16MP) and the SZ10 (16MP) is very well matched but the E-M5 (Four Thirds) and SZ10 (1/2.3") come with different sensor sizes.

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The E-M5 was launched 3 years before the SZ10 which is quite a sizable difference as far as technology is concerned. Both cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-M5 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic SZ10 being a Compact camera.

Before getting in to a more detailed comparison, below is a short view of how the E-M5 grades vs the SZ10 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 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ10. The complete galleries are viewable at Olympus E-M5 Gallery & Panasonic SZ10 Gallery.

For those who are planning to carry around your camera, you'll need to factor its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-M5 enjoys outer measurements of 122mm x 89mm x 43mm (4.8" x 3.5" x 1.7") and a weight of 425 grams (0.94 lbs) while the Panasonic SZ10 has dimensions of 99mm x 60mm x 30mm (3.9" x 2.4" x 1.2") accompanied by a weight of 177 grams (0.39 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-M5 and Panasonic SZ10 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you choose at that moment. Here is the front view size comparison of the E-M5 compared to the SZ10.

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-M5 and SZ10 is 81 and 93 respectively.

Typically, it can be hard to imagine the contrast between sensor sizes purely by reading through technical specs. The picture here might offer you a much better sense of the sensor sizing in the E-M5 and SZ10.

As you can tell, each of these cameras have got the exact same megapixel count but different sensor sizes. The E-M5 provides the larger sensor which is going to make achieving shallower depth of field simpler. The more aged E-M5 is going to be disadvantaged in sensor technology.