Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic SZ5
81 Imaging
51 Features
70 Overall
58


95 Imaging
37 Features
34 Overall
35
Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic SZ5 Key Specs
(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
- Launched April 2012
- Newer Model is Olympus E-M5 II
(Full Review)
- 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
- 3" Fixed Display
- ISO 100 - 1600 (Expand to 6400)
- Optical Image Stabilization
- 1280 x 720 video
- 25-250mm (F3.1-5.9) lens
- 136g - 104 x 58 x 21mm
- Announced July 2012

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic SZ5 Overview
Below is a in-depth analysis of the Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic SZ5, one being a Advanced Mirrorless and the other is a Small Sensor Compact by competitors Olympus and Panasonic. The sensor resolution of the E-M5 (16MP) and the SZ5 (14MP) is fairly close but the E-M5 (Four Thirds) and SZ5 (1/2.3") posses totally different sensor dimensions.

The E-M5 was announced 2 months earlier than the SZ5 which means that they are both of a similar generation. Both of the cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-M5 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic SZ5 being a Compact camera.
Before getting into a complete comparison, here is a brief summary of how the E-M5 grades vs the SZ5 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic SZ5 Gallery
The following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus OM-D E-M5 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ5. The whole galleries are available at Olympus E-M5 Gallery and Panasonic SZ5 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus E-M5 over the Panasonic SZ5
E-M5 | SZ5 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Manually focus | ![]() | Dial precise focus | ||
Display type | Tilting | ![]() | Fixed | Tilting display |
Display resolution | 610k | ![]() | 230k | Sharper display (+380k dot) |
Touch friendly display | ![]() | Easily navigate |
Reasons to pick Panasonic SZ5 over the Olympus E-M5
SZ5 | E-M5 |
---|
Common features in the Olympus E-M5 and Panasonic SZ5
E-M5 | SZ5 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Announced | April 2012 | ![]() | July 2012 | Same generation |
Display dimensions | 3" | ![]() | 3" | Equal display sizing |
Selfie screen | ![]() | Neither comes with selfie screen |
Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic SZ5 Physical Comparison
If you're going to lug around your camera often, you'll need to take into account its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-M5 comes with outside measurements of 122mm x 89mm x 43mm (4.8" x 3.5" x 1.7") accompanied by a weight of 425 grams (0.94 lbs) and the Panasonic SZ5 has measurements of 104mm x 58mm x 21mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 0.8") accompanied by a weight of 136 grams (0.30 lbs).
Examine the Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic SZ5 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Keep in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ dependant on the lens you have during that time. The following is a front view dimensions comparison of the E-M5 against the SZ5.

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-M5 and SZ5 is 81 and 95 respectively.

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic SZ5 Sensor Comparison
Typically, it can be tough to see the gap in sensor measurements only by researching a spec sheet. The graphic here may provide you a stronger sense of the sensor measurements in the E-M5 and SZ5.
As you can see, both of these cameras provide different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The E-M5 using its larger sensor will make achieving shallow depth of field simpler and the Olympus E-M5 will render greater detail with its extra 2MP. Greater resolution can also allow you to crop photos more aggressively.

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic SZ5 Screen and ViewFinder


Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison

Street Comparison

Sports Comparison

Travel Comparison

Landscape Comparison

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic SZ5 Specifications
Olympus OM-D E-M5 | Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ5 | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Brand Name | Olympus | Panasonic |
Model | Olympus OM-D E-M5 | Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ5 |
Type | Advanced Mirrorless | Small Sensor Compact |
Launched | 2012-04-30 | 2012-07-18 |
Physical type | SLR-style mirrorless | Compact |
Sensor Information | ||
Processor Chip | TruePic VI | - |
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 megapixel | 14 megapixel |
Anti aliasing filter | ||
Aspect ratio | 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 | 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 |
Max resolution | 4608 x 3456 | 4320 x 3240 |
Max native ISO | 25600 | 1600 |
Max enhanced ISO | - | 6400 |
Min native ISO | 200 | 100 |
RAW pictures | ||
Min enhanced ISO | 100 | - |
Autofocusing | ||
Focus manually | ||
Autofocus touch | ||
Autofocus continuous | ||
Autofocus single | ||
Tracking autofocus | ||
Autofocus selectice | ||
Center weighted autofocus | ||
Multi area autofocus | ||
Live view autofocus | ||
Face detect autofocus | ||
Contract detect autofocus | ||
Phase detect autofocus | ||
Number of focus points | 35 | 23 |
Lens | ||
Lens mount | Micro Four Thirds | fixed lens |
Lens focal range | - | 25-250mm (10.0x) |
Maximal aperture | - | f/3.1-5.9 |
Macro focus range | - | 5cm |
Total lenses | 107 | - |
Focal length multiplier | 2.1 | 5.9 |
Screen | ||
Type of display | Tilting | Fixed Type |
Display size | 3" | 3" |
Display resolution | 610k dots | 230k dots |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch display | ||
Display tech | Touch control in electrostatic capacitance type OLED monitor | TFT Screen LCD |
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder | Electronic | None |
Viewfinder resolution | 1,440k dots | - |
Viewfinder coverage | 100 percent | - |
Viewfinder magnification | 0.58x | - |
Features | ||
Min shutter speed | 60 seconds | 8 seconds |
Max shutter speed | 1/4000 seconds | 1/1600 seconds |
Continuous shutter rate | 9.0fps | 2.0fps |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Manually set exposure | ||
Exposure compensation | Yes | - |
Change white balance | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Inbuilt flash | ||
Flash range | no built-in flash | 5.60 m |
Flash modes | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync (2), Manual (3 levels) | Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Sync |
External flash | ||
AE bracketing | ||
White balance bracketing | ||
Max 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 720p ( 30,25 fps), 640 x 480 (30, 25 fps) |
Max video resolution | 1920x1080 | 1280x720 |
Video data format | H.264, Motion JPEG | MPEG-4 |
Microphone port | ||
Headphone port | ||
Connectivity | ||
Wireless | Eye-Fi Connected | Built-In |
Bluetooth | ||
NFC | ||
HDMI | ||
USB | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) |
GPS | None | None |
Physical | ||
Environmental sealing | ||
Water proof | ||
Dust proof | ||
Shock proof | ||
Crush proof | ||
Freeze proof | ||
Weight | 425 gr (0.94 lb) | 136 gr (0.30 lb) |
Physical dimensions | 122 x 89 x 43mm (4.8" x 3.5" x 1.7") | 104 x 58 x 21mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 0.8") |
DXO scores | ||
DXO Overall 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 photos | 250 photos |
Style of battery | Battery Pack | Battery Pack |
Battery model | BLN-1 | - |
Self timer | Yes (2 or 12 sec) | Yes (2 or 10 secs) |
Time lapse shooting | ||
Storage type | SD/SDHC/SDXC | SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal |
Card slots | One | One |
Retail pricing | $799 | $195 |