Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic SZ8
81 Imaging
52 Features
70 Overall
59
94 Imaging
40 Features
31 Overall
36
Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic SZ8 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
- Revealed April 2012
- Updated by Olympus E-M5 II
(Full Review)
- 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
- 3" Fixed Screen
- ISO 100 - 1600 (Push to 6400)
- Optical Image Stabilization
- 1280 x 720 video
- 24-288mm (F3.1-6.3) lens
- 159g - 100 x 60 x 27mm
- Announced January 2014
Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic SZ8 Overview
The following is a thorough analysis of the Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic SZ8, former is a Advanced Mirrorless while the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by competitors Olympus and Panasonic. The resolution of the E-M5 (16MP) and the SZ8 (16MP) is relatively well matched but the E-M5 (Four Thirds) and SZ8 (1/2.3") posses totally different sensor measurements.
Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a LandslideThe E-M5 was brought out 20 months earlier than the SZ8 which makes them a generation away from one another. Each of the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-M5 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic SZ8 being a Compact camera.
Before we go straight to a full comparison, here is a quick highlight of how the E-M5 scores versus the SZ8 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.
Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic SZ8 Gallery
The following is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus OM-D E-M5 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ8. The entire galleries are provided at Olympus E-M5 Gallery & Panasonic SZ8 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus E-M5 over the Panasonic SZ8
E-M5 | SZ8 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Manually focus | Dial precise focusing | |||
Screen type | Tilting | Fixed | Tilting screen | |
Screen resolution | 610k | 460k | Crisper screen (+150k dot) | |
Touch friendly screen | Quickly navigate |
Reasons to pick Panasonic SZ8 over the Olympus E-M5
SZ8 | E-M5 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Announced | January 2014 | April 2012 | Newer by 20 months |
Common features in the Olympus E-M5 and Panasonic SZ8
E-M5 | SZ8 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Screen size | 3" | 3" | Same screen measurements | |
Selfie screen | Lacking selfie screen |
Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic SZ8 Physical Comparison
If you are planning to travel with your camera regularly, you'll have to think about its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-M5 offers 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) and the Panasonic SZ8 has dimensions of 100mm x 60mm x 27mm (3.9" x 2.4" x 1.1") along with a weight of 159 grams (0.35 lbs).
Take a look at the Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic SZ8 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.Remember, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you have chosen at the time. Following is a front view measurements comparison of the E-M5 and the SZ8.
Using dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-M5 and SZ8 is 81 and 94 respectively.
Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic SZ8 Sensor Comparison
Sometimes, its hard to see the difference between sensor dimensions just by checking specs. The picture here will help offer you a far better sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-M5 and SZ8.
All in all, both of those cameras come with the identical megapixel count albeit not the same sensor dimensions. The E-M5 offers the bigger sensor which is going to make getting shallower depth of field easier. The more aged E-M5 is going to be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor innovation.
Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic SZ8 Screen and ViewFinder
Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison
Street Comparison
Sports Comparison
Travel Comparison
Landscape Comparison
Vlogging Comparison
Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic SZ8 Specifications
Olympus OM-D E-M5 | Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ8 | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Make | Olympus | Panasonic |
Model | Olympus OM-D E-M5 | Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ8 |
Category | Advanced Mirrorless | Small Sensor Superzoom |
Revealed | 2012-04-30 | 2014-01-06 |
Physical type | SLR-style mirrorless | Compact |
Sensor Information | ||
Processor | TruePic VI | Venus Engine |
Sensor type | CMOS | CCD |
Sensor size | Four Thirds | 1/2.3" |
Sensor dimensions | 17.3 x 13mm | 6.08 x 4.56mm |
Sensor area | 224.9mm² | 27.7mm² |
Sensor resolution | 16 megapixels | 16 megapixels |
Anti aliasing filter | ||
Aspect ratio | 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 | 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 |
Highest Possible resolution | 4608 x 3456 | 4608 x 3456 |
Maximum native ISO | 25600 | 1600 |
Maximum enhanced ISO | - | 6400 |
Lowest native ISO | 200 | 100 |
RAW pictures | ||
Lowest enhanced ISO | 100 | - |
Autofocusing | ||
Manual focus | ||
Touch to focus | ||
Continuous autofocus | ||
Autofocus single | ||
Autofocus tracking | ||
Autofocus selectice | ||
Center weighted autofocus | ||
Autofocus multi area | ||
Live view autofocus | ||
Face detection autofocus | ||
Contract detection autofocus | ||
Phase detection autofocus | ||
Number of focus points | 35 | 9 |
Lens | ||
Lens mounting type | Micro Four Thirds | fixed lens |
Lens focal range | - | 24-288mm (12.0x) |
Maximum aperture | - | f/3.1-6.3 |
Available lenses | 107 | - |
Crop factor | 2.1 | 5.9 |
Screen | ||
Screen type | Tilting | Fixed Type |
Screen size | 3 inches | 3 inches |
Screen resolution | 610 thousand dots | 460 thousand dots |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch operation | ||
Screen technology | Touch control in electrostatic capacitance type OLED monitor | TFT LCD |
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder type | Electronic | None |
Viewfinder resolution | 1,440 thousand dots | - |
Viewfinder coverage | 100% | - |
Viewfinder magnification | 0.58x | - |
Features | ||
Min shutter speed | 60 secs | 8 secs |
Max shutter speed | 1/4000 secs | 1/2000 secs |
Continuous shutter rate | 9.0fps | 1.0fps |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Manually set exposure | ||
Exposure compensation | Yes | - |
Change white balance | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Inbuilt flash | ||
Flash range | no built-in flash | 5.20 m |
Flash settings | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync (2), Manual (3 levels) | Auto, Auto/Red-eye Reduction, Forced On, Slow Sync./Red-eye Reduction, Forced Off |
External flash | ||
AEB | ||
WB bracketing | ||
Max flash synchronize | 1/250 secs | - |
Exposure | ||
Multisegment | ||
Average | ||
Spot | ||
Partial | ||
AF area | ||
Center weighted | ||
Video features | ||
Video resolutions | 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) | 1280 x 720 (30p), 640 x 480 (30p), 320 x 240 (30p) |
Maximum video resolution | 1920x1080 | 1280x720 |
Video data format | H.264, Motion JPEG | Motion JPEG |
Mic support | ||
Headphone support | ||
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 | ||
Environment sealing | ||
Water proof | ||
Dust proof | ||
Shock proof | ||
Crush proof | ||
Freeze proof | ||
Weight | 425g (0.94 pounds) | 159g (0.35 pounds) |
Physical dimensions | 122 x 89 x 43mm (4.8" x 3.5" x 1.7") | 100 x 60 x 27mm (3.9" x 2.4" x 1.1") |
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 photographs | 200 photographs |
Battery style | Battery Pack | Battery Pack |
Battery model | BLN-1 | - |
Self timer | Yes (2 or 12 sec) | Yes (2 or 10 sec) |
Time lapse feature | ||
Type of storage | SD/SDHC/SDXC | SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal |
Card slots | Single | Single |
Launch pricing | $799 | $275 |