Clicky

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic TS20

Portability
81
Imaging
52
Features
70
Overall
59
Olympus OM-D E-M5 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS20 front
Portability
95
Imaging
39
Features
28
Overall
34

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic TS20 Key Specs

Olympus E-M5
(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
  • Announced April 2012
  • Replacement is Olympus E-M5 II
Panasonic TS20
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 25-100mm (F3.9-5.7) lens
  • 142g - 101 x 58 x 19mm
  • Announced January 2012
  • Alternative Name is Lumix DMC-FT20
President Biden pushes bill mandating TikTok sale or ban

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic TS20 Overview

Its time to look a little more closely at the Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic TS20, one is a Advanced Mirrorless and the other is a Waterproof by brands Olympus and Panasonic. The sensor resolution of the E-M5 (16MP) and the TS20 (16MP) is very well matched but the E-M5 (Four Thirds) and TS20 (1/2.3") posses totally different sensor size.

Apple Innovates by Creating Next-Level Optical Stabilization for iPhone

The E-M5 was announced 3 months after the TS20 so they are of a similar generation. Both the cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-M5 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic TS20 being a Compact camera.

Before getting straight to a full comparison, here is a short view of how the E-M5 grades against the TS20 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Photography Glossary
	
	

Reasons to pick Olympus E-M5 over the Panasonic TS20

 E-M5 TS20 
Manual focus Very precise focus
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display dimensions3"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")
Display resolution610k230kSharper display (+380k dot)
Touch display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Panasonic TS20 over the Olympus E-M5

 TS20 E-M5 

Common features in the Olympus E-M5 and Panasonic TS20

 E-M5 TS20 
AnnouncedApril 2012January 2012Similar generation
Selfie screen Lacking selfie screen

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic TS20 Physical Comparison

When you are intending to travel with your camera regularly, you will want to take into account its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-M5 provides outer dimensions of 122mm x 89mm x 43mm (4.8" x 3.5" x 1.7") having a weight of 425 grams (0.94 lbs) whilst the Panasonic TS20 has dimensions of 101mm x 58mm x 19mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 0.7") along with a weight of 142 grams (0.31 lbs).

Look at the Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic TS20 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Keep in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary dependant on the lens you select during that time. Underneath is a front view over all size comparison of the E-M5 and the TS20.

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic TS20 size comparison

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-M5 and TS20 is 81 and 95 respectively.

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic TS20 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic TS20 Sensor Comparison

Typically, it can be hard to see the gap between sensor dimensions just by reading through specifications. The picture here should give you a greater sense of the sensor sizes in the E-M5 and TS20.

To sum up, both the cameras provide the same megapixels but not the same sensor dimensions. The E-M5 has the larger sensor which will make achieving shallower depth of field easier.

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic TS20 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic TS20 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic TS20 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Japan-exclusive Leica Leitz Phone 3 features big sensor and new modes

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-M5 as a Portrait photography camera
Panasonic TS20 as a Portrait photography camera
71
you can focus manually
good megapixels (16MP)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
provides face detection focusing
supports RAW formats
30
megapixel count decent (16MP)
focusing manually not possible
manual exposure not available
can't use external flash
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
Meta to Introduce 'AI-Generated' Labels for Media starting next month

Street Comparison

Olympus E-M5 Street photography factors
Panasonic TS20 Street photography factors
82
screen tilts up and down
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
provides touch to focus
weather proof
above average ISO range (25,600)
67
has image stabilization (Optical)
environment sealing
lighter than competitors (142g)
no moving screen
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide

Sports Comparison

Olympus E-M5 Sports photography highlights
Panasonic TS20 Sports photography highlights
67
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good megapixels (16 megapixels)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
provides tracking autofocus
weather proof
does not have phase detect AF
41
has image stabilization (Optical)
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
comes with tracking autofocus
environment sealing
low maximum shutter speed (1/1,300 seconds)
continuous shooting slow (1.0 frames per second)
no shutter priority mode
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
has no phase detect autofocus
Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music video

Travel Comparison

Olympus E-M5 Travel photography information
Panasonic TS20 Travel photography information
66
weather proof
provides touch to focus
good megapixels (16 megapixels)
does not have Time Lapse recording
display is not selfie friendly
70
lighter than competitors (142g)
environment sealing
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
has built in flash
pretty wide (25mm)
does not have Timelapse recording
screen isn't selfie friendly
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.9)
Snapchat Adds Watermarks to AI-Created Images

Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus E-M5
Landscape photography with Panasonic TS20
73
you can focus manually
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
pretty good screen size (3")
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good megapixels (16 megapixels)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
above average ISO range (25,600)
supports RAW formats
weather proof
does not have Time Lapse recording
41
pretty wide (25mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
megapixel count decent (16MP)
environment sealing
focusing manually not possible
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.9)
small screen (2.7")
manual exposure not available
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
does not have Timelapse recording
Samsung Releases Faster Versions of EVO MicroSD Cards

Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus E-M5
Vlogging with Panasonic TS20
34
touchscreen
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
provides face detection focusing
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
display is not selfie friendly
does not have external mic socket
31
pretty wide (25mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competitors (142g)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.9)
screen isn't selfie friendly
low res video (1280 x 720 pxls)
does not have external microphone jack
Photobucket discusses licensing 13 billion images with AI firms

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic TS20 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M5 and Panasonic TS20
 Olympus OM-D E-M5Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS20
General Information
Brand Olympus Panasonic
Model Olympus OM-D E-M5 Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS20
Also referred to as - Lumix DMC-FT20
Type Advanced Mirrorless Waterproof
Announced 2012-04-30 2012-01-31
Body design SLR-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Powered by 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 16MP 16MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 4608 x 3456 4608 x 3456
Maximum native ISO 25600 6400
Minimum native ISO 200 100
RAW photos
Minimum boosted ISO 100 -
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
AF continuous
AF single
AF tracking
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Number of focus points 35 23
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 25-100mm (4.0x)
Maximum aperture - f/3.9-5.7
Macro focus distance - 5cm
Number of lenses 107 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.9
Screen
Screen type Tilting Fixed Type
Screen size 3 inches 2.7 inches
Screen resolution 610k dot 230k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Screen tech Touch control in electrostatic capacitance type OLED monitor TFT LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic None
Viewfinder resolution 1,440k dot -
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.58x -
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60s 8s
Highest shutter speed 1/4000s 1/1300s
Continuous shooting speed 9.0fps 1.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Set WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range no built-in flash 4.40 m
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync (2), Manual (3 levels) Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Syncro
Hot shoe
AEB
WB bracketing
Highest flash sync 1/250s -
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 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video data format H.264, Motion JPEG MPEG-4
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
Environmental seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 425 grams (0.94 pounds) 142 grams (0.31 pounds)
Physical dimensions 122 x 89 x 43mm (4.8" x 3.5" x 1.7") 101 x 58 x 19mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 0.7")
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 shots 250 shots
Battery format 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
Storage slots 1 1
Cost at launch $799 $179