Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic ZS1

Here, we will be evaluating the Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic ZS1, one is a Advanced Mirrorless and the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by manufacturers Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a huge gap between the image resolutions of the E-M5 (16MP) and ZS1 (10MP) and the E-M5 (Four Thirds) and ZS1 (1/2.5") offer different sensor sizing.

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The E-M5 was announced 3 years after the ZS1 which is quite a significant gap as far as technology is concerned. Each of these cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-M5 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic ZS1 being a Compact camera.

Before diving right into a step-by-step comparison, here is a quick summation of how the E-M5 scores against the ZS1 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Below is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus OM-D E-M5 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS1. The whole galleries are viewable at Olympus E-M5 Gallery and Panasonic ZS1 Gallery.

If you're going to carry around your camera frequently, you need to take into account its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-M5 provides exterior measurements 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 ZS1 has measurements of 103mm x 60mm x 33mm (4.1" x 2.4" x 1.3") accompanied by a weight of 229 grams (0.50 lbs).

See the Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic ZS1 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Do not forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change depending on the lens you have at that time. Here is a front view overall size comparison of the E-M5 against the ZS1.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-M5 and ZS1 is 81 and 91 respectively.

Sometimes, it is very difficult to visualize the contrast between sensor sizes only by reading technical specs. The image here will help offer you a better sense of the sensor measurements in the E-M5 and ZS1.

As you can tell, both of the cameras come with different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The E-M5 having a bigger sensor is going to make achieving shallow DOF easier and the Olympus E-M5 will offer you more detail with its extra 6 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also enable you to crop pictures a good deal more aggressively. The more recent E-M5 should have an edge when it comes to sensor innovation.