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Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic ZS1

Portability
81
Imaging
52
Features
70
Overall
59
Olympus OM-D E-M5 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS1 front
Portability
91
Imaging
33
Features
25
Overall
29

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic ZS1 Key Specs

Olympus E-M5
(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
  • Announced April 2012
  • Replacement is Olympus E-M5 II
Panasonic ZS1
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - 1/2.5" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 640 x 480 video
  • 25-300mm (F3.3-4.9) lens
  • 229g - 103 x 60 x 33mm
  • Launched May 2009
  • Also referred to as Lumix DMC-TZ6
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Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic ZS1 Overview

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.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-M5 over the Panasonic ZS1

 E-M5 ZS1 
LaunchedApril 2012May 2009More modern by 37 months
Manually focus Dial precise focus
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen size3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution610k230kSharper screen (+380k dot)
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Panasonic ZS1 over the Olympus E-M5

 ZS1 E-M5 

Common features in the Olympus E-M5 and Panasonic ZS1

 E-M5 ZS1 
Selfie screen Absent selfie screen

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic ZS1 Physical Comparison

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. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

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.

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic ZS1 size comparison

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

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic ZS1 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic ZS1 Sensor Comparison

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.

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic ZS1 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic ZS1 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic ZS1 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-M5 Portrait photography advice
Panasonic ZS1 Portrait photography advice
71
focusing manually
megapixel count decent (16MP)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
comes with face detect autofocus
saves RAW formats
25
comes with face detection autofocus
lack of manual focus
manual exposure not available
no external flash support
resolution not great (10 megapixels)
very small sensor size (1/2.5")
does not have RAW format
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-M5 Street photography advice
Panasonic ZS1 Street photography advice
82
screen tilts
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
includes focus via touch
weather proofing
good ISO range (25,600)
60
image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competition in class (229g)
no articulating screen
very small sensor size (1/2.5")
does not have RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-M5 Sports photography information
Panasonic ZS1 Sports photography information
67
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
megapixel count decent (16MP)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
comes with tracking focus
weather proofing
no phase detect autofocus
24
image stabilization (Optical)
slow fps (3.0 frames per second)
lack of shutter priority mode
resolution not great (10MP)
very small sensor size (1/2.5")
does not have phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-M5 Travel photography info
Panasonic ZS1 Travel photography info
66
weather proofing
includes focus via touch
megapixel count decent (16MP)
lack of Time Lapse mode
screen is not selfie friendly
63
lighter than competition in class (229g)
flash built-in
quite wide (25mm)
long reach (300mm)
no Time Lapse mode
resolution not great (10MP)
display is not selfie friendly
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-M5 Landscape photography information
Panasonic ZS1 Landscape photography information
73
focusing manually
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
nice screen size (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
megapixel count decent (16MP)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
good ISO range (25,600)
saves RAW formats
weather proofing
lack of Time Lapse mode
31
quite wide (25mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
lack of manual focus
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
screen is somewhat small (2.7")
manual exposure not available
resolution not great (10 megapixels)
very small sensor size (1/2.5")
does not have RAW format
no Time Lapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-M5 Vlogging advice
Panasonic ZS1 Vlogging advice
34
touch screen
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
comes with face detect autofocus
video res high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
screen is not selfie friendly
lack of mic jack
31
quite wide (25mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
comes with face detection autofocus
lighter than competition in class (229 grams)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
display is not selfie friendly
low quality video (640 x 480 resolution)
no external mic jack
Photography Glossary

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic ZS1 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M5 and Panasonic ZS1
 Olympus OM-D E-M5Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS1
General Information
Company Olympus Panasonic
Model type Olympus OM-D E-M5 Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS1
Also referred to as - Lumix DMC-TZ6
Category Advanced Mirrorless Small Sensor Superzoom
Announced 2012-04-30 2009-05-14
Body design SLR-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Chip TruePic VI -
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.5"
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 5.744 x 4.308mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 24.7mm²
Sensor resolution 16MP 10MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 16:9, 4:3 and 3:2
Highest Possible resolution 4608 x 3456 3648 x 2736
Maximum native ISO 25600 6400
Min native ISO 200 100
RAW support
Min enhanced ISO 100 -
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Continuous autofocus
Single autofocus
Tracking autofocus
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Live view autofocus
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Total focus points 35 11
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 25-300mm (12.0x)
Max aperture - f/3.3-4.9
Macro focusing distance - 3cm
Amount of lenses 107 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 6.3
Screen
Range of display Tilting Fixed Type
Display sizing 3 inch 2.7 inch
Display resolution 610 thousand dot 230 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Display technology Touch control in electrostatic capacitance type OLED monitor -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic None
Viewfinder resolution 1,440 thousand dot -
Viewfinder coverage 100% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.58x -
Features
Min shutter speed 60 secs 60 secs
Max shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/2000 secs
Continuous shutter speed 9.0 frames per second 3.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes -
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance no built-in flash 5.30 m (Auto ISO)
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync (2), Manual (3 levels) Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction, Slow Sync
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Max flash sync 1/250 secs -
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 640x480
Video file format H.264, Motion JPEG Motion JPEG
Mic 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 proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 425 gr (0.94 lb) 229 gr (0.50 lb)
Physical dimensions 122 x 89 x 43mm (4.8" x 3.5" x 1.7") 103 x 60 x 33mm (4.1" x 2.4" x 1.3")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 71 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 22.8 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 12.3 not tested
DXO Low light rating 826 not tested
Other
Battery life 360 photos -
Type of battery Battery Pack -
Battery ID BLN-1 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/MMC/SDHC card, Internal
Storage slots 1 1
Retail cost $799 $0