Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic ZS20
81 Imaging
52 Features
70 Overall
59
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92 Imaging
37 Features
46 Overall
40
Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic ZS20 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)
- 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
- 3" Fixed Screen
- ISO 100 - 6400
- Optical Image Stabilization
- 1920 x 1080 video
- 24-480mm (F3.3-6.4) lens
- 206g - 105 x 59 x 28mm
- Released April 2012
- Additionally referred to as Lumix DMC-TZ30
- Old Model is Panasonic ZS15
- Replacement is Panasonic ZS25
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Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic ZS20 Overview
Below, we will be evaluating the Olympus E-M5 versus Panasonic ZS20, former is a Advanced Mirrorless while the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by competitors Olympus and Panasonic. The image resolution of the E-M5 (16MP) and the ZS20 (14MP) is pretty comparable but the E-M5 (Four Thirds) and ZS20 (1/2.3") enjoy totally different sensor size.
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The E-M5 was brought out at a similar time to the ZS20 so they are of a similar age. Both of these cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-M5 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic ZS20 being a Compact camera.
Before diving in to a detailed comparison, below is a concise view of how the E-M5 matches up vs the ZS20 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.
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Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic ZS20 Gallery
This is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus OM-D E-M5 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS20. The entire galleries are viewable at Olympus E-M5 Gallery & Panasonic ZS20 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus E-M5 over the Panasonic ZS20
E-M5 | ZS20 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Manually focus | ![]() | Very accurate focusing | ||
Screen type | Tilting | ![]() | Fixed | Tilting screen |
Screen resolution | 610k | ![]() | 460k | Sharper screen (+150k dot) |
Reasons to pick Panasonic ZS20 over the Olympus E-M5
ZS20 | E-M5 |
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Common features in the Olympus E-M5 and Panasonic ZS20
E-M5 | ZS20 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Released | April 2012 | ![]() | April 2012 | Same age |
Screen dimension | 3" | ![]() | 3" | Identical screen size |
Selfie screen | ![]() | Neither includes selfie screen | ||
Touch friendly screen | ![]() | Quickly navigate |
Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic ZS20 Physical Comparison
For those who are aiming to carry around your camera often, you will need to consider its weight and volume. The Olympus E-M5 features 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) while the Panasonic ZS20 has sizing of 105mm x 59mm x 28mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.1") accompanied by a weight of 206 grams (0.45 lbs).
Take a look at the Olympus E-M5 versus Panasonic ZS20 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you select at that time. Here is the front view dimensions comparison of the E-M5 versus the ZS20.
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Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-M5 and ZS20 is 81 and 92 respectively.
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Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic ZS20 Sensor Comparison
Quite often, it is very tough to see the difference in sensor sizes just by checking out a spec sheet. The picture underneath will offer you a far better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-M5 and ZS20.
Clearly, the two cameras have got different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The E-M5 due to its bigger sensor will make achieving shallow DOF simpler and the Olympus E-M5 will show greater detail having its extra 2MP. Higher resolution will help you crop photographs much more aggressively.
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Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic ZS20 Screen and ViewFinder
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Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison
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Street Comparison
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Sports Comparison
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Travel Comparison
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Landscape Comparison
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Vlogging Comparison
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Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic ZS20 Specifications
Olympus OM-D E-M5 | Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS20 | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Make | Olympus | Panasonic |
Model type | Olympus OM-D E-M5 | Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS20 |
Also Known as | - | Lumix DMC-TZ30 |
Class | Advanced Mirrorless | Small Sensor Superzoom |
Revealed | 2012-04-30 | 2012-04-26 |
Physical type | SLR-style mirrorless | Compact |
Sensor Information | ||
Processor | TruePic VI | - |
Sensor type | CMOS | CMOS |
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 alias 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 | 6400 |
Min native ISO | 200 | 100 |
RAW files | ||
Min enhanced ISO | 100 | - |
Autofocusing | ||
Manual focusing | ||
AF touch | ||
AF continuous | ||
Single AF | ||
AF tracking | ||
AF selectice | ||
AF center weighted | ||
Multi area AF | ||
Live view AF | ||
Face detection AF | ||
Contract detection AF | ||
Phase detection AF | ||
Total focus points | 35 | 23 |
Lens | ||
Lens mount type | Micro Four Thirds | fixed lens |
Lens zoom range | - | 24-480mm (20.0x) |
Maximal aperture | - | f/3.3-6.4 |
Macro focusing distance | - | 3cm |
Available lenses | 107 | - |
Focal length multiplier | 2.1 | 5.9 |
Screen | ||
Screen type | Tilting | Fixed Type |
Screen diagonal | 3 inch | 3 inch |
Screen resolution | 610k dots | 460k dots |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch screen | ||
Screen tech | Touch control in electrostatic capacitance type OLED monitor | - |
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder | Electronic | None |
Viewfinder resolution | 1,440k dots | - |
Viewfinder coverage | 100 percent | - |
Viewfinder magnification | 0.58x | - |
Features | ||
Minimum shutter speed | 60s | 15s |
Fastest shutter speed | 1/4000s | 1/2000s |
Continuous shutter rate | 9.0 frames/s | 10.0 frames/s |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Manual mode | ||
Exposure compensation | Yes | Yes |
Custom WB | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Inbuilt flash | ||
Flash distance | no built-in flash | 6.40 m |
Flash modes | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync (2), Manual (3 levels) | Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Syncro |
External flash | ||
AEB | ||
WB bracketing | ||
Fastest flash synchronize | 1/250s | - |
Exposure | ||
Multisegment metering | ||
Average metering | ||
Spot metering | ||
Partial metering | ||
AF area metering | ||
Center weighted metering | ||
Video features | ||
Supported video resolutions | 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) | 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (220 fps) |
Max video resolution | 1920x1080 | 1920x1080 |
Video data format | H.264, Motion JPEG | MPEG-4, AVCHD |
Microphone support | ||
Headphone support | ||
Connectivity | ||
Wireless | Eye-Fi Connected | None |
Bluetooth | ||
NFC | ||
HDMI | ||
USB | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) |
GPS | None | BuiltIn |
Physical | ||
Environmental sealing | ||
Water proofing | ||
Dust proofing | ||
Shock proofing | ||
Crush proofing | ||
Freeze proofing | ||
Weight | 425 gr (0.94 pounds) | 206 gr (0.45 pounds) |
Dimensions | 122 x 89 x 43mm (4.8" x 3.5" x 1.7") | 105 x 59 x 28mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.1") |
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 | 260 photos |
Form of battery | Battery Pack | Battery Pack |
Battery ID | BLN-1 | - |
Self timer | Yes (2 or 12 sec) | Yes (2 or 10 sec) |
Time lapse feature | ||
Storage type | SD/SDHC/SDXC | SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal |
Card slots | Single | Single |
Launch cost | $799 | $349 |