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Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic ZS20

Portability
81
Imaging
52
Features
70
Overall
59
Olympus OM-D E-M5 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS20 front
Portability
92
Imaging
37
Features
46
Overall
40

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic ZS20 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
  • Revealed April 2012
  • Updated by Olympus E-M5 II
Panasonic ZS20
(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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Reasons to pick Olympus E-M5 over the Panasonic ZS20

 E-M5 ZS20 
Manually focus Very accurate focusing
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen resolution610k460kSharper screen (+150k dot)

Reasons to pick Panasonic ZS20 over the Olympus E-M5

 ZS20 E-M5 

Common features in the Olympus E-M5 and Panasonic ZS20

 E-M5 ZS20 
ReleasedApril 2012April 2012Same age
Screen dimension3"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. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

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.

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic ZS20 size comparison

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-M5 and ZS20 is 81 and 92 respectively.

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic ZS20 top view buttons comparison

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.

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic ZS20 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic ZS20 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic ZS20 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-M5 as a Portrait photography camera
Panasonic ZS20 as a Portrait photography camera
71
manual focus
decent sensor resolution (16 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
supports face detection autofocus
delivers RAW formats
30
megapixel count decent (14MP)
manual focus not available
no external flash support
very small sensor (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW format
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-M5 Street photography features
Panasonic ZS20 Street photography features
82
has a tilting screen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
offers touch focus
environment proof
great high ISO (25,600)
65
built in image stabilization (Optical)
has focus by touch
lighter than competition (206 grams)
no moving screen
very small sensor (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-M5 Sports photography details
Panasonic ZS20 Sports photography details
67
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
supports tracking autofocus
environment proof
no phase detect autofocus
47
long zoom range (24-480mm 20.0 x zoom)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
megapixel count decent (14 megapixels)
has tracking focus
very small sensor (1/2.3")
not so great battery life (260 shots)
doesn't have phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-M5 Travel photography highlights
Panasonic ZS20 Travel photography highlights
66
environment proof
offers touch focus
decent sensor resolution (16 megapixels)
no Time Lapse mode
does not have a selfie friendly screen
68
lighter than competition (206g)
has focus by touch
megapixel count decent (14 megapixels)
built-in flash
really wide (24mm)
very long reach (480mm)
doesn't have Timelapse mode
not so great battery life (260 shots)
does not posses selfie friendly screen
slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-M5 Landscape photography advice
Panasonic ZS20 Landscape photography advice
73
manual focus
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
great high ISO (25,600)
delivers RAW formats
environment proof
no Time Lapse mode
42
really wide (24mm)
nice screen size (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
megapixel count decent (14MP)
manual focus not available
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
very small sensor (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW format
not so great battery life (260 CIPA)
doesn't have Timelapse mode
Photography Glossary

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-M5 as a Vlogging camera
Panasonic ZS20 as a Vlogging camera
34
built-in touchscreen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
supports face detection autofocus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
does not have a selfie friendly screen
no external mic support
34
really wide (24mm)
screen is touchscreen
built in image stabilization (Optical)
high res video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
lighter than competition (206g)
slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
does not posses selfie friendly screen
doesn't have microphone support
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Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic ZS20 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M5 and Panasonic ZS20
 Olympus OM-D E-M5Panasonic 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