Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic ZS20

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.

Photography Glossary

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.

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.

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.

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

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.