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Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic ZS3

Portability
81
Imaging
52
Features
70
Overall
59
Olympus OM-D E-M5 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3 front
Portability
91
Imaging
33
Features
30
Overall
31

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic ZS3 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
  • Introduced April 2012
  • Later Model is Olympus E-M5 II
Panasonic ZS3
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 25-300mm (F3.3-4.9) lens
  • 229g - 103 x 60 x 33mm
  • Launched May 2009
  • Also referred to as Lumix DMC-TZ7
Photography Glossary

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic ZS3 Overview

On this page, we will be evaluating the Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic ZS3, former is a Advanced Mirrorless while the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by rivals Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a large gap between the resolutions of the E-M5 (16MP) and ZS3 (10MP) and the E-M5 (Four Thirds) and ZS3 (1/2.3") boast totally different sensor size.

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The E-M5 was unveiled 3 years after the ZS3 which is quite a serious difference as far as technology is concerned. Both cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-M5 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic ZS3 being a Compact camera.

Before going into a more detailed comparison, here is a quick overview of how the E-M5 scores versus the ZS3 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-M5 over the Panasonic ZS3

 E-M5 ZS3 
LaunchedApril 2012May 2009Newer by 37 months
Focus manually Dial accurate focus
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen resolution610k460kCrisper screen (+150k dot)
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Panasonic ZS3 over the Olympus E-M5

 ZS3 E-M5 

Common features in the Olympus E-M5 and Panasonic ZS3

 E-M5 ZS3 
Screen dimensions3"3"Equal screen size
Selfie screen No selfie screen

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic ZS3 Physical Comparison

For those who are aiming to travel with your camera, you're going to have to consider its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-M5 has got external dimensions of 122mm x 89mm x 43mm (4.8" x 3.5" x 1.7") with a weight of 425 grams (0.94 lbs) whilst the Panasonic ZS3 has measurements of 103mm x 60mm x 33mm (4.1" x 2.4" x 1.3") along with a weight of 229 grams (0.50 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic ZS3 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you use at that time. The following is a front view dimensions comparison of the E-M5 compared to the ZS3.

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic ZS3 size comparison

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-M5 and ZS3 is 81 and 91 respectively.

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic ZS3 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic ZS3 Sensor Comparison

Typically, it's difficult to visualise the gap between sensor dimensions simply by going over specs. The picture here should give you a more clear sense of the sensor sizes in the E-M5 and ZS3.

All in all, each of these cameras have different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The E-M5 using its bigger sensor will make getting shallower depth of field less difficult and the Olympus E-M5 will deliver extra detail having an extra 6MP. Higher resolution can also help you crop pictures a bit more aggressively. The newer E-M5 will have a benefit when it comes to sensor technology.

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic ZS3 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic ZS3 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic ZS3 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus E-M5
Portrait photography with Panasonic ZS3
71
has manual focus
good MP (16 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
features face detection autofocus
supports RAW files
19
no manual focus
manual mode not available
can't use external flash
low resolution sensor (10 megapixels)
very small sensor (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus E-M5
Street photography with Panasonic ZS3
82
tilting screen
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
boasts focus by touch
environment sealing
good high ISO (25,600)
60
image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competition (229g)
no articulating screen
very small sensor (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-M5 Sports photography advice
Panasonic ZS3 Sports photography advice
67
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good MP (16 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
features tracking autofocus
environment sealing
lacks phase detect autofocus
24
image stabilization (Optical)
slow continuous shooting (2.0 frames/s)
no shutter priority mode
low resolution sensor (10 megapixels)
very small sensor (1/2.3")
lack of phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus E-M5
Travel photography with Panasonic ZS3
66
environment sealing
boasts focus by touch
good MP (16MP)
no Timelapse mode
does not contain selfie friendly display
63
lighter than competition (229g)
flash built-in
really wide (25mm)
long zoom (300mm)
missing Timelapse recording
low resolution sensor (10 megapixels)
doesn't offer selfie friendly screen
sluggish max aperture (f3.3)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-M5 Landscape photography details
Panasonic ZS3 Landscape photography details
73
has manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen is a good size (3 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good MP (16MP)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
good high ISO (25,600)
supports RAW files
environment sealing
no Timelapse mode
35
really wide (25mm)
screen is a decent size (3 inches)
image stabilization (Optical)
no manual focus
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f3.3)
manual mode not available
low resolution sensor (10 megapixels)
very small sensor (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
missing Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-M5 Vlogging information
Panasonic ZS3 Vlogging information
34
has touchscreen
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
features face detection autofocus
high res video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
does not contain selfie friendly display
no external microphone jack
30
really wide (25mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competition (229g)
sluggish max aperture (f3.3)
doesn't offer selfie friendly screen
low video resolution (1280 x 720 pixels)
missing microphone socket
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Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic ZS3 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M5 and Panasonic ZS3
 Olympus OM-D E-M5Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3
General Information
Make Olympus Panasonic
Model Olympus OM-D E-M5 Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3
Also called - Lumix DMC-TZ7
Category Advanced Mirrorless Small Sensor Superzoom
Introduced 2012-04-30 2009-05-14
Physical type SLR-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Chip TruePic VI -
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixel 10 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 4608 x 3456 3648 x 2736
Maximum native ISO 25600 6400
Minimum native ISO 200 80
RAW format
Minimum boosted ISO 100 -
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch focus
Continuous AF
Single AF
Tracking AF
Selective AF
AF center weighted
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Number of focus points 35 11
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 25-300mm (12.0x)
Maximum aperture - f/3.3-4.9
Macro focus range - 3cm
Total lenses 107 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.9
Screen
Type of screen Tilting Fixed Type
Screen diagonal 3 inches 3 inches
Screen resolution 610 thousand dots 460 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Screen tech Touch control in electrostatic capacitance type OLED monitor -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic None
Viewfinder resolution 1,440 thousand dots -
Viewfinder coverage 100% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.58x -
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60 secs 60 secs
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/2000 secs
Continuous shooting rate 9.0 frames per sec 2.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Set WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range no built-in flash 5.30 m (Auto ISO)
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync (2), Manual (3 levels) Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction, Slow Sync
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Maximum flash synchronize 1/250 secs -
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video data format H.264, Motion JPEG AVCHD Lite
Microphone port
Headphone port
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
Environment sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 425g (0.94 pounds) 229g (0.50 pounds)
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 All around score 71 not tested
DXO Color Depth score 22.8 not tested
DXO Dynamic range score 12.3 not tested
DXO Low light score 826 not tested
Other
Battery life 360 images -
Battery type Battery Pack -
Battery model BLN-1 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/MMC/SDHC card, Internal
Card slots One One
Cost at launch $799 $200