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Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic ZS30

Portability
81
Imaging
52
Features
70
Overall
59
Olympus OM-D E-M5 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS30 front
Portability
92
Imaging
42
Features
48
Overall
44

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic ZS30 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
  • Refreshed by Olympus E-M5 II
Panasonic ZS30
(Full Review)
  • 18MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 24-480mm (F3.3-6.4) lens
  • 198g - 105 x 59 x 28mm
  • Introduced January 2013
  • Alternate Name is Lumix DMC-TZ40
  • Replaced the Panasonic ZS25
  • Refreshed by Panasonic ZS35
Photography Glossary

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic ZS30 Overview

On this page, we will be analyzing the Olympus E-M5 and Panasonic ZS30, one is a Advanced Mirrorless and the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by brands Olympus and Panasonic. The resolution of the E-M5 (16MP) and the ZS30 (18MP) is pretty similar but the E-M5 (Four Thirds) and ZS30 (1/2.3") posses different sensor size.

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The E-M5 was launched 8 months prior to the ZS30 and they are of a similar generation. Both cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-M5 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic ZS30 being a Compact camera.

Before diving right into a comprehensive comparison, here is a simple synopsis of how the E-M5 grades versus the ZS30 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-M5 over the Panasonic ZS30

 E-M5 ZS30 
Manual focus Very exact focusing
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen

Reasons to pick Panasonic ZS30 over the Olympus E-M5

 ZS30 E-M5 
IntroducedJanuary 2013April 2012More modern by 8 months
Screen resolution920k610kSharper screen (+310k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-M5 and Panasonic ZS30

 E-M5 ZS30 
Screen dimensions3"3"Equal screen size
Selfie screen Neither offers selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic ZS30 Physical Comparison

If you are intending to carry around your camera frequently, you'll have to take into account its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-M5 offers external measurements of 122mm x 89mm x 43mm (4.8" x 3.5" x 1.7") along with a weight of 425 grams (0.94 lbs) while the Panasonic ZS30 has measurements of 105mm x 59mm x 28mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.1") accompanied by a weight of 198 grams (0.44 lbs).

Compare the Olympus E-M5 and Panasonic ZS30 in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you are using at that time. The following is a front view measurement comparison of the E-M5 against the ZS30.

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic ZS30 size comparison

Using dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-M5 and ZS30 is 81 and 92 respectively.

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic ZS30 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic ZS30 Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, its hard to picture the contrast between sensor sizes purely by reading specs. The image below should offer you a far better sense of the sensor measurements in the E-M5 and ZS30.

All in all, each of the cameras have different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The E-M5 featuring a bigger sensor is going to make achieving bokeh easier and the Panasonic ZS30 will offer you more detail utilizing its extra 2 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also enable you to crop photographs a bit more aggressively. The more aged E-M5 is going to be behind when it comes to sensor innovation.

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic ZS30 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic ZS30 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic ZS30 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-M5 as a Portrait photography camera
Panasonic ZS30 as a Portrait photography camera
71
focusing manually
decent MP (16 megapixels)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
provides face detection autofocus
saves RAW formats
33
MP count decent (18 megapixels)
lack of manual focus
can't use external flash
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus E-M5
Street photography with Panasonic ZS30
82
screen tilts up and down
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
offers touch to focus
weather proof
good high ISO (25,600)
66
has image stabilization (Optical)
boasts focus by touch
lighter than others in class (198g)
no articulating screen
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-M5 Sports photography highlights
Panasonic ZS30 Sports photography highlights
67
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent MP (16 megapixels)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
provides tracking autofocus
weather proof
lack of phase detect autofocus
46
long zoom range (24-480mm 20.0 x zoom)
has image stabilization (Optical)
MP count decent (18 megapixels)
provides tracking autofocus
low max shutter speed (1/1,200 seconds)
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
terrible battery power (260 shots)
doesn't have phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-M5 Travel photography factors
Panasonic ZS30 Travel photography factors
66
weather proof
offers touch to focus
decent MP (16MP)
doesn't have Timelapse function
screen is not selfie friendly
69
lighter than others in class (198 grams)
boasts focus by touch
MP count decent (18 megapixels)
flash built-in
really wide (24mm)
long reach (480mm)
missing Timelapse function
terrible battery power (260 CIPA)
doesn't have selfie friendly screen
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.3)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-M5 Landscape photography factors
Panasonic ZS30 Landscape photography factors
73
focusing manually
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
pretty good screen size (3")
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent MP (16 megapixels)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
good high ISO (25,600)
saves RAW formats
weather proof
doesn't have Timelapse function
44
really wide (24mm)
pretty good screen size (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Optical)
MP count decent (18 megapixels)
lack of manual focus
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.3)
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
terrible battery power (260 per charge)
missing Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-M5 as a Vlogging camera
Panasonic ZS30 as a Vlogging camera
34
touchscreen capability
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
provides face detection autofocus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
screen is not selfie friendly
doesn't have external microphone jack
35
really wide (24mm)
touchscreen functionality
has image stabilization (Optical)
video res high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
lighter than others in class (198g)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.3)
doesn't have selfie friendly screen
missing external microphone jack
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Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic ZS30 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M5 and Panasonic ZS30
 Olympus OM-D E-M5Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS30
General Information
Company Olympus Panasonic
Model type Olympus OM-D E-M5 Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS30
Also called as - Lumix DMC-TZ40
Class Advanced Mirrorless Small Sensor Superzoom
Introduced 2012-04-30 2013-01-07
Body design SLR-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Chip TruePic VI -
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixels 18 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Highest resolution 4608 x 3456 4896 x 3672
Highest native ISO 25600 6400
Lowest native ISO 200 100
RAW images
Lowest boosted ISO 100 -
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
AF continuous
AF single
AF tracking
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Total focus points 35 23
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 24-480mm (20.0x)
Maximum aperture - f/3.3-6.4
Macro focusing range - 3cm
Amount of lenses 107 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.8
Screen
Screen type Tilting Fixed Type
Screen sizing 3 inches 3 inches
Resolution of screen 610k dot 920k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Screen tech Touch control in electrostatic capacitance type OLED monitor -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic None
Viewfinder resolution 1,440k dot -
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.58x -
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 secs 15 secs
Highest shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/1200 secs
Continuous shooting speed 9.0 frames per sec 10.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change 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
Highest flash sync 1/250 secs -
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
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)
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video format H.264, Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD
Microphone input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless Eye-Fi Connected Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None BuiltIn
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 425 gr (0.94 lb) 198 gr (0.44 lb)
Physical 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 All around 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 images 260 images
Type of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLN-1 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Storage slots Single Single
Launch cost $799 $250