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Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic ZS45

Portability
81
Imaging
52
Features
70
Overall
59
Olympus OM-D E-M5 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS45 front
Portability
91
Imaging
40
Features
55
Overall
46

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic ZS45 Key Specs

Olympus E-M5
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • 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 ZS45
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 24-480mm (F3.3-6.4) lens
  • 249g - 108 x 60 x 32mm
  • Introduced January 2015
  • Additionally referred to as Lumix DMC-TZ57
  • Old Model is Panasonic ZS40
  • Renewed by Panasonic ZS50
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Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic ZS45 Overview

Lets look a little more in depth at the Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic ZS45, former is a Advanced Mirrorless while the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom by brands Olympus and Panasonic. The image resolution of the E-M5 (16MP) and the ZS45 (16MP) is fairly close but the E-M5 (Four Thirds) and ZS45 (1/2.3") use totally different sensor measurements.

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The E-M5 was launched 3 years before the ZS45 which is a fairly serious difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both the cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-M5 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic ZS45 being a Compact camera.

Before diving through a comprehensive comparison, below is a concise summary of how the E-M5 scores vs the ZS45 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-M5 over the Panasonic ZS45

 E-M5 ZS45 
Focus manually Very exact focusing
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Panasonic ZS45 over the Olympus E-M5

 ZS45 E-M5 
IntroducedJanuary 2015April 2012More modern by 32 months
Display resolution1040k610kClearer display (+430k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-M5 and Panasonic ZS45

 E-M5 ZS45 
Display typeTiltingTiltingTilting display
Display sizing3"3"Equivalent display measurements
Selfie screen Neither has selfie screen

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic ZS45 Physical Comparison

In case you're planning to carry around your camera frequently, you will need to consider its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-M5 has outer dimensions of 122mm x 89mm x 43mm (4.8" x 3.5" x 1.7") along with a weight of 425 grams (0.94 lbs) whilst the Panasonic ZS45 has proportions of 108mm x 60mm x 32mm (4.3" x 2.4" x 1.3") with a weight of 249 grams (0.55 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic ZS45 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you are working with at the time. Following is the front view overall size comparison of the E-M5 against the ZS45.

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic ZS45 size comparison

Looking at size and weight, the portability rating of the E-M5 and ZS45 is 81 and 91 respectively.

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic ZS45 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic ZS45 Sensor Comparison

Oftentimes, it can be difficult to visualise the gap in sensor sizes simply by looking through specs. The pic underneath might provide you a clearer sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-M5 and ZS45.

As you can plainly see, the 2 cameras offer the same exact resolution but not the same sensor sizes. The E-M5 features the larger sensor which will make obtaining shallower depth of field easier. The more aged E-M5 will be disadvantaged in sensor tech.

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic ZS45 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic ZS45 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic ZS45 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus E-M5
Portrait photography with Panasonic ZS45
71
focusing manually
decent megapixels (16MP)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
features face detect autofocus
supports RAW files
37
MP count good (16MP)
supports face detection focusing
lack of manual focus
external flash not possible
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
Photography Glossary

Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus E-M5
Street photography with Panasonic ZS45
82
tilting screen
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
supports focus by touch
weather proofing
good ISO range (25,600)
69
screen tilts up and down
image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competitors (249g)
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-M5 Sports photography information
Panasonic ZS45 Sports photography information
67
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
features tracking focus
weather proofing
lack of phase detect autofocus
55
incredible zoom range (24-480mm 20.0 x zoom)
image stabilization (Optical)
MP count good (16 megapixels)
supports tracking autofocus
good battery (350 shots)
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
lacks phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus E-M5
Travel photography with Panasonic ZS45
66
weather proofing
supports focus by touch
decent megapixels (16MP)
does not have Time Lapse mode
does not contain selfie friendly screen
71
good battery (350 CIPA)
lighter than competitors (249g)
MP count good (16 megapixels)
flash built-in
fairly wide (24mm)
very long zoom (480mm)
doesn't have Timelapse mode
display isn't selfie friendly
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.3)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-M5 Landscape photography information
Panasonic ZS45 Landscape photography information
73
focusing manually
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
decent sized screen (3 inches)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
good ISO range (25,600)
supports RAW files
weather proofing
does not have Time Lapse mode
47
fairly wide (24mm)
screen is a good size (3")
image stabilization (Optical)
MP count good (16MP)
good battery (350 per charge)
lack of manual focus
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.3)
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
doesn't have Timelapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-M5 Vlogging information
Panasonic ZS45 Vlogging information
34
touchscreen
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
features face detect autofocus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
does not contain selfie friendly screen
does not have mic jack
34
fairly wide (24mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
supports face detection focusing
high res video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
lighter than competitors (249 grams)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.3)
display isn't selfie friendly
doesn't have external microphone jack
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Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic ZS45 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M5 and Panasonic ZS45
 Olympus OM-D E-M5Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS45
General Information
Make Olympus Panasonic
Model Olympus OM-D E-M5 Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS45
Otherwise known as - Lumix DMC-TZ57
Class Advanced Mirrorless Small Sensor Superzoom
Revealed 2012-04-30 2015-01-06
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 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixels 16 megapixels
Anti aliasing 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 4608 x 3456
Highest native ISO 25600 6400
Min native ISO 200 100
RAW photos
Min boosted ISO 100 -
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch focus
Continuous autofocus
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Autofocus center weighted
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Number of focus points 35 21
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 24-480mm (20.0x)
Highest aperture - f/3.3-6.4
Macro focus distance - 3cm
Amount of lenses 107 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.9
Screen
Range of display Tilting Tilting
Display size 3" 3"
Resolution of display 610k dot 1,040k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Display tech Touch control in electrostatic capacitance type OLED monitor -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic None
Viewfinder resolution 1,440k dot -
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.58x -
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60 secs 4 secs
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/2000 secs
Continuous shooting speed 9.0fps 10.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range no built-in flash 6.00 m
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync (2), Manual (3 levels) Auto, Auto/Red-eye Reduction, Forced On, Slow Sync./Red-eye Reduction, Forced Off
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Maximum 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 (30p), 1280 x 720 (30p), 640 x 480 (30p)
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video data format H.264, Motion JPEG MPEG-4
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 None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 425 gr (0.94 lb) 249 gr (0.55 lb)
Dimensions 122 x 89 x 43mm (4.8" x 3.5" x 1.7") 108 x 60 x 32mm (4.3" 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 photos 350 photos
Battery format Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model BLN-1 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Storage slots Single Single
Retail price $799 $300