Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic ZS5

Its time to look a little more closely at the Olympus E-M5 versus Panasonic ZS5, one is a Advanced Mirrorless and the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom by companies Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a big gap between the resolutions of the E-M5 (16MP) and ZS5 (12MP) and the E-M5 (Four Thirds) and ZS5 (1/2.3") use different sensor sizes.

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The E-M5 was introduced 23 months after the ZS5 making the cameras a generation away from one another. Both of these cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-M5 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic ZS5 being a Compact camera.

Before going through a comprehensive comparison, below is a quick highlight of how the E-M5 grades versus the ZS5 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus OM-D E-M5 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS5. The whole galleries are viewable at Olympus E-M5 Gallery and Panasonic ZS5 Gallery.

When you are aiming to carry around your camera often, you have to factor its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-M5 provides physical measurements of 122mm x 89mm x 43mm (4.8" x 3.5" x 1.7") accompanied by a weight of 425 grams (0.94 lbs) whilst the Panasonic ZS5 has measurements of 103mm x 60mm x 32mm (4.1" x 2.4" x 1.3") accompanied by a weight of 214 grams (0.47 lbs).

See the Olympus E-M5 versus Panasonic ZS5 in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ dependant on the lens you use at that time. Following is the front view over all size comparison of the E-M5 versus the ZS5.

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-M5 and ZS5 is 81 and 92 respectively.

Typically, it is hard to visualize the gap between sensor sizes just by reviewing specs. The pic underneath should provide you a greater sense of the sensor sizing in the E-M5 and ZS5.

All in all, both of these cameras offer different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The E-M5 having a larger sensor is going to make achieving shallow depth of field easier and the Olympus E-M5 will offer extra detail using its extra 4MP. Greater resolution will allow you to crop photos a little more aggressively. The more modern E-M5 provides an advantage when it comes to sensor innovation.