Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic ZS50

Let's take a deeper look at the Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic ZS50, former being a Advanced Mirrorless while the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by rivals Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a substantial gap between the image resolutions of the E-M5 (16MP) and ZS50 (12MP) and the E-M5 (Four Thirds) and ZS50 (1/2.3") provide different sensor measurements.

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The E-M5 was announced 3 years earlier than the ZS50 and that is quite a big difference as far as technology is concerned. Both the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-M5 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic ZS50 being a Compact camera.

Before getting into a more detailed comparison, here is a brief view of how the E-M5 grades vs the ZS50 for portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Here is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus OM-D E-M5 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS50. The whole galleries are available at Olympus E-M5 Gallery & Panasonic ZS50 Gallery.

In case you're planning to carry your camera frequently, you are going to need to take into account its weight and volume. The Olympus E-M5 comes with outer measurements of 122mm x 89mm x 43mm (4.8" x 3.5" x 1.7") and a weight of 425 grams (0.94 lbs) while the Panasonic ZS50 has sizing of 111mm x 65mm x 34mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.3") having a weight of 243 grams (0.54 lbs).

Check the Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic ZS50 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Always remember, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you have attached at that moment. Underneath is a front view measurements comparison of the E-M5 vs the ZS50.

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-M5 and ZS50 is 81 and 90 respectively.

Typically, it can be hard to visualize the gap between sensor sizing just by reading through a spec sheet. The photograph below will offer you a greater sense of the sensor measurements in the E-M5 and ZS50.

As you can see, both of those cameras feature different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The E-M5 using its bigger sensor is going to make getting shallower DOF less difficult and the Olympus E-M5 will give greater detail with its extra 4MP. Higher resolution will also allow you to crop shots way more aggressively. The older E-M5 is going to be behind with regard to sensor technology.