Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic ZS7
81 Imaging
51 Features
70 Overall
58


91 Imaging
35 Features
33 Overall
34
Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic ZS7 Key Specs
(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
- Announced April 2012
- Replacement is Olympus E-M5 II
(Full Review)
- 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
- 3" Fixed Display
- ISO 80 - 6400
- Optical Image Stabilization
- 1280 x 720 video
- 25-300mm (F3.3-4.9) lens
- 218g - 103 x 60 x 33mm
- Announced July 2011
- Alternative Name is Lumix DMC-TZ10
- Later Model is Panasonic ZS8

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic ZS7 Overview
Its time to examine more closely at the Olympus E-M5 versus Panasonic ZS7, former is a Advanced Mirrorless while the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom by competitors Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a sizable gap between the image resolutions of the E-M5 (16MP) and ZS7 (12MP) and the E-M5 (Four Thirds) and ZS7 (1/2.3") possess totally different sensor size.

The E-M5 was revealed 10 months after the ZS7 so they are of a similar age. Both of these cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-M5 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic ZS7 being a Compact camera.
Before getting in to a in depth comparison, below is a brief summation of how the E-M5 grades vs the ZS7 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic ZS7 Gallery
Following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus OM-D E-M5 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS7. The full galleries are provided at Olympus E-M5 Gallery & Panasonic ZS7 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus E-M5 over the Panasonic ZS7
E-M5 | ZS7 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Announced | April 2012 | ![]() | July 2011 | Newer by 10 months |
Manually focus | ![]() | Very accurate focus | ||
Display type | Tilting | ![]() | Fixed | Tilting display |
Display resolution | 610k | ![]() | 460k | Clearer display (+150k dot) |
Touch display | ![]() | Easily navigate |
Reasons to pick Panasonic ZS7 over the Olympus E-M5
ZS7 | E-M5 |
---|
Common features in the Olympus E-M5 and Panasonic ZS7
E-M5 | ZS7 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Display dimension | 3" | ![]() | 3" | Identical display size |
Selfie screen | ![]() | Neither features selfie screen |
Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic ZS7 Physical Comparison
For anyone who is aiming to travel with your camera regularly, you have to factor in its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-M5 enjoys outside dimensions 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 ZS7 has measurements of 103mm x 60mm x 33mm (4.1" x 2.4" x 1.3") with a weight of 218 grams (0.48 lbs).
Look at the Olympus E-M5 versus Panasonic ZS7 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Remember, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you are using at that time. Underneath is the front view dimension comparison of the E-M5 and the ZS7.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-M5 and ZS7 is 81 and 91 respectively.

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic ZS7 Sensor Comparison
Sometimes, its hard to visualise the contrast between sensor dimensions only by reviewing technical specs. The image underneath might give you a greater sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-M5 and ZS7.
As you can tell, both of these cameras have got different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The E-M5 having a larger sensor will make shooting bokeh less difficult and the Olympus E-M5 will offer greater detail because of its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also let you crop pics much more aggressively. The fresher E-M5 is going to have an edge in sensor innovation.

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic ZS7 Screen and ViewFinder


Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison

Street Comparison

Sports Comparison

Travel Comparison

Landscape Comparison

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic ZS7 Specifications
Olympus OM-D E-M5 | Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS7 | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Make | Olympus | Panasonic |
Model | Olympus OM-D E-M5 | Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS7 |
Also called as | - | Lumix DMC-TZ10 |
Class | Advanced Mirrorless | Small Sensor Superzoom |
Announced | 2012-04-30 | 2011-07-19 |
Body design | SLR-style mirrorless | Compact |
Sensor Information | ||
Chip | TruePic VI | Venus Engine HD II |
Sensor type | CMOS | CCD |
Sensor size | Four Thirds | 1/2.3" |
Sensor measurements | 17.3 x 13mm | 6.08 x 4.56mm |
Sensor surface area | 224.9mm² | 27.7mm² |
Sensor resolution | 16 megapixel | 12 megapixel |
Anti aliasing filter | ||
Aspect ratio | 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 | 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 |
Highest Possible resolution | 4608 x 3456 | 4000 x 3000 |
Maximum native ISO | 25600 | 6400 |
Lowest native ISO | 200 | 80 |
RAW files | ||
Lowest enhanced ISO | 100 | - |
Autofocusing | ||
Focus manually | ||
Touch focus | ||
AF continuous | ||
AF single | ||
Tracking AF | ||
AF selectice | ||
AF center weighted | ||
Multi area AF | ||
Live view AF | ||
Face detect AF | ||
Contract detect AF | ||
Phase detect AF | ||
Number of focus points | 35 | 11 |
Lens | ||
Lens mount | Micro Four Thirds | fixed lens |
Lens focal range | - | 25-300mm (12.0x) |
Maximum aperture | - | f/3.3-4.9 |
Macro focus distance | - | 3cm |
Amount of lenses | 107 | - |
Crop factor | 2.1 | 5.9 |
Screen | ||
Range of display | Tilting | Fixed Type |
Display sizing | 3 inches | 3 inches |
Resolution of display | 610 thousand dot | 460 thousand dot |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch friendly | ||
Display tech | Touch control in electrostatic capacitance type OLED monitor | - |
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder | Electronic | None |
Viewfinder resolution | 1,440 thousand dot | - |
Viewfinder coverage | 100% | - |
Viewfinder magnification | 0.58x | - |
Features | ||
Minimum shutter speed | 60 seconds | 60 seconds |
Fastest shutter speed | 1/4000 seconds | 1/2000 seconds |
Continuous shutter speed | 9.0 frames/s | 2.0 frames/s |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Manual exposure | ||
Exposure compensation | Yes | Yes |
Change WB | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Built-in flash | ||
Flash range | no built-in flash | 5.30 m |
Flash modes | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync (2), Manual (3 levels) | Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Syncro |
Hot shoe | ||
AEB | ||
WB bracketing | ||
Fastest flash sync | 1/250 seconds | - |
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) | 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps) |
Maximum video resolution | 1920x1080 | 1280x720 |
Video format | H.264, Motion JPEG | AVCHD Lite |
Microphone input | ||
Headphone input | ||
Connectivity | ||
Wireless | Eye-Fi Connected | None |
Bluetooth | ||
NFC | ||
HDMI | ||
USB | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) |
GPS | None | BuiltIn |
Physical | ||
Environment seal | ||
Water proof | ||
Dust proof | ||
Shock proof | ||
Crush proof | ||
Freeze proof | ||
Weight | 425 gr (0.94 lb) | 218 gr (0.48 lb) |
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 Overall 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 photographs | - |
Type of battery | Battery Pack | - |
Battery model | 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 | One | One |
Pricing at release | $799 | $350 |