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Olympus E-P5 vs Panasonic ZS30

Portability
85
Imaging
53
Features
76
Overall
62
Olympus PEN E-P5 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS30 front
Portability
92
Imaging
42
Features
48
Overall
44

Olympus E-P5 vs Panasonic ZS30 Key Specs

Olympus E-P5
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 420g - 122 x 69 x 37mm
  • Introduced October 2013
  • Replaced the Olympus E-P3
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
  • Announced January 2013
  • Additionally Known as Lumix DMC-TZ40
  • Replaced the Panasonic ZS25
  • Successor is Panasonic ZS35
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Olympus E-P5 vs Panasonic ZS30 Overview

In this write-up, we will be evaluating the Olympus E-P5 vs Panasonic ZS30, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by rivals Olympus and Panasonic. The resolution of the E-P5 (16MP) and the ZS30 (18MP) is relatively similar but the E-P5 (Four Thirds) and ZS30 (1/2.3") enjoy different sensor dimensions.

Photography Glossary

The E-P5 was revealed 9 months later than the ZS30 so they are both of a similar age. Both cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-P5 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic ZS30 being a Compact camera.

Before getting through a more detailed comparison, below is a quick introduction of how the E-P5 scores vs the ZS30 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-P5 over the Panasonic ZS30

 E-P5 ZS30 
AnnouncedOctober 2013January 2013More recent by 9 months
Manually focus Dial precise focus
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen resolution1037k920kCrisper screen (+117k dot)

Reasons to pick Panasonic ZS30 over the Olympus E-P5

 ZS30 E-P5 

Common features in the Olympus E-P5 and Panasonic ZS30

 E-P5 ZS30 
Screen sizing3"3"Equivalent screen sizing
Selfie screen Neither has selfie screen
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Olympus E-P5 vs Panasonic ZS30 Physical Comparison

When you are aiming to lug around your camera regularly, you will have to take into account its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-P5 has outer measurements of 122mm x 69mm x 37mm (4.8" x 2.7" x 1.5") and a weight of 420 grams (0.93 lbs) whilst the Panasonic ZS30 has dimensions of 105mm x 59mm x 28mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.1") along with a weight of 198 grams (0.44 lbs).

Check the Olympus E-P5 vs Panasonic ZS30 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you select at that time. The following is the front view overall size comparison of the E-P5 and the ZS30.

Olympus E-P5 vs Panasonic ZS30 size comparison

Using dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-P5 and ZS30 is 85 and 92 respectively.

Olympus E-P5 vs Panasonic ZS30 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-P5 vs Panasonic ZS30 Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, its tough to visualize the gap between sensor measurements only by going over specifications. The graphic here will help provide you a greater sense of the sensor sizing in the E-P5 and ZS30.

To sum up, each of the cameras offer different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The E-P5 with its bigger sensor is going to make getting shallow DOF easier and the Panasonic ZS30 will offer extra detail because of its extra 2MP. Higher resolution will help you crop pictures a little more aggressively. The more modern E-P5 provides a benefit when it comes to sensor technology.

Olympus E-P5 vs Panasonic ZS30 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-P5 vs Panasonic ZS30 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-P5 vs Panasonic ZS30 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-P5 as a Portrait photography camera
Panasonic ZS30 as a Portrait photography camera
71
focusing manually
high flash sync (1/320 seconds)
MP count decent (16MP)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
provides face detection focus
delivers RAW formats
33
MP count decent (18 megapixels)
focusing manually not possible
no external flash support
small sensor (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW format
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-P5 Street photography details
Panasonic ZS30 Street photography details
78
has a tilting screen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
offers touch focus
great high ISO (25,600)
more heavy than competition (420g)
66
has image stabilization (Optical)
supports touch to focus
lighter than competition (198 grams)
no moving screen
small sensor (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-P5 Sports photography info
Panasonic ZS30 Sports photography info
68
maximum shutter speed is high (1/8,000 seconds)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
MP count decent (16 megapixels)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
provides tracking autofocus
lacks phase detect auto focus
46
amazing zoom range (24-480mm 20.0 x zoom)
has image stabilization (Optical)
MP count decent (18 megapixels)
offers tracking autofocus
maximum shutter speed is a little low (1/1,200s)
small sensor (1/2.3")
terrible battery life (260 per charge)
doesn't have phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-P5 Travel photography info
Panasonic ZS30 Travel photography info
68
offers touch focus
MP count decent (16 megapixels)
flash built-in
more heavy than competition (420 grams)
screen is not selfie friendly
69
lighter than competition (198 grams)
supports touch to focus
MP count decent (18 megapixels)
has built in flash
pretty wide (24mm)
long reach (480mm)
missing Timelapse recording
terrible battery life (260 per charge)
screen is not selfie friendly
sluggish max aperture (f3.3)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-P5 as a Landscape photography camera
Panasonic ZS30 as a Landscape photography camera
79
focusing manually
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen is a decent size (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
MP count decent (16MP)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
great high ISO (25,600)
delivers RAW formats
44
pretty wide (24mm)
screen size is good (3")
has image stabilization (Optical)
MP count decent (18 megapixels)
focusing manually not possible
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f3.3)
small sensor (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW format
terrible battery life (260 shots)
missing Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-P5 Vlogging information
Panasonic ZS30 Vlogging information
33
built-in touchscreen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
provides face detection focus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
screen is not selfie friendly
does not have external microphone support
more heavy than competition (420 grams)
35
pretty wide (24mm)
touchscreen capability
has image stabilization (Optical)
high res video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
lighter than competition (198g)
sluggish max aperture (f3.3)
screen is not selfie friendly
missing external microphone support
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Olympus E-P5 vs Panasonic ZS30 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-P5 and Panasonic ZS30
 Olympus PEN E-P5Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS30
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Panasonic
Model type Olympus PEN E-P5 Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS30
Also referred to as - Lumix DMC-TZ40
Type Entry-Level Mirrorless Small Sensor Superzoom
Introduced 2013-10-03 2013-01-07
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
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 16MP 18MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 4608 x 3456 4896 x 3672
Highest native ISO 25600 6400
Lowest native ISO 100 100
RAW images
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
AF continuous
AF single
AF tracking
AF selectice
AF center weighted
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)
Max aperture - f/3.3-6.4
Macro focusing distance - 3cm
Amount of lenses 107 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.8
Screen
Screen type Tilting Fixed Type
Screen diagonal 3" 3"
Screen resolution 1,037k dots 920k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Screen tech 3:2 LCD capacitive touchscreen -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic (optional) None
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60s 15s
Fastest shutter speed 1/8000s 1/1200s
Continuous shutter rate 9.0fps 10.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 7.00 m (ISO 100) 6.40 m
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync (1st or 2nd curtain), Manual (1/1 - 1/64) Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Syncro
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Fastest flash synchronize 1/320s -
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30p), 1280 x 720 (30p) 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 MPEG-4, AVCHD
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None BuiltIn
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 420 grams (0.93 lbs) 198 grams (0.44 lbs)
Dimensions 122 x 69 x 37mm (4.8" x 2.7" x 1.5") 105 x 59 x 28mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.1")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 72 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 22.8 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 12.4 not tested
DXO Low light rating 895 not tested
Other
Battery life 330 pictures 260 pictures
Type of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
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
Card slots Single Single
Launch pricing $389 $250