Olympus E-P5 vs Panasonic ZS5

Below is a thorough assessment of the Olympus E-P5 vs Panasonic ZS5, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by competitors Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a noticeable gap between the image resolutions of the E-P5 (16MP) and ZS5 (12MP) and the E-P5 (Four Thirds) and ZS5 (1/2.3") provide totally different sensor dimensions.

Photography Glossary

The E-P5 was announced 3 years later than the ZS5 and that is quite a sizable difference as far as technology is concerned. Both the cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-P5 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic ZS5 being a Compact camera.

Before getting right into a in-depth comparison, here is a quick summation of how the E-P5 scores vs the ZS5 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

This is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus PEN E-P5 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS5. The whole galleries are viewable at Olympus E-P5 Gallery & Panasonic ZS5 Gallery.

If you're looking to lug around your camera, you will have to think about its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-P5 has got exterior 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 ZS5 has proportions of 103mm x 60mm x 32mm (4.1" x 2.4" x 1.3") having a weight of 214 grams (0.47 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus E-P5 vs Panasonic ZS5 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you are employing during that time. Here is a front view scale comparison of the E-P5 vs the ZS5.

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-P5 and ZS5 is 85 and 92 respectively.

Quite often, its tough to envision the gap between sensor measurements purely by reading through technical specs. The photograph here might provide you a clearer sense of the sensor sizing in the E-P5 and ZS5.

As you can tell, each of the cameras have different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The E-P5 having a bigger sensor will make achieving shallower depth of field easier and the Olympus E-P5 will give you extra detail with its extra 4MP. Higher resolution can also make it easier to crop pictures a bit more aggressively. The younger E-P5 is going to have an edge in sensor tech.