Olympus E-PL1 vs Panasonic ZS5

Let's look much closer at the Olympus E-PL1 and Panasonic ZS5, one is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom by companies Olympus and Panasonic. The image resolution of the E-PL1 (12MP) and the ZS5 (12MP) is very comparable but the E-PL1 (Four Thirds) and ZS5 (1/2.3") possess totally different sensor sizing.

Photography Glossary

The E-PL1 was unveiled about the same time to the ZS5 so they are of a similar generation. The two cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-PL1 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic ZS5 being a Compact camera.

Before getting straight into a in depth comparison, below is a quick overview of how the E-PL1 matches up against the ZS5 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Following is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus PEN E-PL1 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS5. The full galleries are available at Olympus E-PL1 Gallery and Panasonic ZS5 Gallery.

When you are looking to travel with your camera regularly, you'll have to factor its weight and volume. The Olympus E-PL1 provides physical dimensions of 115mm x 72mm x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") and a weight of 334 grams (0.74 lbs) while the Panasonic ZS5 has sizing of 103mm x 60mm x 32mm (4.1" x 2.4" x 1.3") along with a weight of 214 grams (0.47 lbs).

Examine the Olympus E-PL1 and Panasonic ZS5 in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Do not forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary dependant on the lens you are employing at that moment. Following is the front view scale comparison of the E-PL1 against the ZS5.

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-PL1 and ZS5 is 86 and 92 respectively.

Quite often, its tough to visualise the difference in sensor dimensions purely by checking out specs. The image here should provide you a better sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-PL1 and ZS5.

As you can plainly see, both cameras have got the exact same megapixel count but not the same sensor dimensions. The E-PL1 includes the larger sensor which is going to make getting bokeh simpler.