Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic ZS35

Its time to take a closer look at the Olympus E-PL5 and Panasonic ZS35, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by competitors Olympus and Panasonic. The sensor resolution of the E-PL5 (16MP) and the ZS35 (16MP) is pretty close but the E-PL5 (Four Thirds) and ZS35 (1/2.3") boast different sensor sizes.

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The E-PL5 was introduced 15 months prior to the ZS35 which makes them a generation apart from each other. Both of the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-PL5 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic ZS35 being a Compact camera.

Before diving straight to a detailed comparison, here is a simple overview of how the E-PL5 scores vs the ZS35 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Here is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus PEN E-PL5 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS35. The whole galleries are viewable at Olympus E-PL5 Gallery & Panasonic ZS35 Gallery.

For anybody who is going to lug around your camera frequently, you will need to consider its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-PL5 has outer dimensions of 111mm x 64mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.5") along with a weight of 325 grams (0.72 lbs) whilst the Panasonic ZS35 has measurements of 107mm x 62mm x 32mm (4.2" x 2.4" x 1.3") along with a weight of 305 grams (0.67 lbs).

Examine the Olympus E-PL5 and Panasonic ZS35 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you are working with at that time. The following is a front view over all size comparison of the E-PL5 versus the ZS35.

Using size and weight, the portability rating of the E-PL5 and ZS35 is 88 and 89 respectively.

Oftentimes, its hard to imagine the difference in sensor measurements simply by viewing specs. The visual underneath should give you a much better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-PL5 and ZS35.

All in all, the 2 cameras feature the identical resolution albeit different sensor measurements. The E-PL5 comes with the bigger sensor which should make achieving shallow depth of field less difficult. The older E-PL5 will be disadvantaged in sensor tech.