Olympus E-PL6 vs Panasonic ZS5

The following is a in-depth overview of the Olympus E-PL6 versus Panasonic ZS5, one is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by companies Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a huge gap among the sensor resolutions of the E-PL6 (16MP) and ZS5 (12MP) and the E-PL6 (Four Thirds) and ZS5 (1/2.3") use totally different sensor dimensions.

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The E-PL6 was unveiled 4 years after the ZS5 which is a fairly significant gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of these cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-PL6 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic ZS5 being a Compact camera.

Before getting in to a complete comparison, below is a simple introduction of how the E-PL6 grades versus the ZS5 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Following is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus PEN E-PL6 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS5. The full galleries are viewable at Olympus E-PL6 Gallery and Panasonic ZS5 Gallery.

In case you're aiming to travel with your camera often, you are going to need to consider its weight and volume. The Olympus E-PL6 has outside dimensions of 111mm x 64mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.5") and a weight of 325 grams (0.72 lbs) and the Panasonic ZS5 has sizing of 103mm x 60mm x 32mm (4.1" x 2.4" x 1.3") and a weight of 214 grams (0.47 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-PL6 versus Panasonic ZS5 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Keep in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change based on the lens you have at that moment. Below is the front view dimensions comparison of the E-PL6 against the ZS5.

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-PL6 and ZS5 is 88 and 92 respectively.

Normally, it is very hard to envision the contrast in sensor dimensions simply by checking out specifications. The picture below will help offer you a much better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-PL6 and ZS5.

To sum up, the two cameras offer different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The E-PL6 having a bigger sensor will make shooting shallower DOF simpler and the Olympus E-PL6 will produce extra detail having an extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution will enable you to crop pictures a little more aggressively. The fresher E-PL6 is going to have an advantage when it comes to sensor innovation.