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Olympus E-PL7 vs Panasonic ZS5

Portability
86
Imaging
54
Features
81
Overall
64
Olympus PEN E-PL7 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS5 front
Portability
92
Imaging
35
Features
30
Overall
33

Olympus E-PL7 vs Panasonic ZS5 Key Specs

Olympus E-PL7
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 357g - 115 x 67 x 38mm
  • Announced September 2014
  • Replaced the Olympus E-PL6
  • New Model is Olympus E-PL8
Panasonic ZS5
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 25-300mm (F3.3-4.9) lens
  • 214g - 103 x 60 x 32mm
  • Introduced June 2010
  • Additionally referred to as Lumix DMC-TZ8
Photography Glossary

Olympus E-PL7 vs Panasonic ZS5 Overview

Below, we are looking at the Olympus E-PL7 versus Panasonic ZS5, former is a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom by manufacturers Olympus and Panasonic. There is a considerable difference among the image resolutions of the E-PL7 (16MP) and ZS5 (12MP) and the E-PL7 (Four Thirds) and ZS5 (1/2.3") possess different sensor size.

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The E-PL7 was manufactured 4 years after the ZS5 which is a fairly large difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-PL7 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic ZS5 being a Compact camera.

Before we go in to a in-depth comparison, below is a brief summation of how the E-PL7 grades versus the ZS5 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL7 over the Panasonic ZS5

 E-PL7 ZS5 
IntroducedSeptember 2014June 2010Newer by 52 months
Manual focus Dial accurate focusing
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display dimension3"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")
Display resolution1037k230kSharper display (+807k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Panasonic ZS5 over the Olympus E-PL7

 ZS5 E-PL7 

Common features in the Olympus E-PL7 and Panasonic ZS5

 E-PL7 ZS5 

Olympus E-PL7 vs Panasonic ZS5 Physical Comparison

If you're intending to travel with your camera regularly, you need to factor its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-PL7 provides external dimensions of 115mm x 67mm x 38mm (4.5" x 2.6" x 1.5") accompanied by a weight of 357 grams (0.79 lbs) whilst the Panasonic ZS5 has measurements of 103mm x 60mm x 32mm (4.1" x 2.4" x 1.3") having a weight of 214 grams (0.47 lbs).

See the Olympus E-PL7 versus Panasonic ZS5 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you have chosen at that time. Here is the front view over all size comparison of the E-PL7 compared to the ZS5.

Olympus E-PL7 vs Panasonic ZS5 size comparison

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability score of the E-PL7 and ZS5 is 86 and 92 respectively.

Olympus E-PL7 vs Panasonic ZS5 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL7 vs Panasonic ZS5 Sensor Comparison

Oftentimes, its difficult to picture the gap in sensor dimensions purely by going through specs. The picture underneath will provide you a clearer sense of the sensor sizes in the E-PL7 and ZS5.

All in all, the 2 cameras posses different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The E-PL7 featuring a larger sensor is going to make achieving bokeh easier and the Olympus E-PL7 will produce more detail due to its extra 4MP. Greater resolution will also make it easier to crop photos somewhat more aggressively. The newer E-PL7 provides an edge in sensor technology.

Olympus E-PL7 vs Panasonic ZS5 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL7 vs Panasonic ZS5 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL7 vs Panasonic ZS5 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus E-PL7
Portrait photography with Panasonic ZS5
72
focusing manually
good megapixels (16MP)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
has face detection focus
supports RAW files
27
features face detection focusing
focusing manually not possible
cannot use external flash
MP count low (12 megapixels)
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-PL7 as a Street photography camera
Panasonic ZS5 as a Street photography camera
84
screen tilts up and down
image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
boasts touch to focus
above average ISO range (25,600)
61
has image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than average (214g)
no moving screen
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PL7 Sports photography details
Panasonic ZS5 Sports photography details
67
image stabilization (Sensor based)
good megapixels (16MP)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
has tracking autofocus
lack of phase detect auto focus
31
has image stabilization (Optical)
features tracking autofocus
max shutter speed is low (1/1,300 seconds)
max fps very slow (2.0 frames/s)
MP count low (12 megapixels)
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
lack of phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL7 as a Travel photography camera
Panasonic ZS5 as a Travel photography camera
85
boasts touch to focus
good megapixels (16MP)
display is selfie friendly
63
lighter than average (214g)
flash built-in
pretty wide (25mm)
long reach (300mm)
does not have Time Lapse mode
MP count low (12 megapixels)
doesn't contain selfie friendly screen
slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PL7 Landscape photography features
Panasonic ZS5 Landscape photography features
80
focusing manually
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
good sized screen (3")
image stabilization (Sensor based)
good megapixels (16 megapixels)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
above average ISO range (25,600)
supports RAW files
33
pretty wide (25mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
focusing manually not possible
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
tiny screen (2.7")
MP count low (12MP)
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
does not have Time Lapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus E-PL7
Vlogging with Panasonic ZS5
78
display is selfie friendly
touchscreen capability
image stabilization (Sensor based)
has face detection focus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
missing external mic socket
31
pretty wide (25mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
features face detection focusing
lighter than average (214 grams)
slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
doesn't contain selfie friendly screen
low quality video (1280 x 720 pxls)
does not have external mic port
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Olympus E-PL7 vs Panasonic ZS5 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL7 and Panasonic ZS5
 Olympus PEN E-PL7Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS5
General Information
Brand Olympus Panasonic
Model type Olympus PEN E-PL7 Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS5
Also Known as - Lumix DMC-TZ8
Class Entry-Level Mirrorless Small Sensor Superzoom
Announced 2014-09-01 2010-06-16
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Chip TruePic VII Venus Engine HD II
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixels 12 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 4608 x 3456 4000 x 3000
Maximum native ISO 25600 6400
Min native ISO 100 80
RAW support
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 81 11
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 25-300mm (12.0x)
Largest aperture - f/3.3-4.9
Macro focusing range - 3cm
Amount of lenses 107 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.9
Screen
Screen type Tilting Fixed Type
Screen size 3" 2.7"
Screen resolution 1,037k dot 230k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic (optional) None
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60s 60s
Highest shutter speed 1/4000s 1/1300s
Continuous shooting speed 8.0 frames/s 2.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance no built-in flash 5.30 m
Flash modes no built-in flash Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Syncro
External flash
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
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), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1280 x 720 (30fps), 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video data format H.264, Motion JPEG Motion JPEG
Mic jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 357 grams (0.79 pounds) 214 grams (0.47 pounds)
Dimensions 115 x 67 x 38mm (4.5" x 2.6" x 1.5") 103 x 60 x 32mm (4.1" x 2.4" x 1.3")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 72 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 22.7 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 12.4 not tested
DXO Low light rating 873 not tested
Other
Battery life 350 images -
Type of battery Battery Pack -
Battery ID BLS-50 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec, custom) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC card SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Storage slots One One
Price at launch $499 $300