Olympus E-PL9 vs Panasonic ZS5

Lets examine more in depth at the Olympus E-PL9 and Panasonic ZS5, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom by manufacturers Olympus and Panasonic. There is a significant difference among the sensor resolutions of the E-PL9 (16MP) and ZS5 (12MP) and the E-PL9 (Four Thirds) and ZS5 (1/2.3") feature totally different sensor dimensions.

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The E-PL9 was manufactured 7 years later than the ZS5 and that is a fairly sizable gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Each of these cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-PL9 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic ZS5 being a Compact camera.

Before we go in to a comprehensive comparison, below is a brief introduction of how the E-PL9 matches up versus the ZS5 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Below is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus PEN E-PL9 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS5. The entire galleries are available at Olympus E-PL9 Gallery and Panasonic ZS5 Gallery.

For those who are planning to lug around your camera frequently, you'll need to think about its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-PL9 comes with outside measurements of 117mm x 68mm x 39mm (4.6" x 2.7" x 1.5") along with a weight of 380 grams (0.84 lbs) while the Panasonic ZS5 has dimensions of 103mm x 60mm x 32mm (4.1" x 2.4" x 1.3") and a weight of 214 grams (0.47 lbs).

Check the Olympus E-PL9 and Panasonic ZS5 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you select at the time. Underneath is the front view scale comparison of the E-PL9 compared to the ZS5.

Looking at size and weight, the portability rating of the E-PL9 and ZS5 is 85 and 92 respectively.

Usually, its hard to see the contrast in sensor measurements just by going through a spec sheet. The visual here may give you a far better sense of the sensor measurements in the E-PL9 and ZS5.

Clearly, the two cameras have got different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The E-PL9 because of its larger sensor will make achieving bokeh easier and the Olympus E-PL9 will provide extra detail due to its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also help you crop images much more aggressively. The fresher E-PL9 is going to have a benefit with regard to sensor innovation.