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Olympus E-PM1 vs Panasonic FZ2500

Portability
89
Imaging
48
Features
52
Overall
49
Olympus PEN E-PM1 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ2500 front
Portability
53
Imaging
53
Features
81
Overall
64

Olympus E-PM1 vs Panasonic FZ2500 Key Specs

Olympus E-PM1
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 12800
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 265g - 110 x 64 x 34mm
  • Announced November 2011
  • Refreshed by Olympus E-PM2
Panasonic FZ2500
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - 1" Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 125 - 12800 (Increase to 25600)
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 4096 x 2160 video
  • 24-480mm (F2.8-4.5) lens
  • 915g - 138 x 102 x 135mm
  • Introduced September 2016
  • Additionally Known as Lumix DMC-FZ2000
  • Earlier Model is Panasonic FZ1000
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Olympus E-PM1 vs Panasonic FZ2500 Overview

Lets take a more detailed look at the Olympus E-PM1 and Panasonic FZ2500, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the latter is a Large Sensor Superzoom by companies Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a huge gap among the resolutions of the E-PM1 (12MP) and FZ2500 (20MP) and the E-PM1 (Four Thirds) and FZ2500 (1") use different sensor size.

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The E-PM1 was unveiled 5 years prior to the FZ2500 and that is a fairly significant gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Both the cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-PM1 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic FZ2500 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera.

Before delving in to a in-depth comparison, below is a simple summation of how the E-PM1 grades against the FZ2500 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PM1 over the Panasonic FZ2500

 E-PM1 FZ2500 

Reasons to pick Panasonic FZ2500 over the Olympus E-PM1

 FZ2500 E-PM1 
IntroducedSeptember 2016November 2011More recent by 58 months
Screen typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating screen
Screen resolution1040k460kSharper screen (+580k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Common features in the Olympus E-PM1 and Panasonic FZ2500

 E-PM1 FZ2500 
Manually focus Dial precise focus
Screen sizing3"3"Equivalent screen size

Olympus E-PM1 vs Panasonic FZ2500 Physical Comparison

For anyone who is going to lug around your camera, you'll need to factor its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-PM1 enjoys physical measurements of 110mm x 64mm x 34mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.3") and a weight of 265 grams (0.58 lbs) while the Panasonic FZ2500 has measurements of 138mm x 102mm x 135mm (5.4" x 4.0" x 5.3") with a weight of 915 grams (2.02 lbs).

See the Olympus E-PM1 and Panasonic FZ2500 in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ depending on the lens you select during that time. Below is the front view dimension comparison of the E-PM1 vs the FZ2500.

Olympus E-PM1 vs Panasonic FZ2500 size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-PM1 and FZ2500 is 89 and 53 respectively.

Olympus E-PM1 vs Panasonic FZ2500 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PM1 vs Panasonic FZ2500 Sensor Comparison

Quite often, it is very tough to picture the gap in sensor measurements simply by seeing a spec sheet. The graphic underneath may offer you a stronger sense of the sensor sizing in the E-PM1 and FZ2500.

Clearly, each of these cameras offer different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The E-PM1 having a bigger sensor is going to make shooting shallow DOF less difficult and the Panasonic FZ2500 will produce more detail having an extra 8 Megapixels. Higher resolution will allow you to crop pictures a little more aggressively. The older E-PM1 will be disadvantaged with regard to sensor tech.

Olympus E-PM1 vs Panasonic FZ2500 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PM1 vs Panasonic FZ2500 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PM1 vs Panasonic FZ2500 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PM1 Portrait photography information
Panasonic FZ2500 Portrait photography information
60
has manual focus
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
supports face detection autofocus
exports RAW files
low resolution sensor (12 megapixels)
71
has manual focus
decent sensor resolution (20 megapixels)
decent sensor size (1")
comes with face detect focus
exports RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-PM1 Street photography details
Panasonic FZ2500 Street photography details
75
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
screen does not articulate
70
fully articulated screen
built in image stabilization (Optical)
decent sensor size (1")
exports RAW formats
provides focus via touch
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PM1 as a Sports photography camera
Panasonic FZ2500 as a Sports photography camera
49
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
supports tracking autofocus
continuous shooting slow (6.0 frames/s)
low resolution sensor (12 megapixels)
does not have phase detect autofocus
69
incredible zoom range (24-480mm 20.0 x zoom)
silent shutter (1/16,000s)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
decent sensor resolution (20MP)
decent sensor size (1")
comes with tracking focus
has no phase detect auto focus
Photography Glossary

Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PM1 Travel photography advice
Panasonic FZ2500 Travel photography advice
45
doesn't have Time Lapse mode
low resolution sensor (12MP)
screen isn't selfie friendly
66
provides focus via touch
decent sensor resolution (20MP)
has built in flash
screen is selfie friendly
reasonably wide (24mm)
long reach (480mm)
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.8)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PM1 as a Landscape photography camera
Panasonic FZ2500 as a Landscape photography camera
65
has manual focus
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
nice screen size (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
low resolution sensor (12 megapixels)
doesn't have Time Lapse mode
65
has manual focus
reasonably wide (24mm)
decent sized screen (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
decent sensor resolution (20MP)
decent sensor size (1")
exports RAW formats
can't swap lenses (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.8)
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PM1 Vlogging features
Panasonic FZ2500 Vlogging features
34
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
supports face detection autofocus
great video quality (1920 x 1080 resolution)
screen isn't selfie friendly
doesn't have external mic socket
66
reasonably wide (24mm)
screen is selfie friendly
built-in touchscreen
built in image stabilization (Optical)
comes with face detect focus
video res high (4096 x 2160 pxls)
does have microphone socket
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.8)
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Olympus E-PM1 vs Panasonic FZ2500 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PM1 and Panasonic FZ2500
 Olympus PEN E-PM1Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ2500
General Information
Make Olympus Panasonic
Model type Olympus PEN E-PM1 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ2500
Otherwise known as - Lumix DMC-FZ2000
Category Entry-Level Mirrorless Large Sensor Superzoom
Announced 2011-11-23 2016-09-19
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless SLR-like (bridge)
Sensor Information
Processor Chip TruePic VI Venus Engine
Sensor type CMOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds 1"
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 13.2 x 8.8mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 116.2mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixels 20 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Highest resolution 4032 x 3024 5472 x 3648
Highest native ISO 12800 12800
Highest boosted ISO - 25600
Min native ISO 100 125
RAW photos
Min boosted ISO - 80
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
AF touch
Continuous AF
Single AF
Tracking AF
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Total focus points 35 49
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 24-480mm (20.0x)
Maximal aperture - f/2.8-4.5
Macro focusing distance - 3cm
Total lenses 107 -
Crop factor 2.1 2.7
Screen
Type of screen Fixed Type Fully Articulated
Screen diagonal 3 inch 3 inch
Resolution of screen 460 thousand dots 1,040 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Screen tech HyperCrystal LCD AR(Anti-Reflective) coating -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic (optional) Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 2,360 thousand dots
Viewfinder coverage - 100%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.74x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 secs 60 secs
Highest shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/4000 secs
Highest silent shutter speed - 1/16000 secs
Continuous shooting rate 6.0fps 12.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance no built-in flash 13.20 m (at Auto ISO)
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) Auto, Auto/Red-eye Reduction, Forced On, Forced On/Red-eye Reduction, Slow Sync, Slow Sync/Red-eye Reduction, Forced Off
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Highest flash synchronize 1/160 secs -
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 4096 x 2060 @ 24p / 100 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 4096x2160
Video format AVCHD, Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264
Microphone port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 265 gr (0.58 pounds) 915 gr (2.02 pounds)
Dimensions 110 x 64 x 34mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.3") 138 x 102 x 135mm (5.4" x 4.0" x 5.3")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 52 70
DXO Color Depth rating 21.0 23.0
DXO Dynamic range rating 10.3 12.6
DXO Low light rating 499 538
Other
Battery life 330 photographs 350 photographs
Style of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLS-5 DMW-BLC12
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 secs, 3 shots @ 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC card
Card slots Single Single
Pricing at launch $499 $998