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Olympus E-PM2 vs Panasonic ZS45

Portability
89
Imaging
52
Features
63
Overall
56
Olympus PEN E-PM2 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS45 front
Portability
91
Imaging
40
Features
55
Overall
46

Olympus E-PM2 vs Panasonic ZS45 Key Specs

Olympus E-PM2
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 269g - 110 x 64 x 34mm
  • Introduced May 2013
  • Earlier Model is Olympus E-PM1
Panasonic ZS45
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 24-480mm (F3.3-6.4) lens
  • 249g - 108 x 60 x 32mm
  • Revealed January 2015
  • Also Known as Lumix DMC-TZ57
  • Earlier Model is Panasonic ZS40
  • Later Model is Panasonic ZS50
Photography Glossary

Olympus E-PM2 vs Panasonic ZS45 Overview

Below is a extensive analysis of the Olympus E-PM2 vs Panasonic ZS45, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom by brands Olympus and Panasonic. The sensor resolution of the E-PM2 (16MP) and the ZS45 (16MP) is very comparable but the E-PM2 (Four Thirds) and ZS45 (1/2.3") posses different sensor sizing.

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The E-PM2 was announced 19 months before the ZS45 making them a generation apart from each other. Both of the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-PM2 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic ZS45 being a Compact camera.

Before going into a in-depth comparison, here is a concise overview of how the E-PM2 scores vs the ZS45 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PM2 over the Panasonic ZS45

 E-PM2 ZS45 
Manual focus More precise focus
Touch display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Panasonic ZS45 over the Olympus E-PM2

 ZS45 E-PM2 
RevealedJanuary 2015May 2013More recent by 19 months
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display resolution1040k460kClearer display (+580k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-PM2 and Panasonic ZS45

 E-PM2 ZS45 
Display size3"3"Same display measurement
Selfie screen Neither contains selfie screen

Olympus E-PM2 vs Panasonic ZS45 Physical Comparison

In case you're aiming to lug around your camera frequently, you'll have to take into account its weight and volume. The Olympus E-PM2 has got outside measurements of 110mm x 64mm x 34mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.3") having a weight of 269 grams (0.59 lbs) and the Panasonic ZS45 has sizing of 108mm x 60mm x 32mm (4.3" x 2.4" x 1.3") with a weight of 249 grams (0.55 lbs).

Examine the Olympus E-PM2 vs Panasonic ZS45 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you choose at the time. Below is a front view size comparison of the E-PM2 vs the ZS45.

Olympus E-PM2 vs Panasonic ZS45 size comparison

Using size and weight, the portability grade of the E-PM2 and ZS45 is 89 and 91 respectively.

Olympus E-PM2 vs Panasonic ZS45 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PM2 vs Panasonic ZS45 Sensor Comparison

Oftentimes, it is very hard to picture the gap in sensor measurements just by checking out technical specs. The photograph here may offer you a much better sense of the sensor measurements in the E-PM2 and ZS45.

As you have seen, the two cameras come with the identical MP but different sensor measurements. The E-PM2 offers the larger sensor which will make obtaining shallower DOF less difficult. The older E-PM2 will be disadvantaged in sensor technology.

Olympus E-PM2 vs Panasonic ZS45 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PM2 vs Panasonic ZS45 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PM2 vs Panasonic ZS45 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PM2 Portrait photography information
Panasonic ZS45 Portrait photography information
71
focusing manually
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
provides face detect autofocus
supports RAW files
37
megapixel count good (16 megapixels)
includes face detection focus
lack of manual focus
cannot use external flash
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus E-PM2
Street photography with Panasonic ZS45
79
image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
supports focus by touch
very good high ISO (25,600)
screen is fixed
69
screen tilts up and down
image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than average (249 grams)
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PM2 Sports photography advice
Panasonic ZS45 Sports photography advice
66
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
provides tracking focus
no phase detect autofocus
55
long zoom range (24-480mm 20.0 x zoom)
image stabilization (Optical)
megapixel count good (16 megapixels)
includes tracking autofocus
better than average battery (350 CIPA)
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
lacks phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus E-PM2
Travel photography with Panasonic ZS45
66
supports focus by touch
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
does not have Time Lapse function
does not have selfie friendly screen
71
better than average battery (350 shots)
lighter than average (249 grams)
megapixel count good (16MP)
flash built-in
quite wide (24mm)
very long reach (480mm)
no Time Lapse function
display is not selfie friendly
slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PM2 as a Landscape photography camera
Panasonic ZS45 as a Landscape photography camera
74
focusing manually
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is good (3 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor resolution is decent (16MP)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
very good high ISO (25,600)
supports RAW files
does not have Time Lapse function
47
quite wide (24mm)
good sized screen (3 inch)
image stabilization (Optical)
megapixel count good (16 megapixels)
better than average battery (350 shots)
lack of manual focus
can't switch lens (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
no Time Lapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus E-PM2
Vlogging with Panasonic ZS45
36
has touchscreen
image stabilization (Sensor based)
provides face detect autofocus
video res high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
does not have selfie friendly screen
does not have mic port
34
quite wide (24mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
includes face detection focus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
lighter than average (249 grams)
slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
display is not selfie friendly
no external mic socket
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Olympus E-PM2 vs Panasonic ZS45 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PM2 and Panasonic ZS45
 Olympus PEN E-PM2Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS45
General Information
Brand Olympus Panasonic
Model type Olympus PEN E-PM2 Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS45
Also called - Lumix DMC-TZ57
Type Entry-Level Mirrorless Small Sensor Superzoom
Introduced 2013-05-21 2015-01-06
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixels 16 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Highest resolution 4608 x 3456 4608 x 3456
Highest native ISO 25600 6400
Minimum native ISO 200 100
RAW images
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Total focus points 35 21
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 24-480mm (20.0x)
Highest aperture - f/3.3-6.4
Macro focusing range - 3cm
Amount of lenses 107 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.9
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Tilting
Display sizing 3 inch 3 inch
Resolution of display 460 thousand dots 1,040 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic (optional) None
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60s 4s
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000s 1/2000s
Continuous shooting rate 8.0 frames/s 10.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 7.00 m (bundled FL-LM1) 6.00 m
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) Auto, Auto/Red-eye Reduction, Forced On, Slow Sync./Red-eye Reduction, Forced Off
External flash
AEB
White balance bracketing
Maximum flash synchronize 1/250s -
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (30p), 1280 x 720 (30p), 640 x 480 (30p)
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video data format MPEG-4, H.264, Motion JPEG MPEG-4
Mic port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless Eye-Fi Connected 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 269 grams (0.59 pounds) 249 grams (0.55 pounds)
Physical dimensions 110 x 64 x 34mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.3") 108 x 60 x 32mm (4.3" 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 12.2 not tested
DXO Low light rating 932 not tested
Other
Battery life 360 pictures 350 pictures
Battery type Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLS-5 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Card slots 1 1
Retail pricing $448 $300