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Olympus E-PM2 vs Panasonic ZS5

Portability
89
Imaging
52
Features
63
Overall
56
Olympus PEN E-PM2 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS5 front
Portability
92
Imaging
35
Features
30
Overall
33

Olympus E-PM2 vs Panasonic ZS5 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
  • Announced May 2013
  • Previous Model is Olympus E-PM1
Panasonic ZS5
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 25-300mm (F3.3-4.9) lens
  • 214g - 103 x 60 x 32mm
  • Revealed June 2010
  • Alternative Name is Lumix DMC-TZ8
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Olympus E-PM2 vs Panasonic ZS5 Overview

Here is a in depth comparison of the Olympus E-PM2 and Panasonic ZS5, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by manufacturers Olympus and Panasonic. There is a large difference between the resolutions of the E-PM2 (16MP) and ZS5 (12MP) and the E-PM2 (Four Thirds) and ZS5 (1/2.3") feature totally different sensor sizes.

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The E-PM2 was revealed 2 years later than the ZS5 and that is quite a serious difference as far as tech is concerned. Both of these cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-PM2 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic ZS5 being a Compact camera.

Before delving through a in-depth comparison, below is a quick highlight of how the E-PM2 scores versus the ZS5 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PM2 over the Panasonic ZS5

 E-PM2 ZS5 
RevealedMay 2013June 2010Fresher by 36 months
Manual focus Dial exact focus
Screen sizing3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution460k230kClearer screen (+230k dot)
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Panasonic ZS5 over the Olympus E-PM2

 ZS5 E-PM2 

Common features in the Olympus E-PM2 and Panasonic ZS5

 E-PM2 ZS5 
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Selfie screen No selfie screen

Olympus E-PM2 vs Panasonic ZS5 Physical Comparison

For those who are looking to carry your camera often, you'll need to consider its weight and size. The Olympus E-PM2 has physical measurements of 110mm x 64mm x 34mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.3") accompanied by a weight of 269 grams (0.59 lbs) while the Panasonic ZS5 has specifications of 103mm x 60mm x 32mm (4.1" x 2.4" x 1.3") with a weight of 214 grams (0.47 lbs).

Examine the Olympus E-PM2 and Panasonic ZS5 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you choose during that time. Below is the front view measurements comparison of the E-PM2 vs the ZS5.

Olympus E-PM2 vs Panasonic ZS5 size comparison

Taking into account size and weight, the portability score of the E-PM2 and ZS5 is 89 and 92 respectively.

Olympus E-PM2 vs Panasonic ZS5 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PM2 vs Panasonic ZS5 Sensor Comparison

Often, it is tough to envision the gap between sensor sizing only by looking at specs. The photograph here will provide you a clearer sense of the sensor sizing in the E-PM2 and ZS5.

As you can plainly see, both the cameras offer different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The E-PM2 with its bigger sensor will make achieving shallower depth of field simpler and the Olympus E-PM2 will give extra detail because of its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also help you crop pictures a little more aggressively. The fresher E-PM2 will have a benefit when it comes to sensor technology.

Olympus E-PM2 vs Panasonic ZS5 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PM2 vs Panasonic ZS5 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PM2 vs Panasonic ZS5 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photography Glossary

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus E-PM2
Portrait photography with Panasonic ZS5
71
you can focus manually
good megapixels (16 megapixels)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports face detection autofocus
exports RAW formats
27
offers face detection focus
manual focus not available
external flash not possible
megapixel count low (12MP)
very small sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-PM2 Street photography features
Panasonic ZS5 Street photography features
79
image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
has focus by touch
good ISO range (25,600)
screen does not articulate
61
built in image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than others in class (214 grams)
no articulating screen
very small sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PM2 Sports photography details
Panasonic ZS5 Sports photography details
66
image stabilization (Sensor based)
good megapixels (16 megapixels)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports tracking autofocus
lacks phase detect autofocus
31
built in image stabilization (Optical)
offers tracking autofocus
maximum shutter speed is a little low (1/1,300 seconds)
very slow continuous shooting (2.0 frames per second)
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
very small sensor (1/2.3")
has no phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PM2 Travel photography info
Panasonic ZS5 Travel photography info
66
has focus by touch
good megapixels (16 megapixels)
does not have Time Lapse function
display is not selfie friendly
63
lighter than others in class (214 grams)
built-in flash
fairly wide (25mm)
long zoom (300mm)
doesn't have Time Lapse mode
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
display isn't selfie friendly
slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PM2 Landscape photography info
Panasonic ZS5 Landscape photography info
74
you can focus manually
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is good (3 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
good megapixels (16MP)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
good ISO range (25,600)
exports RAW formats
does not have Time Lapse function
33
fairly wide (25mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
manual focus not available
cannot change lens (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
tiny screen (2.7")
megapixel count low (12MP)
very small sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
doesn't have Time Lapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PM2 Vlogging details
Panasonic ZS5 Vlogging details
36
has touchscreen
image stabilization (Sensor based)
supports face detection autofocus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
display is not selfie friendly
does not have external mic jack
31
fairly wide (25mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
offers face detection focus
lighter than others in class (214 grams)
slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
display isn't selfie friendly
video res low (1280 x 720 resolution)
doesn't have external mic support
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Olympus E-PM2 vs Panasonic ZS5 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PM2 and Panasonic ZS5
 Olympus PEN E-PM2Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS5
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Panasonic
Model Olympus PEN E-PM2 Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS5
Otherwise known as - Lumix DMC-TZ8
Category Entry-Level Mirrorless Small Sensor Superzoom
Announced 2013-05-21 2010-06-16
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Powered by - 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 16MP 12MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 4608 x 3456 4000 x 3000
Max native ISO 25600 6400
Lowest native ISO 200 80
RAW format
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
Continuous AF
AF single
Tracking AF
AF selectice
AF center weighted
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Number of focus points 35 11
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 25-300mm (12.0x)
Maximum aperture - f/3.3-4.9
Macro focus range - 3cm
Number of lenses 107 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.9
Screen
Type of display Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display size 3 inches 2.7 inches
Resolution of display 460 thousand dots 230 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic (optional) None
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60 secs 60 secs
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/1300 secs
Continuous shooting rate 8.0 frames/s 2.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 7.00 m (bundled FL-LM1) 5.30 m
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Syncro
Hot shoe
AEB
White balance bracketing
Maximum flash synchronize 1/250 secs -
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1280 x 720 (30fps), 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Max video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video data format MPEG-4, H.264, Motion JPEG Motion JPEG
Mic support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless Eye-Fi Connected None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 269 grams (0.59 lb) 214 grams (0.47 lb)
Dimensions 110 x 64 x 34mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.3") 103 x 60 x 32mm (4.1" x 2.4" x 1.3")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 72 not tested
DXO Color Depth score 22.7 not tested
DXO Dynamic range score 12.2 not tested
DXO Low light score 932 not tested
Other
Battery life 360 images -
Style of battery Battery Pack -
Battery model BLS-5 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Card slots 1 1
Cost at launch $448 $300