Olympus PEN-F vs Panasonic SZ5

Below, we will be comparing the Olympus PEN-F versus Panasonic SZ5, former being a Advanced Mirrorless while the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by manufacturers Olympus and Panasonic. There is a noticeable difference among the image resolutions of the PEN-F (20MP) and SZ5 (14MP) and the PEN-F (Four Thirds) and SZ5 (1/2.3") enjoy totally different sensor size.

Photography Glossary

The PEN-F was released 3 years later than the SZ5 and that is a fairly sizable difference as far as camera tech is concerned. The two cameras come with different body type with the Olympus PEN-F being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic SZ5 being a Compact camera.

Before we go straight into a in-depth comparison, below is a short overview of how the PEN-F matches up vs the SZ5 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

This is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus PEN-F & Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ5. The complete galleries are available at Olympus PEN-F Gallery & Panasonic SZ5 Gallery.

When you are looking to lug around your camera frequently, you will have to factor in its weight and size. The Olympus PEN-F enjoys physical dimensions of 125mm x 72mm x 37mm (4.9" x 2.8" x 1.5") and a weight of 427 grams (0.94 lbs) and the Panasonic SZ5 has specifications of 104mm x 58mm x 21mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 0.8") with a weight of 136 grams (0.30 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus PEN-F versus Panasonic SZ5 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you are using at that moment. Below is the front view measurement comparison of the PEN-F vs the SZ5.

Factoring in size and weight, the portability score of the PEN-F and SZ5 is 84 and 95 respectively.

Oftentimes, it is very hard to visualise the contrast in sensor measurements merely by going through technical specs. The photograph below should give you a far better sense of the sensor sizes in the PEN-F and SZ5.

As you have seen, both of those cameras posses different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The PEN-F featuring a bigger sensor will make achieving shallow DOF simpler and the Olympus PEN-F will show more detail as a result of its extra 6 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also allow you to crop photographs somewhat more aggressively. The fresher PEN-F is going to have an advantage when it comes to sensor innovation.