Olympus PEN-F vs Panasonic ZS5

Following is a comprehensive comparison of the Olympus PEN-F versus Panasonic ZS5, former is a Advanced Mirrorless while the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by companies Olympus and Panasonic. There is a sizable difference between the resolutions of the PEN-F (20MP) and ZS5 (12MP) and the PEN-F (Four Thirds) and ZS5 (1/2.3") boast different sensor sizing.

Photography Glossary

The PEN-F was launched 5 years after the ZS5 which is quite a significant difference as far as tech is concerned. Both of these cameras feature different body design with the Olympus PEN-F being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic ZS5 being a Compact camera.

Before going into a step-by-step comparison, here is a quick overview of how the PEN-F grades against the ZS5 for portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

This is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus PEN-F & Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS5. The complete galleries are available at Olympus PEN-F Gallery & Panasonic ZS5 Gallery.

For anybody who is looking to carry around your camera frequently, you'll have to take into account its weight and proportions. The Olympus PEN-F provides outer dimensions of 125mm x 72mm x 37mm (4.9" x 2.8" x 1.5") having a weight of 427 grams (0.94 lbs) and the Panasonic ZS5 has measurements of 103mm x 60mm x 32mm (4.1" x 2.4" x 1.3") having a weight of 214 grams (0.47 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus PEN-F versus Panasonic ZS5 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you are utilising at the time. Following is a front view overall size comparison of the PEN-F against the ZS5.

Taking into account size and weight, the portability grade of the PEN-F and ZS5 is 84 and 92 respectively.

Oftentimes, it is difficult to visualize the difference between sensor sizes only by looking at specifications. The picture here may provide you a greater sense of the sensor dimensions in the PEN-F and ZS5.

To sum up, the 2 cameras come with different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The PEN-F featuring a bigger sensor is going to make achieving shallower DOF less difficult and the Olympus PEN-F will give you more detail utilizing its extra 8 Megapixels. Higher resolution will allow you to crop photographs a good deal more aggressively. The fresher PEN-F provides a benefit with regard to sensor tech.