Olympus SH-50 vs Panasonic S5

The following is a extended analysis of the Olympus SH-50 vs Panasonic S5, one is a Small Sensor Superzoom and the latter is a Pro Mirrorless by competitors Olympus and Panasonic. There is a significant difference between the resolutions of the SH-50 (16MP) and S5 (24MP) and the SH-50 (1/2.3") and S5 (Full frame) enjoy totally different sensor sizing.

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The SH-50 was manufactured 8 years before the S5 which is quite a sizable gap as far as tech is concerned. Both cameras come with different body type with the Olympus SH-50 being a Compact camera and the Panasonic S5 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before going in to a step-by-step comparison, below is a brief summation of how the SH-50 grades versus the S5 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Following is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus SH-50 and Panasonic Lumix DC-S5. The entire galleries are provided at Olympus SH-50 Gallery and Panasonic S5 Gallery.

When you are aiming to travel with your camera often, you will have to factor in its weight and measurements. The Olympus SH-50 has external dimensions of 112mm x 63mm x 42mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.7") with a weight of 269 grams (0.59 lbs) whilst the Panasonic S5 has proportions of 133mm x 97mm x 82mm (5.2" x 3.8" x 3.2") along with a weight of 714 grams (1.57 lbs).

Check out the Olympus SH-50 vs Panasonic S5 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change depending on the lens you are utilising at that moment. Following is the front view proportions comparison of the SH-50 and the S5.

Looking at size and weight, the portability rating of the SH-50 and S5 is 88 and 60 respectively.

Generally, its hard to visualise the difference between sensor dimensions only by reading through specifications. The pic here will help give you a better sense of the sensor sizes in the SH-50 and S5.

To sum up, each of these cameras posses different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The SH-50 due to its tinier sensor will make getting shallower DOF more difficult and the Panasonic S5 will give you more detail due to its extra 8MP. Higher resolution will help you crop photographs somewhat more aggressively. The more aged SH-50 is going to be behind with regard to sensor technology.