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Olympus SZ-15 vs Panasonic S5

Portability
88
Imaging
40
Features
50
Overall
44
Olympus SZ-15 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DC-S5 front
Portability
60
Imaging
76
Features
92
Overall
82

Olympus SZ-15 vs Panasonic S5 Key Specs

Olympus SZ-15
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 23-483mm (F2.8-5.9) lens
  • 250g - 108 x 70 x 40mm
  • Released June 2013
Panasonic S5
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3.0" Fully Articulated Display
  • ISO 100 - 51200 (Expand to 204800)
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Leica L Mount
  • 714g - 133 x 97 x 82mm
  • Announced August 2020
  • Successor is Panasonic S5 II
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Olympus SZ-15 vs Panasonic S5 Overview

Here is a complete overview of the Olympus SZ-15 vs Panasonic S5, one being a Small Sensor Superzoom and the other is a Pro Mirrorless by rivals Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a huge gap between the resolutions of the SZ-15 (16MP) and S5 (24MP) and the SZ-15 (1/2.3") and S5 (Full frame) come with different sensor dimensions.

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The SZ-15 was brought out 8 years before the S5 and that is quite a significant gap as far as technology is concerned. The two cameras offer different body type with the Olympus SZ-15 being a Compact camera and the Panasonic S5 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before diving in to a comprehensive comparison, below is a brief synopsis of how the SZ-15 grades against the S5 for portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus SZ-15 over the Panasonic S5

 SZ-15 S5 

Reasons to pick Panasonic S5 over the Olympus SZ-15

 S5 SZ-15 
AnnouncedAugust 2020June 2013Fresher by 87 months
Display typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating display
Display resolution1840k460kCrisper display (+1380k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies
Touch display Easily navigate

Common features in the Olympus SZ-15 and Panasonic S5

 SZ-15 S5 
Manual focus Very exact focusing
Display sizing3"3.0"Equivalent display sizing

Olympus SZ-15 vs Panasonic S5 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is going to carry your camera frequently, you'll have to factor its weight and size. The Olympus SZ-15 has got outer measurements of 108mm x 70mm x 40mm (4.3" x 2.8" x 1.6") with a weight of 250 grams (0.55 lbs) whilst the Panasonic S5 has specifications of 133mm x 97mm x 82mm (5.2" x 3.8" x 3.2") along with a weight of 714 grams (1.57 lbs).

Examine the Olympus SZ-15 vs Panasonic S5 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ based on the lens you are working with at that moment. Following is the front view dimension comparison of the SZ-15 against the S5.

Olympus SZ-15 vs Panasonic S5 size comparison

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the SZ-15 and S5 is 88 and 60 respectively.

Olympus SZ-15 vs Panasonic S5 top view buttons comparison

Olympus SZ-15 vs Panasonic S5 Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, it is very tough to imagine the difference between sensor sizing merely by looking at technical specs. The graphic below will help provide you a far better sense of the sensor sizing in the SZ-15 and S5.

As you can tell, each of the cameras offer different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The SZ-15 due to its tinier sensor is going to make getting bokeh trickier and the Panasonic S5 will resolve greater detail having its extra 8MP. Greater resolution will allow you to crop photos a little more aggressively. The older SZ-15 is going to be disadvantaged in sensor technology.

Olympus SZ-15 vs Panasonic S5 sensor size comparison

Olympus SZ-15 vs Panasonic S5 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus SZ-15 vs Panasonic S5 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus SZ-15 as a Portrait photography camera
Panasonic S5 as a Portrait photography camera
44
focusing manually
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
supports face detection autofocus
no external flash support
very small sensor (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW format
85
manual focus
resolution is good (24MP)
great sensor size (Full frame)
features face detection focusing
exports RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Olympus SZ-15 Street photography information
Panasonic S5 Street photography information
60
has image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than others in class (250 grams)
no moving screen
very small sensor (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW format
78
screen articulates
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
great sensor size (Full frame)
exports RAW formats
supports touch focus
environment proofing
above average ISO range (51,200)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus SZ-15 Sports photography advice
Panasonic S5 Sports photography advice
53
excellent zoom range (23-483mm 21.0 x zoom)
has image stabilization (Optical)
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
supports tracking autofocus
very small sensor (1/2.3")
doesn't have phase detect autofocus
81
high shutter speed (1/8,000 seconds)
quiet shutter (1/8,000 seconds)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
resolution is good (24 megapixels)
great sensor size (Full frame)
features tracking autofocus
environment proofing
lack of phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus SZ-15 as a Travel photography camera
Panasonic S5 as a Travel photography camera
68
lighter than others in class (250g)
decent megapixels (16MP)
flash built-in
really wide (23mm)
long reach (483mm)
lack of Timelapse recording
screen is not selfie friendly
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.8)
79
environment proofing
supports bluetooth
supports touch focus
resolution is good (24 megapixels)
selfie friendly display
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus SZ-15
Landscape photography with Panasonic S5
49
focusing manually
really wide (23mm)
nice screen size (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Optical)
decent megapixels (16MP)
can't change lenses (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.8)
very small sensor (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW format
lack of Timelapse recording
86
manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Leica L mount)
pretty good screen size (3.0 inch)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
resolution is good (24 megapixels)
great sensor size (Full frame)
no anti-alias filter
above average ISO range (51,200)
exports RAW formats
environment proofing
two card slots
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus SZ-15 Vlogging features
Panasonic S5 Vlogging features
34
really wide (23mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
supports face detection autofocus
high res video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
lighter than others in class (250g)
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.8)
screen is not selfie friendly
lack of external microphone support
79
selfie friendly display
touchscreen enabled
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
features face detection focusing
video resolution high (3840 x 2160 resolution)
comes with external microphone socket
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Olympus SZ-15 vs Panasonic S5 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus SZ-15 and Panasonic S5
 Olympus SZ-15Panasonic Lumix DC-S5
General Information
Make Olympus Panasonic
Model type Olympus SZ-15 Panasonic Lumix DC-S5
Class Small Sensor Superzoom Pro Mirrorless
Released 2013-06-21 2020-08-14
Physical type Compact SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" Full frame
Sensor measurements 6.17 x 4.55mm 35.6 x 23.8mm
Sensor area 28.1mm² 847.3mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixels 24 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 4608 x 3456 6000 x 4000
Max native ISO 3200 51200
Max boosted ISO - 204800
Lowest native ISO 100 100
RAW images
Lowest boosted ISO - 50
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
Continuous AF
AF single
AF tracking
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Total focus points - 225
Cross type focus points - -
Lens
Lens mount type fixed lens Leica L
Lens zoom range 23-483mm (21.0x) -
Highest aperture f/2.8-5.9 -
Macro focusing distance 5cm -
Amount of lenses - 31
Focal length multiplier 5.8 1
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fully Articulated
Display size 3 inch 3.0 inch
Display resolution 460 thousand dots 1,840 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Display tech LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 2,360 thousand dots
Viewfinder coverage - 100%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.74x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 8 seconds 60 seconds
Highest shutter speed 1/2000 seconds 1/8000 seconds
Highest quiet shutter speed - 1/8000 seconds
Continuous shooting rate 10.0fps 7.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 3.50 m no built-in flash
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync Auto, Auto/Red-eye Reduction, Forced On, Forced On/Red-eye Reduction, Slow Sync, Slow Sync w/Red-eye Reduction, Forced Off
Hot shoe
AEB
White balance bracketing
Highest flash synchronize - 1/250 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 480fps (176 x 128), 240fps (384 x 288) 3840 x 2160 @ 60p / 200 Mbps, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM
Max video resolution 1920x1080 3840x2160
Video file format AVI MPEG4, Motion JPEG MPEG-4, H.264, H.265
Microphone port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) Yes (can be charged with high-power laptop/tablet chargers or portable power banks)
GPS BuiltIn None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 250g (0.55 lb) 714g (1.57 lb)
Dimensions 108 x 70 x 40mm (4.3" x 2.8" x 1.6") 133 x 97 x 82mm (5.2" x 3.8" x 3.2")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth rating not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested not tested
DXO Low light rating not tested not tested
Other
Battery life - 440 photographs
Battery type - Battery Pack
Battery ID SLB-10A -
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec, Double) Yes
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD Memory Card, SDHC Memory Card, SDXC Memory Card
Card slots 1 Two
Retail cost $200 $1,999