Olympus 6020 vs Panasonic S5

Lets look more closely at the Olympus 6020 and Panasonic S5, former is a Waterproof while the latter is a Pro Mirrorless by companies Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a substantial gap between the resolutions of the 6020 (13MP) and S5 (24MP) and the 6020 (1/2.3") and S5 (Full frame) provide different sensor size.

Photography Glossary

The 6020 was manufactured 11 years before the S5 which is quite a big difference as far as technology is concerned. Both of these cameras have different body design with the Olympus 6020 being a Compact camera and the Panasonic S5 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before delving right into a in-depth comparison, here is a quick summary of how the 6020 grades against the S5 for portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Following is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus Stylus Tough 6020 & Panasonic Lumix DC-S5. The entire galleries are viewable at Olympus 6020 Gallery & Panasonic S5 Gallery.

If you are intending to carry around your camera often, you should think about its weight and dimensions. The Olympus 6020 provides physical measurements of 95mm x 62mm x 22mm (3.7" x 2.4" x 0.9") accompanied by a weight of 122 grams (0.27 lbs) and the Panasonic S5 has dimensions of 133mm x 97mm x 82mm (5.2" x 3.8" x 3.2") accompanied by a weight of 714 grams (1.57 lbs).

Look at the Olympus 6020 and Panasonic S5 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you select at the time. Below is a front view measurements comparison of the 6020 versus the S5.

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the 6020 and S5 is 95 and 60 respectively.

More often than not, it's difficult to visualize the contrast between sensor sizes just by checking specifications. The picture below may offer you a clearer sense of the sensor sizing in the 6020 and S5.

To sum up, each of these cameras provide different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The 6020 because of its tinier sensor is going to make shooting shallower DOF trickier and the Panasonic S5 will resolve more detail due to its extra 11MP. Higher resolution will also make it easier to crop photographs more aggressively. The more aged 6020 is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor innovation.