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Olympus TG-850 iHS vs Panasonic ZS5

Portability
91
Imaging
40
Features
44
Overall
41
Olympus Stylus Tough TG-850 iHS front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS5 front
Portability
92
Imaging
35
Features
30
Overall
33

Olympus TG-850 iHS vs Panasonic ZS5 Key Specs

Olympus TG-850 iHS
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 125 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 21-105mm (F3.5-5.7) lens
  • 218g - 110 x 64 x 28mm
  • Introduced January 2014
Panasonic ZS5
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 25-300mm (F3.3-4.9) lens
  • 214g - 103 x 60 x 32mm
  • Launched June 2010
  • Additionally referred to as Lumix DMC-TZ8
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Olympus TG-850 iHS vs Panasonic ZS5 Overview

Below, we will be evaluating the Olympus TG-850 iHS and Panasonic ZS5, one is a Waterproof and the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by competitors Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a sizeable gap among the image resolutions of the TG-850 iHS (16MP) and ZS5 (12MP) but they feature the exact same sensor size (1/2.3").

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The TG-850 iHS was revealed 3 years after the ZS5 which is a fairly large gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of these cameras come with the identical body type (Compact).

Before diving in to a comprehensive comparison, below is a short summary of how the TG-850 iHS matches up vs the ZS5 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus TG-850 iHS over the Panasonic ZS5

 TG-850 iHS ZS5 
LaunchedJanuary 2014June 2010More modern by 45 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen dimension3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution460k230kSharper screen (+230k dot)

Reasons to pick Panasonic ZS5 over the Olympus TG-850 iHS

 ZS5 TG-850 iHS 

Common features in the Olympus TG-850 iHS and Panasonic ZS5

 TG-850 iHS ZS5 
Focus manually No manual focus
Selfie screen Neither comes with selfie screen
Touch screen Neither comes with Touch screen

Olympus TG-850 iHS vs Panasonic ZS5 Physical Comparison

If you are aiming to carry around your camera frequently, you will need to think about its weight and size. The Olympus TG-850 iHS comes with exterior dimensions of 110mm x 64mm x 28mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.1") and a weight of 218 grams (0.48 lbs) and the Panasonic ZS5 has specifications of 103mm x 60mm x 32mm (4.1" x 2.4" x 1.3") along with a weight of 214 grams (0.47 lbs).

Examine the Olympus TG-850 iHS and Panasonic ZS5 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you have attached during that time. Underneath is the front view physical size comparison of the TG-850 iHS vs the ZS5.

Olympus TG-850 iHS vs Panasonic ZS5 size comparison

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the TG-850 iHS and ZS5 is 91 and 92 respectively.

Olympus TG-850 iHS vs Panasonic ZS5 top view buttons comparison

Olympus TG-850 iHS vs Panasonic ZS5 Sensor Comparison

Typically, its hard to visualize the difference in sensor sizes merely by going through specifications. The pic here should provide you a better sense of the sensor dimensions in the TG-850 iHS and ZS5.

To sum up, both of these cameras posses the exact same sensor measurements albeit different MP. You should count on the Olympus TG-850 iHS to show extra detail because of its extra 4MP. Higher resolution can also allow you to crop pictures somewhat more aggressively. The newer TG-850 iHS provides an edge when it comes to sensor innovation.

Olympus TG-850 iHS vs Panasonic ZS5 sensor size comparison

Olympus TG-850 iHS vs Panasonic ZS5 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus TG-850 iHS vs Panasonic ZS5 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus TG-850 iHS Portrait photography information
Panasonic ZS5 Portrait photography information
35
good megapixels (16 megapixels)
comes with face detect focusing
lack of manual focus
no manual exposure
can't use external flash
small sensor (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
27
has face detection autofocus
lack of manual focus
no external flash support
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus TG-850 iHS
Street photography with Panasonic ZS5
69
screen tilts up and down
has image stabilization (Optical)
weather sealing
small sensor (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
61
has image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competitors in class (214g)
no moving screen
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
Photography Glossary

Sports Comparison

Olympus TG-850 iHS as a Sports photography camera
Panasonic ZS5 as a Sports photography camera
51
has image stabilization (Optical)
good megapixels (16MP)
comes with tracking focus
weather sealing
better than average battery power (330 CIPA)
no shutter priority
small sensor (1/2.3")
does not have phase detect AF
31
has image stabilization (Optical)
has tracking autofocus
maximum shutter speed is a little low (1/1,300s)
low fps (2.0 frames/s)
sensor resolution low (12MP)
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
does not have phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus TG-850 iHS as a Travel photography camera
Panasonic ZS5 as a Travel photography camera
72
better than average battery power (330 shots)
weather sealing
good megapixels (16MP)
flash built-in
relatively wide (21mm)
display is not selfie friendly
slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
63
lighter than competitors in class (214 grams)
built-in flash
quite wide (25mm)
long reach (300mm)
does not have Timelapse recording
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
doesn't contain selfie friendly display
slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus TG-850 iHS Landscape photography information
Panasonic ZS5 Landscape photography information
50
relatively wide (21mm)
screen size is good (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Optical)
good megapixels (16 megapixels)
weather sealing
better than average battery power (330 shots)
lack of manual focus
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
no manual exposure
small sensor (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
33
quite wide (25mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
lack of manual focus
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
screen is somewhat small (2.7 inch)
sensor resolution low (12MP)
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
does not have Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus TG-850 iHS as a Vlogging camera
Panasonic ZS5 as a Vlogging camera
33
relatively wide (21mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
comes with face detect focusing
high quality video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
display is not selfie friendly
missing mic support
31
quite wide (25mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
has face detection autofocus
lighter than competitors in class (214g)
slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
doesn't contain selfie friendly display
low video resolution (1280 x 720 resolution)
does not have external microphone port
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Olympus TG-850 iHS vs Panasonic ZS5 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus TG-850 iHS and Panasonic ZS5
 Olympus Stylus Tough TG-850 iHSPanasonic Lumix DMC-ZS5
General Information
Company Olympus Panasonic
Model type Olympus Stylus Tough TG-850 iHS Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS5
Also referred to as - Lumix DMC-TZ8
Class Waterproof Small Sensor Superzoom
Introduced 2014-01-29 2010-06-16
Body design Compact Compact
Sensor Information
Powered by TruePic VII Venus Engine HD II
Sensor type BSI-CMOS CCD
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 6.17 x 4.55mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor area 28.1mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixels 12 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio - 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 4616 x 3464 4000 x 3000
Maximum native ISO 6400 6400
Lowest native ISO 125 80
RAW format
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Continuous autofocus
Single autofocus
Tracking autofocus
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Total focus points - 11
Cross type focus points - -
Lens
Lens support fixed lens fixed lens
Lens zoom range 21-105mm (5.0x) 25-300mm (12.0x)
Highest aperture f/3.5-5.7 f/3.3-4.9
Macro focusing range - 3cm
Crop factor 5.8 5.9
Screen
Range of display Tilting Fixed Type
Display diagonal 3 inches 2.7 inches
Display resolution 460k dot 230k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Display tech TFT LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None None
Features
Lowest shutter speed 1/2 secs 60 secs
Highest shutter speed 1/2000 secs 1/1300 secs
Continuous shooting speed 7.0 frames per second 2.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation - Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance - 5.30 m
Flash options - Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Syncro
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60p, 30p), 1280 x 720 (60p), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1280 x 720 (30fps), 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video file format H.264, Motion JPEG Motion JPEG
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless Yes None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 218 grams (0.48 lb) 214 grams (0.47 lb)
Dimensions 110 x 64 x 28mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.1") 103 x 60 x 32mm (4.1" x 2.4" x 1.3")
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 330 images -
Battery form Battery Pack -
Battery ID LI-50B -
Self timer Yes (2 sec, 12 sec, Custom Self-Timer (1-30 sec start timer, 1-10 pictures, 1-3 sec interval)) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage SD, SDHC, SDXC, Internal Memory SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Storage slots Single Single
Price at launch $250 $300