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Olympus VH-515 vs Panasonic S5

Portability
95
Imaging
36
Features
34
Overall
35
Olympus VH-515 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DC-S5 front
Portability
60
Imaging
76
Features
92
Overall
82

Olympus VH-515 vs Panasonic S5 Key Specs

Olympus VH-515
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 1600
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 26-130mm (F2.8-6.5) lens
  • 152g - 102 x 60 x 21mm
  • Introduced August 2012
Panasonic S5
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3.0" Fully Articulated Display
  • ISO 100 - 51200 (Boost to 204800)
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Leica L Mount
  • 714g - 133 x 97 x 82mm
  • Introduced August 2020
  • Replacement is Panasonic S5 II
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Olympus VH-515 vs Panasonic S5 Overview

Let's examine more closely at the Olympus VH-515 vs Panasonic S5, former being a Small Sensor Compact while the other is a Pro Mirrorless by companies Olympus and Panasonic. There is a substantial difference between the resolutions of the VH-515 (12MP) and S5 (24MP) and the VH-515 (1/2.3") and S5 (Full frame) use totally different sensor dimensions.

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The VH-515 was launched 9 years before the S5 and that is quite a big difference as far as tech is concerned. The two cameras come with different body type with the Olympus VH-515 being a Compact camera and the Panasonic S5 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before we go straight into a more detailed comparison, below is a brief introduction of how the VH-515 matches up vs the S5 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus VH-515 over the Panasonic S5

 VH-515 S5 

Reasons to pick Panasonic S5 over the Olympus VH-515

 S5 VH-515 
IntroducedAugust 2020August 2012Fresher by 97 months
Manual focus Dial exact focusing
Display typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating display
Display resolution1840k460kSharper display (+1380k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies

Common features in the Olympus VH-515 and Panasonic S5

 VH-515 S5 
Display dimension3"3.0"Identical display sizing
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Olympus VH-515 vs Panasonic S5 Physical Comparison

When you are looking to carry your camera regularly, you should think about its weight and proportions. The Olympus VH-515 offers exterior dimensions of 102mm x 60mm x 21mm (4.0" x 2.4" x 0.8") along with a weight of 152 grams (0.34 lbs) whilst the Panasonic S5 has measurements of 133mm x 97mm x 82mm (5.2" x 3.8" x 3.2") accompanied by a weight of 714 grams (1.57 lbs).

Compare the Olympus VH-515 vs Panasonic S5 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you are working with during that time. Below is the front view overall size comparison of the VH-515 and the S5.

Olympus VH-515 vs Panasonic S5 size comparison

Considering size and weight, the portability rating of the VH-515 and S5 is 95 and 60 respectively.

Olympus VH-515 vs Panasonic S5 top view buttons comparison

Olympus VH-515 vs Panasonic S5 Sensor Comparison

Generally, its tough to see the contrast between sensor sizing purely by checking specs. The visual below might provide you a better sense of the sensor sizes in the VH-515 and S5.

As you can plainly see, each of the cameras posses different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The VH-515 because of its tinier sensor will make getting shallow DOF more challenging and the Panasonic S5 will give more detail utilizing its extra 12MP. Greater resolution will also make it easier to crop pics somewhat more aggressively. The older VH-515 is going to be disadvantaged in sensor innovation.

Olympus VH-515 vs Panasonic S5 sensor size comparison

Olympus VH-515 vs Panasonic S5 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus VH-515 vs Panasonic S5 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus VH-515 Portrait photography details
Panasonic S5 Portrait photography details
27
offers face detection autofocus
no manual focus
lack of manual exposure
cannot use external flash
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
does not have RAW files
85
focusing manually
megapixel count decent (24 megapixels)
great sensor size (Full frame)
supports face detection focusing
supports RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus VH-515 as a Street photography camera
Panasonic S5 as a Street photography camera
62
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
has focus via touch
screen does not articulate
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
does not have RAW files
78
screen can move to multiple angles
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
great sensor size (Full frame)
supports RAW files
provides focus via touch
weather proofing
above average ISO range (51,200)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus VH-515 Sports photography info
Panasonic S5 Sports photography info
32
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
offers tracking autofocus
slow fps (2.0 frames/s)
no shutter priority
sensor resolution low (12MP)
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
does not have phase detect autofocus
81
maximum shutter speed is high (1/8,000 seconds)
silent shutter (1/8,000 seconds)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
megapixel count decent (24MP)
great sensor size (Full frame)
supports tracking autofocus
weather proofing
has no phase detect AF
Photography Glossary

Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus VH-515
Travel photography with Panasonic S5
62
has focus via touch
built-in flash
rather wide (26mm)
does not have Time Lapse recording
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
screen is not selfie friendly
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
79
weather proofing
has bluetooth
provides focus via touch
megapixel count decent (24 megapixels)
selfie friendly display
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus VH-515 Landscape photography info
Panasonic S5 Landscape photography info
37
rather wide (26mm)
pretty good screen size (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
no manual focus
can't change lenses (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
lack of manual exposure
sensor resolution low (12MP)
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
does not have RAW files
does not have Time Lapse recording
86
focusing manually
swap lenses (Leica L mount)
decent sized screen (3.0")
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
megapixel count decent (24 megapixels)
great sensor size (Full frame)
does not have anti aliasing filter
above average ISO range (51,200)
supports RAW files
weather proofing
two card slots
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus VH-515
Vlogging with Panasonic S5
35
rather wide (26mm)
touch screen
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
offers face detection autofocus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
screen is not selfie friendly
does not have external mic socket
79
selfie friendly display
touchscreen capability
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
supports face detection focusing
high res video (3840 x 2160 pixels)
does have external mic socket
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Olympus VH-515 vs Panasonic S5 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus VH-515 and Panasonic S5
 Olympus VH-515Panasonic Lumix DC-S5
General Information
Company Olympus Panasonic
Model Olympus VH-515 Panasonic Lumix DC-S5
Type Small Sensor Compact Pro Mirrorless
Introduced 2012-08-21 2020-08-14
Physical type Compact SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Powered by TruePic III+ -
Sensor type BSI-CMOS CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" Full frame
Sensor dimensions 6.17 x 4.55mm 35.6 x 23.8mm
Sensor surface area 28.1mm² 847.3mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixels 24 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 4608 x 3456 6000 x 4000
Highest native ISO 1600 51200
Highest enhanced ISO - 204800
Min native ISO 100 100
RAW support
Min enhanced ISO - 50
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
Continuous AF
AF single
Tracking AF
AF selectice
AF center weighted
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Number of focus points - 225
Lens
Lens mounting type fixed lens Leica L
Lens focal range 26-130mm (5.0x) -
Maximum aperture f/2.8-6.5 -
Macro focus distance 5cm -
Number of lenses - 31
Crop factor 5.8 1
Screen
Type of screen Fixed Type Fully Articulated
Screen size 3" 3.0"
Screen resolution 460k dots 1,840k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Screen technology TFT Color LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 2,360k dots
Viewfinder coverage - 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.74x
Features
Min shutter speed 4 seconds 60 seconds
Max shutter speed 1/2000 seconds 1/8000 seconds
Max silent shutter speed - 1/8000 seconds
Continuous shutter rate 2.0 frames per second 7.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation - Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 4.70 m no built-in flash
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in 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
Max flash synchronize - 1/250 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30,15 fps), 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 180 (30,15 fps) 3840 x 2160 @ 60p / 200 Mbps, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 3840x2160
Video file format MPEG-4, H.264 MPEG-4, H.264, H.265
Mic port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless Eye-Fi Connected 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 None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 152 gr (0.34 lbs) 714 gr (1.57 lbs)
Dimensions 102 x 60 x 21mm (4.0" x 2.4" x 0.8") 133 x 97 x 82mm (5.2" x 3.8" x 3.2")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth score not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range score not tested not tested
DXO Low light score not tested not tested
Other
Battery life - 440 pictures
Battery type - Battery Pack
Battery model LI-50B -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD Memory Card, SDHC Memory Card, SDXC Memory Card
Card slots 1 Two
Pricing at release $648 $1,999