Olympus VH-515 vs Panasonic S5

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.

Following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus VH-515 & Panasonic Lumix DC-S5. The complete galleries are viewable at Olympus VH-515 Gallery & Panasonic S5 Gallery.

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.

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.

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

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.