Leica D-LUX 5 vs Olympus SZ-31MR iHS

The following is a extended analysis of the Leica D-LUX 5 and Olympus SZ-31MR iHS, one is a Small Sensor Compact and the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by rivals Leica and Olympus. There is a sizeable difference between the sensor resolutions of the D-LUX 5 (10MP) and SZ-31MR iHS (16MP) and the D-LUX 5 (1/1.63") and SZ-31MR iHS (1/2.3") posses totally different sensor dimensions.

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The D-LUX 5 was manufactured 16 months prior to the SZ-31MR iHS which makes them a generation away from each other. The two cameras have the same body design (Compact).

Before going right into a full comparison, here is a concise introduction of how the D-LUX 5 scores versus the SZ-31MR iHS when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Here is a preview of the gallery images for Leica D-LUX 5 and Olympus SZ-31MR iHS. The entire galleries are available at Leica D-LUX 5 Gallery and Olympus SZ-31MR iHS Gallery.

For those who are intending to travel with your camera, you'll need to think about its weight and dimensions. The Leica D-LUX 5 has got external measurements of 110mm x 66mm x 43mm (4.3" x 2.6" x 1.7") along with a weight of 271 grams (0.60 lbs) and the Olympus SZ-31MR iHS has dimensions of 106mm x 69mm x 40mm (4.2" x 2.7" x 1.6") having a weight of 226 grams (0.50 lbs).

Look at the Leica D-LUX 5 and Olympus SZ-31MR iHS in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Always remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary dependant on the lens you have at the time. The following is a front view measurement comparison of the D-LUX 5 vs the SZ-31MR iHS.

Taking into account size and weight, the portability rating of the D-LUX 5 and SZ-31MR iHS is 88 and 89 respectively.

Generally, it is difficult to visualise the contrast between sensor dimensions simply by checking technical specs. The image here should provide you a better sense of the sensor measurements in the D-LUX 5 and SZ-31MR iHS.

As you can tell, the two cameras provide different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The D-LUX 5 because of its bigger sensor will make achieving shallow DOF simpler and the Olympus SZ-31MR iHS will give greater detail due to its extra 6MP. Higher resolution will help you crop pictures more aggressively. The more aged D-LUX 5 is going to be behind in sensor innovation.