Clicky

Olympus E-300 vs Panasonic SZ7

Portability
67
Imaging
41
Features
31
Overall
37
Olympus E-300 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ7 front
Portability
95
Imaging
37
Features
41
Overall
38

Olympus E-300 vs Panasonic SZ7 Key Specs

Olympus E-300
(Full Review)
  • 8MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 1.8" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 400 (Raise to 1600)
  • No Video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 624g - 147 x 85 x 64mm
  • Launched January 2005
  • Also referred to as EVOLT E-300
  • New Model is Olympus E-330
Panasonic SZ7
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 25-250mm (F3.1-5.9) lens
  • 133g - 99 x 59 x 21mm
  • Released January 2012
Japan-exclusive Leica Leitz Phone 3 features big sensor and new modes

Olympus E-300 vs Panasonic SZ7 Overview

The following is a comprehensive comparison of the Olympus E-300 and Panasonic SZ7, former is a Advanced DSLR while the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by competitors Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a large gap between the image resolutions of the E-300 (8MP) and SZ7 (14MP) and the E-300 (Four Thirds) and SZ7 (1/2.3") provide different sensor sizes.

President Biden pushes bill mandating TikTok sale or ban

The E-300 was released 8 years before the SZ7 which is quite a serious difference as far as technology is concerned. Each of these cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-300 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Panasonic SZ7 being a Compact camera.

Before getting right into a detailed comparison, here is a simple synopsis of how the E-300 matches up vs the SZ7 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Apple Innovates by Creating Next-Level Optical Stabilization for iPhone
	
	

Reasons to pick Olympus E-300 over the Panasonic SZ7

 E-300 SZ7 
Focus manually Very accurate focusing

Reasons to pick Panasonic SZ7 over the Olympus E-300

 SZ7 E-300 
ReleasedJanuary 2012January 2005Newer by 85 months
Screen size3"1.8"Bigger screen (+1.2")
Screen resolution460k134kCrisper screen (+326k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-300 and Panasonic SZ7

 E-300 SZ7 
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Selfie screen Neither includes selfie screen
Touch screen Missing Touch screen

Olympus E-300 vs Panasonic SZ7 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is going to travel with your camera regularly, you will want to factor in its weight and volume. The Olympus E-300 features exterior measurements of 147mm x 85mm x 64mm (5.8" x 3.3" x 2.5") along with a weight of 624 grams (1.38 lbs) while the Panasonic SZ7 has sizing of 99mm x 59mm x 21mm (3.9" x 2.3" x 0.8") and a weight of 133 grams (0.29 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus E-300 and Panasonic SZ7 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you are working with at that time. Underneath is a front view proportions comparison of the E-300 against the SZ7.

Olympus E-300 vs Panasonic SZ7 size comparison

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-300 and SZ7 is 67 and 95 respectively.

Olympus E-300 vs Panasonic SZ7 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-300 vs Panasonic SZ7 Sensor Comparison

Normally, it's hard to imagine the contrast between sensor dimensions simply by reading specifications. The pic here should give you a greater sense of the sensor measurements in the E-300 and SZ7.

Plainly, the 2 cameras feature different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The E-300 featuring a bigger sensor is going to make shooting shallow depth of field easier and the Panasonic SZ7 will offer extra detail as a result of its extra 6MP. Higher resolution will also allow you to crop pictures way more aggressively. The more aged E-300 is going to be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor tech.

Olympus E-300 vs Panasonic SZ7 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-300 vs Panasonic SZ7 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-300 vs Panasonic SZ7 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Meta to Introduce 'AI-Generated' Labels for Media starting next month

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-300 Portrait photography factors
Panasonic SZ7 Portrait photography factors
48
focusing manually
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
no liveview
low resolution (8 megapixels)
33
decent sensor resolution (14MP)
features face detection autofocus
focusing manually not possible
lack of manual exposure
can't use external flash
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW files
Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music video

Street Comparison

Olympus E-300 Street photography details
Panasonic SZ7 Street photography details
51
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
fixed screen
lack of image stabilization
low maximum ISO (400)
63
has image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than average in class (133 grams)
fixed screen
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW files
Photobucket discusses licensing 13 billion images with AI firms

Sports Comparison

Olympus E-300 Sports photography highlights
Panasonic SZ7 Sports photography highlights
37
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
comes with phase detect AF
no liveview
max fps very slow (3.0 frames/s)
lack of image stabilization
low resolution (8 megapixels)
43
has image stabilization (Optical)
decent sensor resolution (14 megapixels)
features tracking autofocus
no shutter priority mode
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
doesn't have phase detect autofocus
Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide

Travel Comparison

Olympus E-300 as a Travel photography camera
Panasonic SZ7 as a Travel photography camera
45
flash built-in
no Time Lapse recording
low resolution (8 megapixels)
doesn't have selfie friendly display
70
lighter than average in class (133 grams)
decent sensor resolution (14 megapixels)
flash built-in
really wide (25mm)
great zoom (250mm)
does not have Timelapse recording
screen isn't selfie friendly
slow maximum aperture (f3.1)
Samsung Releases Faster Versions of EVO MicroSD Cards

Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-300 as a Landscape photography camera
Panasonic SZ7 as a Landscape photography camera
43
focusing manually
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
screen is somewhat small (1.8")
no liveview
lack of image stabilization
low resolution (8MP)
low maximum ISO (400)
no Time Lapse recording
42
really wide (25mm)
screen size is decent (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Optical)
decent sensor resolution (14MP)
focusing manually not possible
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f3.1)
lack of manual exposure
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW files
does not have Timelapse recording
Photography Glossary

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-300 Vlogging details
Panasonic SZ7 Vlogging details
9
lack of video recording
35
really wide (25mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
features face detection autofocus
high res video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
lighter than average in class (133 grams)
slow maximum aperture (f3.1)
screen isn't selfie friendly
does not have external microphone port
Snapchat Adds Watermarks to AI-Created Images

Olympus E-300 vs Panasonic SZ7 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-300 and Panasonic SZ7
 Olympus E-300Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ7
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Panasonic
Model Olympus E-300 Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ7
Also called as EVOLT E-300 -
Type Advanced DSLR Small Sensor Compact
Launched 2005-01-10 2012-01-09
Body design Mid-size SLR Compact
Sensor Information
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 8MP 14MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Max resolution 3264 x 2448 4320 x 3240
Max native ISO 400 6400
Max enhanced ISO 1600 -
Min native ISO 100 100
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Manual focus
AF touch
AF continuous
AF single
AF tracking
Selective AF
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Number of focus points 3 23
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 25-250mm (10.0x)
Largest aperture - f/3.1-5.9
Macro focus distance - 4cm
Amount of lenses 45 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.9
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen size 1.8 inches 3 inches
Screen resolution 134 thousand dot 460 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Screen tech - TFT Color LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentamirror) None
Features
Min shutter speed 60s 8s
Max shutter speed 1/4000s 1/1600s
Continuous shutter speed 3.0 frames per second 10.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes -
Set WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range - 5.60 m
Flash modes Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction
Hot shoe
AEB
WB bracketing
Max flash sync 1/180s -
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions - 1920 x 1080 (60, 30 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Max video resolution None 1920x1080
Video format - MPEG-4, AVCHD
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 1.0 (1.5 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 624g (1.38 lbs) 133g (0.29 lbs)
Physical dimensions 147 x 85 x 64mm (5.8" x 3.3" x 2.5") 99 x 59 x 21mm (3.9" x 2.3" x 0.8")
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 - 220 images
Style of battery - Battery Pack
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage Compact Flash (Type I or II) SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Storage slots Single Single
Launch cost $800 $199